How Many Balls in an Over? Cricket Overs Explained for Every Format
There are six balls in an over in cricket. Every format played today, from Test matches to T20s, uses six-ball overs: a bowler delivers six legal balls from one end, the umpire calls “over”, and a different bowler takes over from the other end. Wides and no-balls do not count as one of the six, so an over can easily last seven, eight or more deliveries.
Below we explain how an over works, how many overs each format has, how many a single bowler can bowl, and why Australia, New Zealand and South Africa once played eight-ball overs.
Quick answers
- How many balls in an over? Six legal deliveries.
- Do wides and no-balls count? No. Each one adds a run (or more) and must be bowled again.
- How many balls in a T20 innings? 120 (20 overs).
- How many balls in an ODI innings? 300 (50 overs).
- How many balls in The Hundred? 100 per innings, with no traditional overs.
- Can a bowler bowl two overs in a row? No. A bowler cannot bowl consecutive overs in the same innings.
What is an over in cricket?
An over is a set of six legal deliveries bowled by one bowler from one end of the pitch. When the over is complete, the fielding side changes ends: the next over is bowled from the opposite end by a different bowler, and the batters stay where they are. That constant switching is why fielders shuffle across the ground between overs.
The six-ball over is set out in the Laws of Cricket (Law 17), which the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) maintains. If the umpire miscounts and calls “over” after five or seven balls, the over stands as the umpire counted it.
Balls and overs in each format
| Format | Overs per innings | Legal balls per innings | Most overs one bowler can bowl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test cricket | Unlimited (at least 90 overs scheduled per day) | Unlimited | No limit |
| One-day international (ODI) | 50 | 300 | 10 overs |
| Twenty20 (T20, IPL, PSL, BBL) | 20 | 120 | 4 overs |
| The Hundred | No overs: 100 balls | 100 | 20 balls |
In a Test, a day’s play is scheduled for a minimum of 90 overs, split across three sessions. A new ball becomes available to the fielding side after 80 overs of an innings. Find out more in our guide to cricket formats.
Wides, no-balls and “extra” deliveries
An over is six legal balls. Two kinds of delivery do not count towards the six:
- Wide: a ball the batter could not reasonably reach from a normal guard position. It costs one run plus any runs taken, and must be re-bowled.
- No-ball: most often when the bowler oversteps the front crease, but also for dangerous high full tosses and other illegal deliveries. It costs a run (two in some domestic competitions), must be re-bowled, and in limited-overs cricket the next ball is a free hit.
So the record for the most balls in a single over is far above six. A bowler having a nightmare can deliver ten or more balls before the six legal ones are complete. Read the full rules in our guide to no-balls and free hits.
Byes and leg byes, on the other hand, are legal deliveries. They count as one of the six even though the runs are scored as extras rather than off the bat.
Bowler limits in limited-overs cricket
To stop one bowler dominating a short game, limited-overs cricket caps how much each bowler can bowl:
- ODIs: each bowler can bowl at most 10 overs, so a team needs at least five bowlers to complete 50 overs.
- T20s: each bowler can bowl at most four overs, again requiring at least five bowlers for 20 overs.
- The Hundred: each bowler can bowl at most 20 balls, delivered in blocks of five or ten in a row.
If a bowler is injured in the middle of an over, another bowler completes it, but that bowler cannot also bowl the next over.
Eight-ball overs: a piece of history
Six balls has not always been the rule. Overs in the early days of cricket had four balls, then five, and several countries used eight-ball overs for long periods in the 20th century. Australia was the best-known example and played eight-ball overs in Test and first-class cricket until it standardised on six balls at the end of the 1970s. New Zealand and South Africa also used eight-ball overs at various times.
That is why some older bowling figures look strange to modern eyes. A bowler with “20 overs” in an Australian scorecard from the 1960s delivered 160 balls, not 120, so comparing old figures by overs alone can mislead. Comparing by balls bowled is safer.
How overs shape tactics
Because the bowler changes every over, captains plan their bowling like a puzzle:
- In T20s, a captain decides early which bowlers will cover the powerplay, the middle overs and the “death” overs at the end, knowing each can bowl only four.
- In ODIs, the best bowlers are often split into spells, saving some overs for the final ten.
- In Tests, there is no limit, so a captain can bowl a strike bowler for long spells, but fatigue and the new ball after 80 overs still shape the plan.
Batters plan by the over too. Rotating the strike so the better batter faces more balls, known as farming the strike, is a classic tactic when one batter is a tail-ender.
Frequently asked questions
What is a maiden over?
An over in which no runs are scored off the bat and the bowler concedes no wides or no-balls. Byes and leg byes do not stop it being a maiden. A maiden in which the bowler also takes a wicket is a wicket maiden.
Can the same bowler bowl from both ends?
Yes, but not in consecutive overs. A bowler can switch ends between spells, which captains do to use the wind or a slope.
How many balls are bowled in a full ODI match?
If both teams bat their full 50 overs, 600 legal deliveries are bowled, plus any wides and no-balls.
Why did The Hundred drop overs?
The England and Wales Cricket Board designed The Hundred to be simpler for new fans, counting down from 100 balls. Ends change every ten balls instead of every six.
New to the game? Our guides to every way to get out, reading a scorecard and fielding positions cover the rest of the basics.
Source: MCC Laws of Cricket (Law 17, The Over) and ICC playing conditions. Last checked October 2026.
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