When One-Day international cricket first took shape in the early 1970s, the game was structured to fit within a single day while still allowing a fair contest between bat and ball. The first-ever edition
of the Men’s Cricket World Cup in England in 1975 followed a 60-overs-per-side format. The format was chosen to allow a full day’s play while also accommodating traditional lunch and tea intervals. The initial tournaments laid the foundation for the sport, and it had a massive audience as well. However, as the game progressed into the 1980s, the landscape of the game began to shift entirely, with challenging conditions across venues and issues related to broadcasting.
The 60-overs-per-side format often stretched the game into the latter half of the day with fading evening light and unpredictable weather conditions. Time management was another one of the significant issues as teams struggled to maintain the over-rates, leading to frustrating delays. The International Cricket Council decided to trim 10 overs off each innings, which permanently transformed the format into a 50-overs-per-side format. The first 50-over Cricket World Cup was held in 1987, and it was jointly hosted by India and Pakistan. This also benefitted the broadcasters, as it enhanced the entertainment value of the game with a faster game pace.
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ODI cricket’s transition to 50 overs in 1987
The first three Cricket World Cups in 1975, 1979 and 1983 followed the 60-overs-per-side format. The issue of time management couldn’t be ignored, as completing 120 overs in a day was a challenging task with severe logistical issues. In the early days, the tournaments were hosted in England, and as the day progressed, the light had a higher chance of fading. Later, when India and Pakistan approached the ICC for hosting rights, 60-over matches became impractical. Sunset occurs much earlier in the subcontinent, and teams would struggle to finish off their quota of 60 overs.
Another issue was the overly defensive tactics of teams, as they had plenty of overs to settle in rather than taking risks early on. Partnerships progressed at a similar tempo to that of Test matches, as batters were tactically inclined to be conservative in their approach. One of the most historic examples was Sunil Gavaskar’s innings in 1975 against England, when he scored 36 off just 174 balls. Such innings degraded the entertainment value of the game and called for reformative measures from the International Cricket Council.
The modern format of the game with 50 overs per side helped in significant time reduction as 20 overs were cut from the entire match. Batters became more aware of the limited overs available to them to make an impact, and that helped in avoiding conservative approaches. Fielding sides faced less pressure to complete their quota of 50 overs in the given time, and that maintained the momentum of the game. A 50-over structure fit much cleaner into television windows and prime-time broadcasting schedules, paving the way for massive commercial sponsorship and global growth.
Even though the traditional format of the World Cup set the foundation for global cricket, the format was adjusted to meet the needs of the audience. The present version of the World Cup attracts a much bigger global audience, along with massive sponsors as well. The value of broadcasting rights for each tournament has grown by a massive amount, and the 50-over World Cup is appealing to both players and fans.
