An over rate is the average number of
overs bowled per hour by the
bowling
Bowling is a Throwing sports#Target sports, target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a bowling ball, ball toward Bowling pin, pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). Most references to ''bowling'' are ...
team in
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
.
When calculated by Test match officials, allowances are made for
wickets
In the sport of cricket, the term wicket has several meanings:
* It is either of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at each end of the pitch. The fielding team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a ...
taken (2 mins per wicket), drinks breaks (4 mins each),
DRS reviews, treatment for injuries, and other reasons, which means the figure is higher than if calculated simply as the number of overs bowled divided by the number of hours of play.
In the highest levels of cricket, bowling sides are expected to achieve a minimum over rate. Bowling teams that have failed to achieve the minimum over rate have had points deducted,
the players fined, or the captain suspended for future matches. In international cricket and some leagues, the over rate penalty is that the fielding team is restricted to having fewer fielders in the outfield, making it easier for the batting team to hit
boundaries. It has been suggested that
penalty run
In cricket, a penalty run is a run awarded to one team for various breaches of the Laws by the other team, generally related to unfair play or player conduct. It is a type of extra. Many of these penalties have been added since 2000. Penalties ...
s could be imposed.
Minimum levels
In
Test cricket
Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...
, bowling sides are expected to bowl a minimum of 15 overs per hour.
In ODIs, bowling sides are expected to bowl the 50 overs in 3.5 hours, equivalent to a minimum over rate of 14.28 overs per hour.
In T20Is, bowling sides are expected to bowl the 20 overs in 1 hour 25 minutes, equivalent to a minimum over rate of 14.11 overs per hour.
In
The Hundred, innings of 100 balls are scheduled to take no more than 65 minutes, with fielding restrictions in place as a penalty for exceeding this time; this translates to 39 seconds per ball, or 15.38 "traditional" six-ball overs per hour. Unlike other formats of cricket, overs consist of 5 balls each, and 50 seconds are allowed to change ends between overs.
Notable over rate penalties
In the
2017 County Championship, Middlesex were relegated by 1 point after a deduction of 2 points for a slow over rate. The minimum over rate requirement was 16 overs per hour.
In the
World Cup 1999,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
were fined four overs due to a slow over rate. However,
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
clinched the victory by 3 runs as India were bowled out in 45 overs.
In the
2019–21 ICC World Test Championship, Australia were deducted 4 points for a slow over rate in the second Test against India on 29 December 2020. This ended up resulting in Australia not qualifying for the final, as it reduced their final percentage of points won from 70% (336/480) to 69.2% (332/480). This put them below New Zealand, who achieved 70%. Australia would have finished above New Zealand, in 2nd place, and thus qualified for the final, if the two countries had tied on 70%, due to Australia's superior
Runs Per Wicket Ratio.
See also
*
Over (cricket)
In cricket, an over consists of six legal deliveries bowled from one end of a cricket pitch to the player batting at the other end, almost always by a single bowler.
A maiden over is an over in which no runs are scored that count against the ...
*
Stop clock (cricket)
*
Pitch clock (baseball)
References
{{Cricket statistics
Bowling (cricket)
Cricket terminology
Cricket records and statistics
Cricket laws and regulations