What is Slow Over Rate in Cricket? | Over Rate Explained

If you enjoy playing cricket, you may be familiar with the terms over rate and slow over rate. Several captains or teams may have even received penalties for slow over-rate, as you may have witnessed. Are you familiar with the cricket term for sluggish overrate? Stay with us as we examine overrate in cricket, minimum overrate, overrate penalties, notable overrate penalties, and overrate in the IPL

What is Over Rate In Cricket

The number of overs bowled by the bowling team in a cricket hour (60 minutes) is known as the over rate.

A bowling team must reach a minimum over rate; failure to do so will result in either the team losing points, the players being fined, or the captain being suspended from future games.

Calculating the Over Rate

The selected umpires determine the over rate at the conclusion of the game. In Test Matches, the average over rate for the bowling team for both innings will be used to determine the over rate.

In an international match, time lost for any of the following causes is taken into account when determining the overrate allowance.

• On the field of play, a player is treated by licensed medical personnel.
• A player sustains a significant injury that forces them off the field.
• All recommendations and advice for TV umpires.
• The batting side squandered time, which could be considered a separate penalty based on the circumstances and gravity of the incident.
• any additional events that are out of the fielding team’s control.

In addition, the following allowances will be given.

• In Test Matches.
  • 2 minutes per wicket taken.
  • 4 minutes per drinks break taken (one per session).
• In Twenty20 International Matches.
  • 1 minute for every three overs that an innings is reduced by as a result of any delay and/or interruption in play.

Further, the following exclusions and exemptions will be applied.

• In Test Matches
  • The real over rate in this innings must not be taken into account when determining the actual rate at the conclusion of such matches if the fielding team bowls out the batting team in 60 overs or fewer in any particular innings and the minimum over rate standard for that innings has not been exceeded.
  • No penalty shall be applied for any violation of the minimum over rate if the fielding team bowls out the batting team twice without accruing more than 120 overs overall over both of its complete fielding innings.
  • No sanctions shall be applied for any violation of the minimum over rate if the fielding side has not completed more than 60 overs overall throughout its two innings in the match.
• In One Day International Matches or Twenty20 International Matches
  • No sanctions shall be applied for any violation of the minimum over rate if the fielding team bowls out the batting team within the time frame established for that innings in accordance with the ICC’s normal ODI or T20I playing conditions (as applicable).

Procedure

The umpires determine the actual overrate; when it equals or exceeds the minimum overrate, no further action shall be taken; nevertheless, when it is less than the minimum overrate, the method listed below is followed.

• Only the umpires who officiated that specific match are permitted to report to the match referee within 18 hours of play’s conclusion or before play’s start the following day, whichever comes first.
• The match referee will then swiftly meet with the umpires and be free to make any adjustments to the actual over rate calculation that he considers necessary in the circumstances to reflect events that are out of the fielding team’s control.
• When the match referee determines that the fielding team in that specific match has not met the minimum over rate, the match referee will instantly issue a notice of charge.

Minimum Over Rate In Test Cricket

In a Test match, 90 overs have to be bowled in 6 hours, calculating the over rate per hour will be 15 overs, which makes it 4 minutes per hour.

A team can get an additional half an hour at the end of the day if requested.

Minimum Over Rate In ODI Cricket

In ODI’s bowling team has to complete a spell of 50 overs in 3.5 hours (210 minutes). As per the rules, 10 minutes is provided for drinks break, so we get an over rate per hour of about 14.28, which makes it 4 min per over.

Minimum Over Rate In T20 Cricket

In T20I’s a total of 1Hour 25 Minutes (including drinks break) is allotted for bowling 20 overs. Calculating the over rate per hour is 14.11 which means 4.25 minutes for each over.

Over Rate Penalties

According to ICC in an ODI/T20 match if a team fails to achieve minimum over rate and if the team is short up to two overs in a match it is considered as a “Minor Over Rate Offence” and if a team is more than two over short it is considered as a “Serious Over Rate Offence“.

In Test matches up to five over short is a Minor Over Rate Offence, more than five is a Serious Over Rate Offence.

As per ICC’s rules in the case of Minor Over Rate Offence, a captain will be fined 20% of his match fee per over, each player of this team is also fined 10% per over.

If the captain is guilty of a Serious Over Rate Offence he will be banned from one match.

Notable Penalties for slow over rate

• Australia faced India in the second test of the inaugural World Test Championship 2019–2021, and four points were taken away from Australia because of the sluggish overrate. As a result, Australia’s final percentage dropped from 70% (336/480) to 69.2% (332/480), excluding them from the finals. As a result of their superior Runs Per Wicket Ratio, Australia would have finished in second place and thus qualified for the finals if New Zealand had likewise earned a final percentage of 70%.
• Middlesex was demoted by 1 point in the 2017 County Championship after receiving a 2 point penalty for a slow over rate. The required minimum over rate was 16 overs per hour.
• Due to a slow over rate in the first innings at the 1999 World Cup, India was assessed a 4 over fine. But because India was all out in 45 overs, Zimbabwe won by 3 runs.

Slow Over Rate in IPL

Since practically all IPL teams broke the common code of conduct in the IPL, slow over rate is also a major cause for concern. As a result, many games were ending after midnight. Every time the game went past midnight, the host broadcasters noticed a sharp decline in viewership. The broadcasters approached the IPL authorities and raised this matter with them. As a result, the IPL authorities decided that the evening matches would start 30 minutes earlier than in previous seasons. As a result, matches will now start at 7.30 PM IST rather than 8.00 PM IST.

To ensure that the match is completed within the stipulated time, extra safeguards have been adopted beginning with the 2021 IPL season.

The over rate clock will be halted at the beginning of the 20th over until the 2020 season, so teams won’t be penalized if the over starts on time but the last over lasts longer than the allotted time.

The 20th over will be included in the 90 minutes beginning with the 2021 IPL season, which also includes two strategic timeouts totaling five minutes.

Penalty for Slow Over Rate in IPL

What are the penalties for the slow over-rate in IPL?

According to the IPL Code of Conduct, here are the penalties for the slow over-rate.

• The bowling team captain will be penalized 12 Lakh INR for the team’s first infraction of the season.
• The bowling team captain will receive a fine of 24 lakhs for a team’s second offense in a season, while the remaining 10 players would receive a fine of either 25% of their match costs or six lakhs, whichever is less.
• The captain of the bowling team will receive a punishment of 30 lakhs and a one-match suspension for the third offense, as well as for any consecutive offense throughout a season. The fine for the team’s remaining 10 active players will be either 50% of the match fees or 12 lakhs, whichever is less.

Over Rate FAQs