Once international cricket’s lifeline, triangular ODI tournaments are now an extinct species

RIP Triangular ODIs: The Format That Shaped an Era Is Now Extinct 🏏

What's the last ODI you genuinely remember? Be honest—if you're scratching your head, that's the point. The men's middle format is quietly fading into irrelevance, and triangular tournaments were once the beating heart of it.

How it started

Think back to Kerry Packer and World Series Cricket. Frustrated by the Aussie board's TV rights refusal, Packer brought in the West Indies + a World XI to create a triangular setup. Colored clothing, white balls, Nine's slick coverage—it was electric. But things really exploded once the triangular came to South Asia.

Enter NKP Salve (1987 WC dream), Nur Khan & Gamini Dissanayake. That birthed the Asian Cricket Council and the first Asia Cup in Sharjah, 1984. The UAE became the first host they didn't even play in. Sharjah? Still holds 255 matches—50+ clear of any other venue on earth. It became the glamorous ODI destination of the 90s.

Of the first 29 triangular/quadrangular ODIs by end of 1992, Australia hosted 15, Sharjah nine. Then SA returned from exile, Sri Lanka rocketed to WC glory, and suddenly there were enough strong teams for year-round ODI cricket. Triangulars became THE fad—even Singapore, Morocco, Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, Canada all hosted Full Members in 3/4-nation events between '96-'08.

The magic moments

These tournaments revolutionized the game:

- 🎳 1981 Greg Chappell's underarm bowling (still sparks debates)

- 💥 Lance Cairns' shoulder-shaved "Excalibur" bat, 6 sixes off Lillee

- 🔥 1998 Tendulkar's desert-storm masterclass at Sharjah

- 💣 Jayasuriya+Kaluwitharana's flip the order revolution → led straight to the '99 WC title

- 🌟 2003: Australia benched the Waugh brothers for not making a triangular final. Yeah, that happened.

Why they died

No coincidence—triangulars faded from the late 2010s as franchise leagues mushroomed globally. Shrinking calendars + difficulty booking two visiting teams at once = death knell. India hasn't hosted one since 2003, SA since 2001, NZ since 1995, Pakistan since 2004.

The irony? Just like Packer and Sharjah were born from broadcaster demand, TV money turbocharged the T20 leagues that buried the format. Matches without the hosts barely sold tickets or ratings.

The silver lining?

Triangular T20Is popped up (Finch's 172 in Zimbabwe, 2018 still stands as the men's T20I record), but a real revival of the ODI triangular seems unlikely. Still, these tournaments forever shaped how ODIs evolved—and where cricket's power重心 shifted to the subcontinent.

A genuine farewell to a golden era. 🖤

What triangular moment is etched in your memory? Drop it below 👇

Source: Wisden