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It was back in 1844 when the first-ever international cricket match was played between the United States of America (USA) and Canada. The match was a three-day affair which was played at the St George’s Cricket Club in New York.
While there were English teams touring the USA and Australia and a set of Australian players travelling to England for cricket games, it was only in 1877 that the first-ever international Test match was played. Australia and England faced off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in a five-day fixture.
After nearly a century of years, a shorter format was introduced which is now known as ODI cricket. The ODI full form in cricket is One-day International, a format designed to finish in a single day, providing an exciting contrast to Test cricket.
In the late 1960s, Test cricket along with first-class cricket in Australia and England were facing issues. Crowds were not upto the mark and the idea of playing the game in a single day was first pitched in the late 1950s. A 60-overs-a-side tournament named Gillette Cup was introduced in 1963 to address the decrease in crowds in County cricket.
Eight years later, the first-ever international one-day game was played. Once again, Australia and England marked the start of a new format.
The first-ever One-day international cricket match was played at the MCG on the 5th of January, 1971. This ODI match, whose full form is One-day International, marked the beginning of a new era in cricket history. It was initially supposed to be a Test match. But the first three days were washed out. Hence, the decision to play a one-day game was brought about. It was 40 overs a side with eight balls in each over.
Australia won the game by five wickets. England made 190 and Australia chased the target down in 34.6 overs. The match was played with a red-ball and white clothing, as it is in a Test match. That gave birth to a brand-new format. Unlike Test cricket which was played for a few days, the One-day international cricket match finished on the same day with almost a guarantee of getting a result (unless weather intervened). The introduction of One-day international cricket made the game more exciting for spectators.
It took a few years for different teams around the world to join the bandwagon and come on board for the format. In fact, the second-ever ODI match was played a year and a half later after its debut in 1971. England and Australia were at it again. They squared off in a three-match which was won by England 2-1. These games were 55-overs-a-side.
The format grew a bit more in 1973 and 1974 when more teams started making their respective debuts. It varied between 40 to 60 overs before the idea settled into making 60 overs the standard with the advent of the Prudential World Cup.
It was in 1975 that the first Men’s World Cup was played. Since then, the World Cup has become an integral part of the cricket calendar. It’s played once every four years (has been five and three on one instance each due to different reasons).
How One-Day International Cricket Has Evolved Over the Years
While it started off as a smaller version of a Test match, One-day international cricket has evolved massively over the last 50 years, bringing unique ODI match rules like powerplays and the introduction of colored clothing and day-night matches. Kerry Packer brought about a big shift with the introduction of coloured clothing and day-night matches with white balls. In the late 1970s, he proposed a World Series Cricket tournament where these new changes were implemented.
However, despite these changes, the ODI World Cups continued to be played in the traditional format with white clothing and red balls. The first three World Cups were played in the 60-over format before it shifted to the 50-over fixtures from 1987. The coloured clothing and day-night encounters along with the white balls came in from the 1992 World Cup.
Rules of ODI Cricket Matches
As more and more One-day international cricket matches were played, the players started expanding their skillsets, both with bat and ball. Over the years, ODI cricket match rules have evolved, including powerplays, fielding restrictions, and the use of two new balls.
It was in 1992 that fielding restrictions first came into the picture. In the first 15 overs, only two fielders were allowed outside the 30-yard circle. After the 15-over mark, five fielders were allowed outside the circle.
13 years later in 2005, ICC named the fielding restrictions as ‘powerplay’. It was broken into three segments. The first powerplay was for the first 10 overs with two catching men compulsory before the next two segments were five overs each. Between 2005 and 2008, these overs were fixed. Overs between 1 to 20 were powerplay overs.
In 2008, the rule was amended as the third powerplay was renamed to ‘batting powerplay’. It allowed the batting team to use those set of five overs whenever they wanted. Only three fielders were allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
With teams utilizing batting powerplays more towards the back end of the innings, the ICC made it mandatory for teams to use both batting powerplay between overs 16 to 40. This was in 2011. The bowling powerplay was removed at the same time as well. In fact, for a four-year cycle, the ICC even introduced a rule of having only four players on the boundary in non-powerplay overs. This was also the time when ODIs started being played with two new balls i.e one from either end.
In 2015, the powerplay rules were completely changed and the fielding rules shifted back. The first powerplay of 10 overs remained but the rule of having two players in catching positions was removed. The bowling and batting powerplay were abandoned for good. Now, there are just three phases in an ODI match – overs 1-10, 11-40 and 41-50. The first phase can see only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle while overs 11-40 can have only four fielders on the boundary. Teams can have five fielders outside the circle in the last 10 overs.
There was also a trial that the ICC run by introducing the Supersub rule. It allowed teams to use a 12th player in the game. The trial ran for only about six months and it was unsuccessful.
