A correct understanding of the length Of Overs requires examining the evolution of game regulations throughout history. Modern international cricket, including Test matches, ODIs, and T20s, uses six-ball overs, yet this format did not exist in the past.
Early Differences in Length Of Overs Among Countries
The duration of overs has varied throughout cricket history, with nations opting for various formats before the laws were standardized.
Advertisement
England
1880-1888: 4-ball overs
1889-1899: 5-ball overs
1900-1938: 6-ball overs
1939-1945: 8-ball overs (wartime period)
1946 onwards: Returned to and continued with 6-ball overs
Australia
1876/77–1887/88: 4-ball overs
1924/25: Temporary adoption of 8-ball overs
1936/37-1978/79: Regular use of 8-ball overs in Tests played in Australia
From 1979/80: Adopted 6-ball overs, conforming to international standards
South Africa
South Africa tried out 4, 5, 6, and 8-ball overs at various points in its formative years in cricket.
Permanent Six-Ball Nations
Advertisement
India, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh have been using 6-ball overs permanently in their Test cricket era.
Standardization of Over Length in 1980
Overs’ length was officially regularized with the 1980 revision of the Laws of Cricket. Before this, Law 17.1 simply left it to the captains or playing conditions to decide the number of balls per over.
In 1980, the law was changed to read succinctly:
“The ball shall be bowled from each end alternately in overs of 6 balls.”
This was the turning point when 6-ball overs became the international standard in Test matches and later in limited-overs cricket like ODIs (50 overs) and T20s (20 overs).
Why Over Length is Important to Cricket History
When referring to “historically long” overs, it’s important to differentiate between:
Legally long overs (e.g., 8-ball overs in 1950s Australia), which were the norm back then
Illegally extended overs, in which bowlers have bowled more than the usual deliveries because of no-balls, wides, or extras
The latter group, where overs are prolonged well beyond six balls because of the lack of control of a bowler, better reflects special or record overs in contemporary cricket situations.
Evolution of Balls per Over in Test Cricket
The True Meaning of “Longest Overs”
To properly determine the longest overs in cricket history, an understanding of the historical length of overs is first necessary. Something that was originally legal (e.g., 8-ball overs) could no longer be deemed abnormal.
Thus, accounts of long overs because of extras such as wides and no-balls are more useful in rating a bowler’s control, or the lack thereof, over mere illustrations of historical differences in the game’s laws.
ALSO READ: Mirpur Pitch: BCB Displeased By SBNS Pitch Conditions
Advertisement