Cricket rules in focus: Changes over the years in ODIs

With the 2023 ODI World Cup fast approaching, here’s the lowdown on the important changes to the ICC’s playing conditions over the years.

Bizarre circumstances: The method of England’s victory over New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup final will never be repeated after the boundary countback rule was abolished in ICC events. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Cricket has evolved with the emergence of new trends like the Willow wielders and their 360-degree batting skills. The sport continues to attract a large audience regardless of the time of day, with fans often dancing in the aisles. The first-ever ODI match where a batter scored over 150 was during the 1975 World Cup. New Zealand skipper Glenn Turner smashed an unbeaten 171 off 201 balls against East Africa at Edgbaston, riding on 16 fours and two sixes.

It took eight years for a batter to surpass that landmark, with Kapil Dev’s unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe during the 1983 World Cup becoming a red-letter day in Indian cricket.

Here are some key rule changes that have come into effect over time.

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Change in Overs

To make the game more appealing, the 1987 World Cup introduced major changes where the contest was reduced to 50 overs per side and bowlers were allowed a maximum of 10 overs instead of 12. Australia, led by Allan Border, defeated England by seven runs under the new rules, sparking celebrations at the Eden Gardens.

White balls and black screens

White-ball cricket with black sightscreens was introduced in 1979 by Kerry Packer. The first use of the white ball was in the Benson & Hedges 1992 World Cup, but coloured clothing and white balls were officially made a part of ODIs in 2001.

Tectonic shift: The seminal World Series Cricket tournament envisaged by Kerry Packer changed the landscape of the sport at the time and over the years.  | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Evolution

The late 1970s picture of Colin Croft bowling in coloured clothing gave a glimpse into how ODI cricket would eventually change. Packer secured high-profile cricketers from England, Australia, and South Africa for World Series Cricket using his wealth and power. Spin legend Shane Warne once said: “Everyone in the world of cricket owes Packer so much”. The ODI revolution under Packer began with the 1992 World Cup, which saw the use of floodlights, white balls, and fielding restrictions. India won its first World Cup match against Pakistan, donning Navy Blue kits led by Mohammad Azharuddin. However, Pakistan reversed its fortunes and went on to beat England under the captaincy of Imran Khan to lift the trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Concept of two new balls

Since late 2011, two white balls have been used in a match, giving fast bowlers an advantage and spinners less success. This has led to batters achieving higher scores, with 350 becoming the new norm.

PowerPlay: Rules and Impact

The PowerPlay rules in ODI cricket were introduced by the ICC in 2005, allowing two fielders outside the 30-yard circle until the 15th over. The rule change saw the two fielders outside the inner circle only till the end of 10 overs. The bowling team then has the option of choosing two five-overs each where an extra third fielder is allowed outside the 30-yard circle. In 2008, the batting PowerPlay was introduced, and in 2011, teams were mandated to use all the PowerPlay overs between the 16th and the 40th over. The full quota of 50 overs is divided into three quotas, with the first 10 overs named mandatory PowerPlay with a maximum of two fielders outside the 30-yard circle. This is followed by the second (11–40 overs), where a maximum of four fielders are allowed outside the inner circle, and then the final PowerPlay comes into effect from Overs 41–50, where five fielders can be stationed outside the 30-yard circle. The change in PowerPlay rules also saw teams posting huge totals, and currently, an ODI score of 500 isn’t impossible. England, the 2019 World Cup champion, posted 498/4 in 50 overs against the Netherlands in 2022, providing an example of how the game’s scoring has evolved.

Use of DRS

The Decision Review System (DRS) was first used in the 2011 ODI World Cup. Teams could challenge the on-field umpire’s decision within 15 seconds by signalling a ‘T’ sign. India first used the DRS during its 2011 World Cup game against England, involving Ian Bell in a controversial decision. There was also a famous incident in the 2011 World Cup semi-final against Pakistan, where Sachin Tendulkar was given out lbw off the bowling of Saeed Ajmal. Tendulkar reviewed, and the Hawk-Eye projection showed the ball was missing leg. Ian Gould reversed his lbw decision, and Tendulkar went on to score a match-winning 85. Further, the ICC included the bails in the ‘wicket zone’ to provide an advantage to the bowlers when it came to LBWs, whereas only the area up to the bottom edge of the bails was considered earlier.

The DLS method

The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method is a mathematical system used to calculate target scores and outcomes in rain-shortened matches. It was devised by English statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis and was first used in 1997 during an ODI between Zimbabwe and England. This was after a controversy in the 1992 World Cup semi-final between England and South Africa, which saw South Africa being set an impossible revised target of 21 runs from one ball after rain halted play.

Grey area: Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal is still unsure how Decision Review System (DRS) overturned on-field umpire Ian Gould’s lbw ruling against Sachin Tendulkar during the 2011 World Cup semi-final against India in Mohali.  | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Substitutes in ODIs

In 2005, the ICC approved player replacements and a runner for injured batters. However, the rule was abolished and replaced with a concussion substitute for like-to-like replacements.

The Super Over

The ICC introduced the Super Over rule to determine a winner in case of a tie. However, after the controversial end to the 2019 World Cup, where, after both sides hit 15 in the super over (a one-over shootout), England won because it had scored more boundaries in the match, the ICC changed the rule. Now, any Super Over in a final will be repeated until a clear winner emerges.

Introduction of free hit

The introduction of T20 led to a new rule in 2007: the free-hit. Batsmen can swing their bats to maximum effect when the bowler bowls a no-ball, with the exception of run-out, obstruction, and hitting the ball twice.

Use of bouncers

The bouncer rule has seen a few changes over the years. Initially, only one bouncer per over was allowed, but in 1994, the ICC legalised two bouncers per over. However, this was changed again in 2001 to allow only one bouncer per over in ODIs, but in 2012, the ICC made amends and went back to allowing two bouncers per over.

A new batsman at the striker’s end

If a batsman is caught out, the new batsman will take strike unless it’s the end of the over.

Previously, if the striker and partner ran once the ball went high, a new batsman would often end up at the non-striker’s end. If the crossover happened before the ball was caught, the non-striker used to be at the striker’s end.

In-match penalty for slow over rate

The fielding team will have to have an extra fielder inside the 30-yard circle for every over that starts after the scheduled end time of the innings.