How ODI rules have changed since the 1992 World Cup
The 1992 Benson & Hedges World Cup was the first to feature coloured player clothing, white cricket balls and black sight-screens with a number of matches being played under floodlights.
Some of these rules were in vogue off and on, but this tournament was the first since which they were formally inducted in ODI cricket. Ever since then, the ICC has often changed and amended rules for ODIs.
Let us look at a brief history of the main rule changes starting from the World Cup 1992.
Fielding restrictions
By 1992, the standard rule of fielding restrictions mandated that only two fielders can be allowed outside the circle in the first 15 overs after which five fielders will be allowed outside the circle for the remaining overs.
This led to the famous trend of having explosive openers who could utilise the first 15 overs to score some quick runs, started by Sri Lanka with Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana in the 1996 World Cup.
This rule was changed with the introduction of powerplays in 2005. For the first 10 overs only two fielders were allowed outside the 30-yard circle and then five overs of two powerplays each were taken by the fielding side with a maximum of three fielders outside the infield during these segments.
In 2008, two five over segments were re-named the batting and bowling powerplay which gave the batting team and the bowling team the right to decide when to take each of these respective five-over segments.
In 2011, the ICC decided that all the powerplay segments had to be completed by the 41st overs and five fielders were allowed outside the 30-yard circle for the rest of the overs.
There was another rule change in 2012 when the ICC reduced the number of players outside the 30-yard circle in non-powerplay overs to four and there were now two powerplays instead of three.
The latest rule change in 2015 did away with the batting powerplay as well and allowed 5 fielders outside the 30-yard circle from overs 41 to 50 to shift the balance in the favour of the fielding team.
Four fielders are allowed outside the circle now for overs 41 to 50 and only 2 fielders for powerplay 1 from overs 1 to 10.