Of 47 years and 4,000 ODI games

The jump from the first game to the 100th took a decade, whereas the game went ahead by two years in the consecutive landmarks; today, the match between Hong Kong and PNG marks the 4,000th ODI in the history of the game.

Photo: THE HINDU PHOTO ARCHIVES

First ODI: Australia beat England by five wickets in the first-ever One-Day International (ODI) played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 5, 1971. The 40-over match saw a couple of magnificent knocks — by England southpaw John Edrich (82 off 119 balls) and Ian Chappell (60 off 103 balls). Batting second, the Aussies reached the target, 191, within 35 overs.

Photo: THE HINDU PHOTO ARCHIVES

100th ODI: Australia beat India by nine wickets in the 100th ODI game that came almost a decade after the first one — on December 18, 1980 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Allan Border scored an unbeaten 105 and bagged the man of the match award. The then Australian skipper Greg Chappell was not out on 52. The fact that only 100 matches were played in 10 years — with an average of 10 ODI games per year — proves that limited-over games were not frequent in that period. (In pic) Roger Binny of India, who opened with Sunil Gavaskar, in action from the game.

Photo: THE HINDU PHOTO ARCHIVES

1,000th ODI: West Indies beat England by five wickets in the first ODI of the 55-over Texaco Trophy on May 24-25 in 1995. It took 24 years to reach the 1,000 game-mark in ODI cricket but the progress was rapid than the road to 100th. The World Cup in 1992 with coloured jerseys escalated the excitement. Courtney Walsh (3/28) helped West Indies restrict England to 199/9; Sherwin Campbell (80) and Brian Lara (70) chased it comfortably.

Photo: AP

2,000th ODI: Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets to clinch the Cherry Blossom Sharjah Cup on April 10, 2003. So, it took only eight years to jump from 1,000 to 2,000 as against 15 years (between 100 and 1,000). The shorter format gained steam in the mid ‘90s, especially after the World Cups in 1996 and 1999, which increased the frequency of ODI games. Taufeeq Umar (81 not out) and Mohammad Yousuf (61 not out) helped Pakistan chase down 169.

Photo: AP

3,000th ODI: England beat Australia by four wickets on June 22, 2010 at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. The road from 2,000 to 3,000 was completed in seven years (one year earlier than before). Eoin Morgan, who had moved from Ireland to England in 2009, played a classy knock of 103 off 85 balls to chase down 268.

4,000th ODI: Hong Kong and PNG will lock horns in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers on Saturday. Although both sides stand to be relegated to the World Cricket League Division 2, the encounter at Old Hararians is bound to attract cricket aficionados. Hong Kong and PNG are at the bttom rung of their respective groups.

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First ODI: Australia beat England by five wickets in the first-ever One-Day International (ODI) played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 5, 1971. The 40-over match saw a couple of magnificent knocks — by England southpaw John Edrich (82 off 119 balls) and Ian Chappell (60 off 103 balls). Batting second, the Aussies reached the target, 191, within 35 overs.