Overview
In cricket an "over" is a set of consecutive legal deliveries bowled from one end of the pitch by a single bowler. The modern, widely used definition treats an over as six legal balls; however, extra deliveries are required to replace illegal deliveries such as wides and no-balls. An umpire signals the end of an over, after which the fielding side changes ends for the next over.
Rules and structure
An over comprises six legal deliveries. If a bowler bowls a wide or no-ball the delivery does not count toward the six, so the over may include more than six physical balls. After an over is completed, the bowling end switches and another bowler usually takes charge at the opposite end; by convention the same bowler does not bowl two successive overs from the same end without another bowler bowling in between.
Variations and historical development
While six-ball overs are the international standard, other lengths have existed: four-, five- and eight-ball overs were used at various times and in some domestic competitions in the 19th and 20th centuries. Over length and innings limits differ by format: Test cricket has no fixed limit on overs per innings, One-Day internationals use a set number of overs per side (commonly 50), and Twenty20 matches are limited to 20 overs per side. Overs are often counted and expressed in score notation as whole overs plus extra balls (for example, 17.4 means seventeen completed overs and four balls of the next over).
Uses, tactics and match implications
Overs define pacing and tactics. In limited-overs cricket each over represents a fraction of the innings and can influence fielding restrictions, powerplays and bowling quotas. Bowlers' workloads and captains' plans are organized around overs, and an over can change momentum—maiden overs (where no runs are conceded) are valued for pressure, while expensive overs can alter run rates and require strategic responses.
Notable terms and statistics
- Legal delivery: a ball that is counted toward the six in the over. See legal delivery.
- Maiden over: an over in which no runs are scored off the bat or extras.
- Over rate: the speed at which overs are bowled in a match; teams may be penalized for slow over rates.
- Bowling quota: in limited-overs cricket individual bowlers are restricted to a maximum number of overs.
- Scoring notation: overs and balls are recorded in decimal-like form (overs.balls); detailed scoring affects statistics such as economy rate and strike rate. See scoring and bowling statistics.
Understanding overs is essential for following match progress, evaluating performance and appreciating tactical decisions made by captains and bowlers across different formats of the game.