The 5,000th ODI match was played between Canada and Scotland, marking 55 years since One-Day International cricket began at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 5, 1971.
The format started when rain disrupted an Ashes Test between England and Australia, prompting organisers to stage a one-day contest instead. Australia won that inaugural 60-over match by five wickets.
ODI cricket later evolved from white clothing and 60-over innings to the modern 50-over format, with coloured kits becoming a defining feature by 1992. The game also shifted increasingly toward day-night contests under floodlights.
The first 5,000 matches produced several landmark performances. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi struck a 37-ball century that remained the fastest ODI hundred for more than two decades, while India’s Sachin Tendulkar became the first batter to score an ODI double century.
South Africa’s AB de Villiers later broke Afridi’s fastest-century record and also set the record for the fastest ODI fifty. Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga became the first bowler to claim three ODI hat-tricks, while Chaminda Vaas produced an eight-wicket haul.
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Other milestones cited in the source include South Africa’s successful chase of Australia’s 434 and Herschelle Gibbs hitting six sixes in one over.
Rivalries such as Pakistan-India and England-Australia also became central to the format’s global appeal.
