Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has criticised the nine-hour third ODI between India and West Indies. He says such marathons are killing the 50-over format.

“Yes, it’s nine hours, and I do feel that it is a bit long,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz. “Ideally, it should be 7 hours with a break in between as well. Even if you extend it to 8 hours, it is okay.”

The Mullanpur match on October 3 ran nine hours from its afternoon start. Both teams were penalised during play for slow over-rates and later fined by the ICC.

Karthik blamed multiple breaks in scorching heat and a lack of effort to push overs through. He linked the sluggish pace to falling interest in ODI cricket.

“In this day and age, when we are trying to shrink everything and make it shorter, I don’t think it makes sense to have a one-day game for 9 hours,” he said.

He urged the ICC and all stakeholders to clamp down on over-rates to protect the format’s future.