‘What were they playing for?’: Steve Waugh on England vs Australia ODIs, blames overkill of cricket for low crowds

With so many cricket leagues, bilateral series, ICC tournaments, and domestic tournaments happening around the world, a lot of cricket is being played. If we consider Team India, the Men in Blue travelled to New Zealand straight after the T20 World Cup was over and after New Zealand tour, series against Bangladesh is lined up. Similarly, Australia played a ODI series against England immediately after the T20 World Cup and now have a Test series against West Indies scheduled in December.

During the bilateral series between arch-rivals Australia and England, the low turnout of spectators in the stadiums grabbed quite a few eyeballs. While some cricket experts draw their reasons for the low attendance, former Australia captain Steve Waugh has opined on the matter.

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“There’s a lot of cricket it’s hard to follow, as a spectator its very hard to keep up with it. (The) three one-dayers against England seemed a bit insignificant really, I mean what were they playing for? There wasn’t a big crowd, I think the public has almost overdosed on cricket," said Waugh on SEN's Saturday Morning Mowers Club show.

The Australia legend further pointed towards the shuffle and rotation of players in cricket teams these days, due to hectic schedules. He highlighted how it becomes difficult for the audience to establish a connection as the players keep changing.

“You want the special series to be iconic like the Ashes or against England, it’s hard to follow the Australian side because every time they play they have a different team on the field," said Waugh.

“For the fans and spectators, it is hard to make a connection because you’re not sure who is playing, I don’t know whether it’s anyone’s fault but you need that consistency in the Australian side," he concluded.