One Day International match, commonly called ODI, is a shortened form of a traditional cricket match. A typical cricket match lasts for several days. ODI competition is played in a single day.
The rules of regular cricket apply to ODI matches, though each team only bats a certain number of overs. An over consists of six legally delivered balls. A match consists of a maximum of 50 overs per side. A match is played by 2 teams of 11 players. Each team bats a single innings. The innings lasts until the batting side is “all out,” which means that 10 of the 11 batters are “out” or all the bowling side’s overs have been completed. The team batting second tries to score more runs than the first team to win the match.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) determines the teams that have ODI status—that is, those that are allowed to compete in ODI matches. The 12 countries that are full members of the ICC and are eligible for Test competition have permanent ODI status. They are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe. In addition, the ICC grants ODI status to the top ranked among its more than 90 associate nations for a duration of four years.
ODI matches between the top 13 ranked teams are played in a World Cricket League that determines qualification for the World Cup. The World Cup is the most prestigious cricket tournament. It has been played every four years since 1975. All international cricket teams have the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup by progressing through the World Cricket League. If they do so, they can claim temporary ODI status. In addition to the World Cup there is also a Champions Trophy tournament played by the top eight ranked teams every four years.
The first ODI match was played on Jan. 5, 1971, between England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Victoria, Australia. After the first three days of a Test match were rained out, officials decided to abandon the match and play a one-day match instead. The shortened match length immediately caught on and became an established part of international cricket competition by the late 1970’s.
