ODI Cricket Rules

One Day Internationals (ODI's) were developed in the 1970's to give international cricket an alternative to the traditional five-day test match. One-day versions of cricket had existed since the sport was established but elite cricket had always been played over multiple days. The first ODI took place in Melbourne in 1971, between Australia and England, but few of the established cricketing nations took the one-day game seriously, until the Cricket World Cup was played using the format in 1975.

  1. Conditions

    • The aim of one-day cricket is basically the same as that of test cricket. Two teams of 11 players take turns to bat and attempt to score more runs than their opposition by hitting the ball around the oval field. Whilst they bat in pairs, the other team fields all 11 players who try to get the batsmen out.They do this by bowling at the stumps behind the batsman, if they hit these the batsman is out. A batsman may also be caught out, run out or removed leg before wicker (when a ball bound for the stumps is blocked by the batsman's leg rather than his bat). A team is 'all out' with the loss of ten batsmen.

    Scoring

    • The scoring in ODI's is the same as in test matches. The fielding team position nine fielders to stop any shots by the two batsmen in play, while one player acts as a bowler and the other as wicketkeeper. The bowler delivers the ball at one of the batsmen who tries to hit it and score runs. If he hits it over the boundary rope at the edge of the field he will score four runs and six if the ball doesn't bounce. Single runs can be scored if the ball doesn't reach the boundary but the batsmen can run the 20 yards between the batting creases, crossing in the process.

    Length

    • The key difference between test matches and ODI's are the length of the games. Whilst test matches see both teams bat twice and can run for five days, ODI's have just one, 50-over innings per team. One over is a set of six balls which must all be delivered by the same bowler. Each player may bowl up to ten overs in an ODI. This means that batsmen must attempt to score runs more quickly and can take more risks, making the game more entertaining. Players in ODI's also wear brightly-colored uniforms as opposed to the traditional test match whites. In ODI's the fielding team must have all but two men inside a 30-meter circle for 15 overs. When those 15 overs apply depends on the fielding captain. Umpires are more strict on the definition of a "wide" delivery in ODI's.