By Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor; Devadasan K P, Picture Editor and Vijith Pulikkal, Assistant Product Manager
The first One Day International (ODI) was played between arch-rivals Australia and England on January 5, 1971, at Melbourne Cricket Ground. After the first three days of the Test match was washed out, it was converted into a one-day game consisting of 40 eight-ball overs a side. Australia won by five wickets.
In 1975, the first World Cup, then a 60-overs game, was played in England with eight teams. Clive Lloyd’s West Indies won the tournament, beating Australia by 17 runs.
Criticised as ‘Pyjama Cricket,’ the World Series Cricket was a breakaway cricket competition organised between 1977 and 1979 by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. Three teams with some of the biggest names in cricket: WSC Australia XI; WSC West Indies XI; WSC World XI took part.
In the biggest upset in the 50-year history of One-Day Internationals, rank outsiders India defeated the West Indies at Lord’s on June 25, 1983, by 43 runs in the final.
In 1987, the World Cup moved out of England for the first time with India and Pakistan jointly hosting the tournament. The ODI format also changed from 60 overs to the current 50 overs a side. Australia beat England by seven runs in the final.
Coloured clothing was introduced in the 1992 World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Imran Khan’s Pakistan
won the Cup.
The marketing potential of the limited-overs format peaked in the 1990s. The International Cricket Council conjured a ‘mini-World Cup’ for the elite countries. It was held every two years. Dhaka hosted the inaugural edition in 1998, and it was later branded ICC Champions Trophy.
A 250-plus total was considered competitive until the nineties. South Africa broke the barrier when they chased down 434 for five, set by Australia.
Only one ball was used for the 50 overs until October 2010. After that, the ICC ruled that two balls will be used — one from each end — to prevent the ball from losing its shine quickly.
After eight editions, the ICC scrapped the Champions Trophy after the 2017 tournament in England.
Pakistan, led by Sarfraz Ahmed, made the occasion memorable by beating
India in the final.