Super Over Rules in Cricket

There are a lot of rules followed in cricket. From the Tests to the ODIs including the T20Is, a couple of rules are strictly followed and should not be broken. There are different rules for three different formats, for bowlers, for fielders, and for batsmen.

The on-field, pitch, boundary, striking, scoring, runs, stating, positioning, blowing, batting, wickets, and much more interrelated rules should be in consideration before beginning the game.

One of the interesting rules among all is the SUPER OVER linked to deciding the winner of the match in case of a tie. It was invented in 2008 and the rest of the details are discussed below

History of Super Over:

The super over was first introduced in 2008 and got implemented in the Twenty-Twenty format. Before it was invented, the bowl-out method was used to break the tie between two teams.

The T20I match between New Zealand and West Indies was tied in 2008. Rather than using the traditional method, the ICC opted for the first-ever super-over in the T20I format.

Discussing the One-Day International format, it was expected to be used in ICC World Cup 2011 knockout stage for the first time, but it was delayed and left unused then.

Later, with the following edition of the ICC World Cups, it was decided that only the final would be decided by the super over. In contrast, the Robin Hood stage would be decided by the best performance for advancement.

To pursue the rule in the knockout stages, the ICC decided to bring the rule in the 2017 Women’s World Cup and Super Over. Notably, the 50-over World Cup was yet to witness the game being decided by the super over.

When the ICC World Cup 2019 got staged in England. England and New Zealand locked horns in the final to proceed to the final. It was the first time when a super over decided the winners as a consequence of a tie between two.

What was more terrific was, the super over got tied too. The ICC was left with no option but to count the boundaries. England, which hit more throughout the final, conquered on behalf of this rule. It is also used in the group stages of the T20 tournaments.

What is a super over in cricket?

It’s time to know better what actually a super over in cricket is… Moving to our subject, this is used to determine the winner when there is a tie between two teams. The teams are obliged to play an extra over and whoever scores more runs wins the game.

How Does Super Over Rule Works in Cricket?

Let us know the rules of a super over. The International Cricket Council (ICC) states that,

Law 21.5:

It came to effect on October 1st, 2012 and is used for standard T20I match conditions. It states that,

 If the match has ended with equal scores, it is a tie. The account of wickets will not be taken under consideration. The two teams will compete in one over in eliminator to decide the winner of the specific game.

Two teams select three batsmen each; a striker and a non-striker, with one more batsman to come later as two wickets are allowed. Each team also picks one of their economic bowlers to concede minimum runs. As the normal chasing games commence, the super over takes place similarly.

The team that had batter first in the actual game is supposed to bowl first in the winner deciding rule-over. At the same time, the team that bats second will be batting first. Whatever the target is, it should be chased by the batting second team, or else if they fail to chase, they will lose the game.

What Happens if Super Over Draws?

The situation brings another super over on the way. If it gets tied, one more must be played to determine the winner. But if the case goes different and the two of them get tied, then the number of boundaries will be deciding the match-winner.

For example, if team A, batting first, makes 50 runs on 50 balls, team B is supposed to make 51 runs in 50 balls. But if team B makes 50 in 50 balls, it would be a tie, and there will be a super over. Now supposed that team B, who has batted second, will come in the ground to bat first in the super over. If they score 10 runs in that over, team A is obliged to score 11 runs in an over. But if team A fails to score 11 and could score 10 as team B did, there will be another super over.

Now suppose the next super over gets tied too; the match scenario will be decided by the number of boundaries scored more by a team in the major match (other than super over).

We can have a good example of KXIP vs MI. KL Rahul and co beat the Rohit Sharma-led side in IPL 2020, winning the double super overs. It must be noted that KXIP won both one-overs matches, and they were not chosen as the winners on behalf of the boundaries.

Considering another example of the ICC World Cup 2019, Eng vs NZ ended in a tie. The first one-over eliminator was tied, and the second got tied too. The rest is history – England had more sixes and fours as compared to the Kane Williamson-led side. Hence, they won the World Cup.

Notably, there was immense criticism on the boundary count rule implemented for the first time. People believed that the two teams should have been joint winners.

What bat first in Super Over?

As discussed earlier, the team that has batted first in the major game will not be batting first in the super over. Instead, the chasing team brought up a tie will be batting first to determine the winner ending the tie.

10 Most Thrilling Super Overs in International Cricket (that has changed the whole game and final winner). Each consecutive super over is to take place after the gap of five minutes.

Changes in super over:

After the ICC World Cup 2019, the ICC changed the rule saying that if it is tied in the group-stage, the match will be termed as ‘tied.’ But if it is tied in the knockout stages, super overs will be repeated until the winner comes up. It means that there will be no boundary count from now on, and the rule will be proceeding ahead until the conquerers are decided.

