On Friday, when Scotland play Canada in Dundee, the Men's ODI format reaches a new milestone: 5000 matches.
The format was born in January 1971 and has evolved constantly over these 55 years. Splitting the 5000 games into blocks of 1000 gives us a clearer picture. The first block of 1000 games witnessed considerable variety in match lengths. The first three ODI World Cups featured 60-overs-a-side games, while bilateral matches hosted by England lasted 55 overs each.
Early matches in Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan were 40 and 35 overs a side (eight-ball overs), while in Asia, they were 40 overs-a-side (six-ball overs). The last men's ODI that was not a scheduled 50-over game was played between England and West Indies in 1995, the 1002nd ODI, a 55-over game.
1000 ODIs in 24 years to 4000 in 31
The 1000th ODI was played during the same England-West Indies series in 1995, in Nottingham, a match that went into the reserve day. It took 24 years for the first 1000 ODIs to be played; over the next 31 years, there have been 4000.
The second set of 1000 ODIs was played over eight years, less than a third of the time it took for the first 1000. Despite the advent of the T20I format, the frequency of ODIs didn't drop straightaway.
A total of 191 ODIs were played in 2007, the year of the inaugural T20 World Cup, setting the record for most ODIs in a year, surpassing the 160 played in 2006. The third block of 1000 was played over 2630 days, the fewest for any block.
The most recent ODI World Cup year, 2023, broke the record for most matches played in a year, with 218. Even in the preceding year, 161 ODIs were played. But the fifth block of 1000 matches has taken 3063 days. The pandemic-induced break in 2020, the proliferation of T20 leagues, and the reduction in bilateral-series lengths are among the factors affecting the frequency of ODIs.
Ever-increasing scoring rates
The average total in completed first innings across the first 1000 ODIs, played between 1971 and 1995, was only 213.9. It went up to 232.62 in the second block of 1000 games, then rose in subsequent blocks to 240.4 and 250.67, respectively. However, a slight dip was observed in the most recent block, with the average first-innings total falling to 249.97.
But the frequency of big totals has risen noticeably, with as many as 321 instances of 300-plus totals in the most recent 1000 games. Eighty-six of them were 350-plus scores, including 14 in excess of 400. Across the first 3000 matches, there were 360 totals of 300 or more and only 47 of 350-plus.
The big scores have come not only from teams batting first but also teams chasing. In the last 1000 ODIs, teams chasing have recorded 300-plus totals 90 times. Forty-four of those totals have come in successful 300-plus chases, while 350 has been breached 14 times, four times more than what the first 4000 ODIs recorded (10).
Across the first 1000 ODIs, the average run rate was 4.35, nearly a run per over less than in the fifth block of 1000 games (5.29). But despite the number of high-scoring ODIs in recent years, the overall run rate has improved by only 0.08 from the fourth to the fifth block of 1000 games. A contributing factor has been games between associate teams, which have typically been close contests but rarely high-scoring.
The most recent block of 1000 ODIs has featured 710 matches involving full-member teams, with a run rate of 5.53 and an average of 32.46 runs per wicket. Both numbers drop significantly, to 4.72 and 26.44 respectively, across the 288 matches between associate teams, including 238 games in World Cup League 2.
More runs, more sixes and more wickets
The batting average has moved up to 29.03 in the latest block of 1000 matches from 26.39 in the first 1000, while the strike-rate has shot up to 83.4 from 66.15. The rise in boundary-hitting has impacted strike-rates. Boundaries are now hit more than twice as frequently as they were two decades ago.
During the second block of 1000 ODIs, a six was hit every 127.01 balls, and 4.30 sixes were hit on average per match. In the most recent block of 1000 games, 9.29 sixes are being hit per game, and one every 55.42 balls. There has been an increase of nearly ten boundaries per game as well (38.05 to 48.07).
Bowlers have also benefited in terms of picking up more wickets. They are taking a wicket every 36.8 balls in the most recent block of 1000 games, the best for any of the five blocks, and down from 45 balls per wicket across the first 1000 matches. The overall economy rate has gone up by a run per over, from 4.14 to 5.2, reflecting the fast-scoring nature of the game now. Alongside the bowling strike-rate, the number of five-wicket hauls has gone up significantly - from 95 across the first 1000 matches to 177 in the most recent block of 1000.
