How has one rule change reshaped ODI cricket?
A rule change allowing captains to select one older white ball after 34 overs has increased reverse swing and reduced death-over scoring across multiple teams.
One rule change, brought in July 2025, has shifted how ODIs play out. Captains can now pick which of the two white balls to use after 34 overs, so one gets a chance to age and swing.
Pace deliveries in the final ten overs now swing more than one degree half the time, up from 35 percent before. Bowlers' economy in the last five overs has eased from 8.40 to 7.95, and their average has fallen from 19.2 to 18.3. Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan have all posted slower death-over totals.
England have gained the most. Their death-bowling average dropped from 36.76 to 20.91, economy from 9.78 to 7.53, while their batting run-rate rose from 8.07 to 9.16. Sri Lanka used the older ball for 69 percent of deliveries six metres or fuller in one match. The next ODI World Cup sits less than twelve months away.
CricHubb Take
Teams that already bowl fuller lengths stand to gain the most, so the next World Cup could reward accurate seamers more than big-hitting death specialists.