An over in cricket is a set of six legal balls bowled by the same bowler from one end of the pitch to the batter at the other end. After those six legal deliveries, the umpire calls “Over”, play briefly pauses, and a different bowler delivers the next over from the opposite end.

Basic idea

  • An over = six legal balls (wides and no‑balls do not count in the six, so the bowler must bowl extra deliveries).
  • All balls in that over are bowled by the same bowler, from the same end of the pitch.
  • When the over ends, a new bowler takes over from the other end, and teams often alternate bowlers in “spells”.

Why overs matter

  • Overs are a key “unit” that structures the game and scoring; scoreboards always show overs bowled (for example, 12.4 means 12 overs plus 4 balls).
  • Match formats are defined by overs:
    • T20: 20 overs per side.
    • One-Day Internationals: 50 overs per side.
    • Test cricket: usually a minimum of 90 overs bowled in a day.

Common over terms

  • Maiden over : An over in which the batting side scores no runs off the bat that count against the bowler.
  • Wicket maiden : A maiden over in which the bowler also takes a wicket.
  • In casual talk, people sometimes say “he bowled a great over” to mean a tight, economical over with few runs conceded or a lot of pressure on the batter.

Little nuance about “six balls”

  • Historically, some competitions used 4, 5, 8, or 9 balls per over, but modern mainstream cricket uses six balls almost everywhere.
  • Because wides and no‑balls add extra deliveries, an over can last seven or more physical balls, but it still officially counts as a single over once six legal balls are delivered.

TL;DR: In cricket, an over is one bowler’s turn of six legal balls from one end, after which the umpire calls “Over” and a different bowler continues from the other end.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.