ICC ODI Teams
There are 12 permanent members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and all of them have permanent ODI status. These ICC ODI teams regularly compete in One-day International cricket tournaments like the ICC World Cup and Champions Trophy. Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland are currently the full members.
There are eight other members who have temporary ODI status. These are Scotland, United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Netherlands, Namibia, Oman, Canada and United States of America (USA). There have been other teams who have received temporary One-day international cricket status in the past but now, they are not in the top 20 list anymore. Kenya, Canada, Bermuda, Ireland, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea are teams that held temporary ODI status at some point.
World Cups and Champions Trophy
ODI World Cup
Over the years, the number of teams participating in a World Cup has also changed. There were just eight teams in each of the first four World Cups (1975, 1979, 1983 and 1987). South Africa joined in 1992 and it became a nine-team event. That increased to 12 in 1996. Kenya, Netherlands and United Arab Emirates played in the tournament as Associate nations.
In 1999, the number of teams remained the same but Bangladesh and Scotland made their first-ever World Cup appearances. 2003 saw 14 teams take part which was the most then. Kenya, Namibia, Canada and Netherlands were the associate nations to play the tournament.
2007 is to date the only World Cup where 16 teams have participated. As many as six associate countries were a part of that event. Bermuda, Kenya, Netherlands, Canada, Ireland and Scotland were the ones apart from the usual 10 Test-playing nations.
In 2011, the size of the tournament was cut down a bit and it was back to 14 teams like 2003. The same was the case in 2015. However, the 2019 and 2023 World Cups have seen only 10 teams taking part.
Winners of Each World Cup:
- 1975 – West Indies
- 1979 – West Indies
- 1983 – India
- 1987 – Australia
- 1992 – Pakistan
- 1996 – Sri Lanka
- 1999 – Australia
- 2003 – Australia
- 2007 – Australia
- 2011 – India
- 2015 – Australia
- 2019 – England
- 2023 – Australia
Champions Trophy
Apart from the World Cup, there is another 50-over ICC tournament. It is the Champions Trophy. It was in 1998 that the tournament was first played and it was called the ICC Knockout Trophy then. In 2002, it was renamed to ICC Champions Trophy. Only the top eight teams in the world take part in the tournament and that is decided based on rankings. After the 2017 edition, the ICC scraped the tournament but it has brought it back in 2025.
Winners of Each Champions Trophy:
- 1998 – South Africa
- 2000 – New Zealand
- 2002 – India and Sri Lanka (final was washed out)
- 2004 – West Indies
- 2006 – Australia
- 2009 – Australia
- 2013 – India
- 2017 – Pakistan
Notable Records in One-day International Cricket
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- Most ODI matches played by a team: India (1058)
- Most wins by a team: Australia (613)
- Most losses by a team: India (445)
- Most World Cup title wins by a team: Australia (6)
- Most matches played by a player: Sachin Tendulkar (463)
- Most runs by a batter: Sachin Tendulkar (18246 runs)
- Most fifties by a batter: Sachin Tendulkar (96 fifties)
- Most hundreds by a batter: Virat Kohli (50 hundreds)
- Most double hundreds by a batter: Rohit Sharma (3)
- Most wickets by a bowler: Muthiah Muralidaran (534 wickets)
- Most five-wicket hauls: Waqar Younis (13)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ODI mean in cricket?
ODI stands for One-day International in cricket. It is a format where each team gets a maximum of 50 overs, and the match is completed in a single day.
What is the ODI full form in cricket?
The full form of ODI in cricket is One-day International, a format introduced to make cricket more exciting and fast-paced.
What are the rules of ODI cricket matches?
ODI cricket match rules include a limit of 50 overs per side, powerplays with fielding restrictions, and the use of two new balls (one from each end).
How many ICC teams have ODI status?
There are 12 permanent ICC teams with ODI status, including Australia, India, England, and South Africa, along with 8 teams with temporary status like Scotland, Nepal, and USA.
What is the history of ODI cricket?
ODI cricket began in 1971 when Australia and England played the first-ever match at the MCG. Over the years, the format has evolved with changes in overs, colored clothing, and day-night matches.
Who holds the record for the most ODI matches played?
India has played the most ODI matches (1,058), while Sachin Tendulkar holds the individual record with 463 matches.
How often is the ODI World Cup held?
The ODI World Cup is held every four years, with the first tournament played in 1975.
What are ICC ODI tournaments?
ICC ODI tournaments include the Cricket World Cup and Champions Trophy, which bring together top international teams for competitive matches.
What is limited overs cricket?
Limited overs cricket is a format where each team plays a fixed number of overs, typically 50 in One-day International (ODI) matches or 20 in T20 games. It ensures that the match is completed in a single day.
How does ODI cricket differ from other limited overs formats?
ODI cricket, a form of limited overs cricket, consists of 50 overs per team and is played at an international level. In contrast, T20 cricket features 20 overs per team, making it shorter and more fast-paced.
