How many balls are in an over, and who can bowl the next one?
B · Beginner · What is a fair ball, and what does a foul ball cost? · 3 of 14An over is six fair balls bowled from one end. Wides and no-balls do not count towards the six, so an over can take more than six deliveries. The next over is bowled from the other end, and the same bowler cannot bowl two overs in a row.
How it works
- Only valid balls count: a ball is not counted if it is a wide or a no-ball, if it is called dead before the batter could play it, or after certain penalties.
- The over starts when the bowler starts the run-up for its first ball.
- When six valid balls have been bowled and the ball is dead, the umpire calls "Over".
- A bowler may change ends as often as they like, but may not bowl two overs in a row, or parts of two overs in a row, in the same innings.
- A bowler must finish an over they start, unless they are injured or suspended. Another bowler then finishes it, but not one who bowled the over before or will bowl the next.
- An over left unfinished at an interval is finished when play resumes, except at the end of an innings.
Tricky cases
Can a bowler bowl two overs in a row?
No. Not two consecutive overs, and not parts of two consecutive overs, in the same innings.
What happens if the umpire miscounts the balls?
The over stands as the umpire counted it. Five- and seven-ball overs do happen this way, and they are not replayed.
Does a no-ball or a wide count as one of the six?
No. The bowler has to bowl another ball.
Who finishes the over if the bowler is injured?
Another bowler, who did not bowl the previous over and will not bowl the next one.
Why the rule exists
Six-ball overs give the game its rhythm and share the bowling between ends. The ban on consecutive overs stops one bowler bowling all the time.
Where it differs
Six balls an over in the Laws and in every ICC men's format. How many overs one bowler may bowl differs: see Overs per bowler.
From the rule book
MCC Laws of Cricket, Laws 17.1 to 17.8, 4th Edition, in force from 1 October 2026. Checked 13 October 2026. Official document: MCC Laws of Cricket (PDF).