50 is the new 40
The change in batting average has been less than three runs per dismissal from the first block to the fifth, but individual averages show the bigger picture. As many as 33 batters out of the 56 who scored 2000-plus runs in ODIs in the most recent block of 1000 matches have averaged 40 or more, including 11 with 50-plus averages.
During the first block of 1000 games, no one averaged more than 50 for a minimum of 2000 runs, and only ten of the 50 batters meeting the criteria averaged at least 40.
A similar rise can be seen in strike-rates of batters - 20 struck at more than 90 and only 12 at less than 80 in the most recent 1000-game block. Between 1971 and 1995, there were only two batters who struck at 90-plus, and the strike-rate of four others was 80-plus.
To put the changing times into perspective, Viv Richards was the only batter to score 2000-plus runs while striking at over 85 and averaging 40-plus during the first 1000 ODIs. In the most recent 1000 ODIs, 25 batters have achieved that double.
Richards' average (47) and strike-rate (90.2) are both the second-highest during the first block. In the fifth block, there are 20 batters with a higher strike-rate and 14 batters with a better average.
Haynes to Hope and Akram to Zampa
Desmond Haynes was the top run-getter in the first set of 1000 matches, with 8648 runs. He remained the highest run-getter in ODIs between 1990 and 1998, before Mohammad Azharuddin overtook him. Sachin Tendulkar's surge with 9149 runs in the second block of 1000 games made him the leading run-getter in 2000. He has remained on top since.
Wasim Akram's 273 wickets were the most in the first block of 1000 games, and he remained the leading wicket-taker in the format between 1994 and 2009, until Muthiah Muralidaran surpassed him. Muralidaran still holds the record.
Muralidaran took 300 wickets in the second block of 1000 games and another 190 in the third block, but was behind Brett Lee's 202 during that era. Lasith Malinga's 204 wickets were the most in the fourth block of 1000 games, while Ricky Ponting (6954) and Virat Kohli (8534) took the batting honours in the third and fourth sets.
Towards the end of the third block, Tendulkar recorded the first double-ton in men's ODIs, in match no. 2962. The next block had six double tons, three of them by Rohit Sharma alone. Five batters have scored double centuries in the most recent block of 1000 games, but none since February 2024.
Shai Hope and Adam Zampa have led the way in the most recent set of 1000 games, with 5391 runs and 156 wickets respectively. Their run and wicket tallies are lower than those of the leaders in previous blocks. It shows that more teams are playing ODI cricket, and that the top sides are playing ODIs less frequently than before.
West Indies' decline, India's rise and Australia's consistency
West Indies' initial dominance in ODI cricket wasn't limited to World Cups, of which they won the first two editions and ended as runners-up in the third. During the first block of 1000 matches, West Indies played 296 ODIs and won 193, losing only 93.
Their win-loss ratio was the best among the 13 teams that played ODI cricket during that period, with Australia's ratio of 1.328 being a distant second. But in the following blocks, West Indies' decline was evident as they lost far more games than they won. Their win-loss ratios for the next four blocks are 0.863, 0.709, 0.592, and 0.648, respectively.
Australia have been the most consistent team across all five blocks and also hold the record for the most wins in the format. Their win-loss ratio was 2.145 in the second block of 1000, only behind South Africa's 2.607, and rose to 2.862 in the third, comfortably higher than the next-best team (South Africa at 1.811) and the best for any team in any block.
In the fourth block, they had the second-most wins and the third-best win-loss ratio (1.532). That had dropped significantly to 1.26, but they are the current holders of the ODI World Cup, winning the competition for a record sixth time.
India, on the other hand, have been the most improved ODI side. They lost more ODIs than they won in the first block despite holding the World Cup, and followed it with middling returns.
The third block saw a slight improvement in the win-loss ratio, from 0.91 and 1.015 to 1.272. But across the last two blocks of 1000 games, they are the leaders in matches won and win-loss ratio (1.983 and 2.139). The gap between India and the next-best side has also been notable in these periods.