The first-ever ODI came about by accident. In the midst of an unspectacular Ashes tour, heavy rain forced the abandonment of the Melbourne Test without a ball being bowled.
Facing a huge financial loss, the authorities hastily arranged a game consisting of 40 eight-ball overs per side, which proved popular with over 46,000 people attending.
Despite being on the losing side, England's John Edrich stroked 82 of 119 balls to register the highest score of the match and consequently ODI history...for the time being.
The left-hander scored nearly 40,000 runs in an illustrious career which ended in 1978 and included 12 centuries in Test cricket.
Fact: At one stage during a particularly fruitful 1965 season, Edrich scored 139, 121*, 205*, 55, 96, 188, 92, 105 and 310* in nine successive innings.
