Moments that changed cricket forever: The truncated transcending of ODIs

In England, however, 60 and 55-over formats continued to exist in the domestic front and lingered on till the dawn of the new millennium, before making a proud and graceful exit into the annals of the sport’s history.

For purists who had been braving the sport’s so-called dilution from its iconic creation by then, the 80s marked several unprecedented milestones for the sport. The rule-book underwent a few more changes. Kerry Packer, once seen as the rebellious bane of the sport, was brought into the cricketing fold with his ideas forming the nucleus of the more modern cricketing phenomenon.

Change is good – Indian team in ODI colours

White apparel metamorphosed into colour and bright light shed away the inhibitions of playing under the night sky, allowing for the conventional red cherry to be altered with the brighter white-toned sphere. But it was not until the 90s that ODI cricket witnessed yet another pioneering moment: that of field restrictions.

As a kid, I always enjoyed the batting team belt the ball to all parts of the ground during the protracted overs of fielding restrictions. If India was by any chance playing, I got a perverse pleasure in watching the bowler and fielders try in vain to run behind the scarpering ball.

Sadly though, I couldn’t help the feeling that most Indian batsmen – barring a few odd – squandered opportunities whenever they were given to them on a platter. But frittered chances or not, the rule accounted for an incomparable opportunity to score freely. Quite an ironic prospect too, considering its name.

Field restrictions were first introduced in ODIs in the early 1990s (1992 to be precise) with the simple requirement that only two fielders be posted outside the 30-yard circle. A virtual gold-mine, it meant that for the first 15-overs the batsmen could have complete say over the game. It was a welcome move with players – both past and present – acknowledging the edge that the batting team would possess.

Part of the charm of the ODIs came from the unique ways in which this rule was utilised and exploited. Teams were urged to pulverise opponents during the first 15 overs so as to ensure that the pressure remained on the opponents even as the match progressed.

Openers came to be selected with much more caution and care; someone who could begin the attack straight-away became the more preferred choice than one who took his time to settle and get things underway. With a clear indication to go on the attack, the scope of field restrictions swayed crowds and teams alike.

Powerplays were, however, seen with skepticism when introduced in 2005. The bifurcation of the 15-over field placement restriction into a 20-over ambit, divided into 10-5-5 seemed quite queer and unnecessary. A mandatory Powerplay of 10 overs and a batting and bowling Powerplay of five overs each seemed too convoluted back then. To top it, the umpires waving their palms in a circular motion also seemed vague and questionable.

The fans had probably not even begun to fully comprehend the newly altered rules’ paradigm when the Powerplay system was changed again. The scrapping of the five-over bowling Powerplay in 2006 saw a reverting of sorts to the original 15-over format, though bifurcations remained between the mandatory and batting Powerplays.

In the seven years since the scrapping of the bowling Powerplay, several elements have been added and several deleted from the quintessentiality of ODI cricket. A lot has been supplemented just as a lot has been diluted. The kid in me is spell-bound again, in a trance viewing the awesomeness of contemporary ODI play.

The adult, though, is caught in limbo; as if I were caught napping right in the middle of a fast-paced drama. It’s not a feeling that one relishes even as one acknowledges that these are those never-ending, classic moments that would go on to change the sport forever – as they have been doing in all this while!

Read more about such events which altered the way cricket was played over the years - The moments that changed cricket forever.