Overs
An over is 6 valid balls bowled from one end. Wides and no-balls don't count towards the 6, so an over can take more than 6 deliveries.
What you need to know
- Overs are bowled from each end in turn.
- A bowler can change ends as often as they like, but cannot bowl two overs in a row — or parts of two consecutive overs — in the same innings.
- A wide or a no-ball is not a valid ball, so it is bowled again: it adds to the score but not to the 6.
- If the umpire miscounts the balls, the over as the umpire counted it stands.
- If the bowler gets injured or is suspended mid-over, another bowler finishes that over from the same end — but it cannot be the bowler who bowled the previous over.
Examples
In some competitions — not a Law
The MCC Laws set no limit on how many overs one bowler may bowl. Limited-overs competitions usually do: in ICC T20 internationals it is 4 overs each (a fifth of the innings), and in a shortened 5–9 over innings it is 2 each. Inswing's scoring pad applies this standard limit. View ICC T20I clause 13.9 →
Specific situations
How many overs one bowler can bowl
The MCC Laws set no limit. In ICC T20 internationals it's 4 overs in a 20-over innings; if the innings is cut to 10 or more overs, one-fifth of them (rounded up); for 5–9 overs, 2 each. Inswing's scoring pad uses this one-fifth rule.
- ICC Men's T20I playing condition 13.9.
- The Laws only stop a bowler bowling two overs in a row (Law 17.6).
Not a Law: Over limits are a playing condition, not a Law. A local tournament uses them only if the organizer says so.
Source: ICC T20I clause 13.9 · MCC Law 17
Bowling two overs in a row
No. A bowler can change ends as often as they like, but can't bowl two consecutive overs — or parts of two consecutive overs — in the same innings.
- Law 17.6.
Source: MCC Law 17
Official source
The Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026). Summary in Inswing's own words — follow the link for the official text.