MasterstrokeFormats and competitions
One Day International (ODI)
The 50-over format: bowling limits, the three fielding-restriction phases, the two new balls, and why it rewards pacing an innings.
A One Day International is a 50-overs-a-side match between two national teams, completed in a single day.
Each bowler may bowl a maximum of ten overs. Fielding restrictions come in three phases: only two fielders may stand outside the 30-yard circle in overs 1 to 10, four in overs 11 to 40, and five in the last ten. The innings begins with two new balls, one used from each end, so the ball stays harder for longer than it did under the old single-ball rule. Rain-affected matches are decided by the DLS method.
The skill of the format is tempo. Fifty overs is long enough that wickets in hand still matter, and short enough that a side that potters through the middle overs will leave runs on the table. The classic shape is a brisk start under the first restriction, a consolidation phase where set batters rotate the strike, and an acceleration through the last fifteen overs. The best ODI batters are those who can play all three roles in one innings.
The first ODI was played in Melbourne in 1971. The format's showpiece is the ODI World Cup, held every four years, with the Champions Trophy as a shorter tournament between them.
In Masterstroke: a national job means ODIs alongside T20Is and Tests, with two new balls, three restriction phases and a tempo model that rewards setting one down and cashing in later.