Variations:

The Big Bash League (BBL) brought up their own innovations. In BBL 2015, the management allowed ten batsmen on each side rather than picking up three players from each for the super over. They variated the rule and brought their own.

The golden rules that everyone should know:

• The runs scored by a batsman will not be added to his career stats.
• The wickets taken by a bowler will not be added to his career stats.
• The boundaries slammed by a batsman will not be added to his career stats.
• The boundaries conceded by a batsman will not be added to his career stats.
• The runs will not be added to the team score.
• It is not part of Test cricket.

 

Top ten super overs in cricketing history:

NZ vs Eng, ICC World Cup 2019, final:

Who can forget the ICC World Cup 2019 final? The super over was the thrilling of all of the matches that have taken place yet. As per the rules, NZ batted later in the super over as they had batted first in the game, putting a target of 242 runs for England’s chase.

Trent Boult, who conceded 15 runs due to the hosts batting first, later witnessed a tie as Archer, who bowled the super over for England, remained splendid. The game was later decided on behalf of the number of boundaries.

1st ever super over in cricket history: WI vs NZ:

NZ vs WI 1st t20I took place in Auckland. The men in the maroon were on their voyage to New Zealand for the series 2008-09. As the first t20 took place, it witnesses the first-ever super over in the history of cricket, T20I format.

West Indies declared a 15 run victory over the guest in the one-over contest later. Notably, Chris Gayle was captaining the team during the tenure.

Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans, PSL 2020

Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans faced each other in the playoff of the PSL 5. Karachi won the toss and elected to field first. On conceding a target of 142 runs, they could score 141 on 120 balls. The consequences acknowledged the super over.

Kings made 13 runs and lost two men. One could not have expected a triumph in the case, but Sultans’ Rossouw and Bopara could make 5 and 2 runs, respectively. All thanks to Mohammad Amir, who remained economical yielding only 9 runs.

Super Over Rules in Cricket

KXIP vs MI, IPL 2020:

No one can forget the KXIP vs MS in IPL 2020 that took place in the UAE. There were double super overs. It happened the very first time in the history of cricket that two super overs were played.

At first, the score got tied, then the first one-over encounter, and then KXIP finally won in the end.

Pakistan vs England, 3rd T20I 2015:

This is one of the memorable games. England won the toss and elected to bat first at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. They smashed 154 losing eight wickets in the match. Pakistan reached 153 with one run to spare, which led to the one-over eliminator.

England could make 4 runs, losing 1 wicket whereas, Pakistan were drowned on just 3 runs – a little pathetic.

Top ten super overs in cricketing history

RCB vs DD, IPL 2013:

Once again, IPL – it happened in the 2013 edition in the match 21st of the event. With a target of 153 for RCB, they could make 152, equal to Delhi Daredevils.

It led to a one-over eliminator. Notably, Virat Kohli was leading RCB for the first time. He won the super over but lost the encounter later and is still losing.

Read: Is Rohit Sharma a better captain than Virat Kohli?

Ind vs NZ, 3rd T20I, 2020:

Ind vs NZ 3rd T20I took place in 2020. India, being obliged to bat first, scored 179 in 20 overs. NZ, on the other hand, could reach 179 either. It dragged the scenario to the one-over encounter.

NZ bat first in the deciding one-over game. India had 18 runs to chase as NZ made 17. The Men in Blue successfully made 20, leaving them behind to conquer the game.

Super Over Rules in Cricket

Ind vs NZ, 4th T20I, 2020:

The T20I series remained outstanding and thrilling. Another game, another super over! India won this time, either. As the 4th T20I commenced, India made 165 runs on batting first so did New Zealand.

The results once again presented a one-over match. Virat and co, having a target of 14 runs to chase, surpassed once again, making 16 runs, losing one wicket.

Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, 3rd ODI, 2020:

Zimbabwe Tour of Pakistan did not go as expected for the home siders. Pakistan were expecting a whitewash, but Zimbabwe won the deciding over.

As the scores levelled by the end, the tourists yielded a target of only 3 runs in that over. Pakistan made 2 runs on losing two wickets that too in front of Zimbabwe. The opponents easily chased, in fact, surpassed two runs scoring 5 on losing zero wickets.

Top ten super overs in cricketing history

Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars, PSL 2018:

As the PSL 2018 commenced, everyone witnessed some catchy performances. United made only 121 runs on 120 balls. Qalandars, continuing their mediocre performance, reached 121 and fell short of wickets.

Later, Qalandars thrashed a target of 16 runs for Islamabad. The men in red easily chased and ended with a boundary reaching ahead with 19 runs.

Who bats first in Super Over?

What Happens if Super Over Draws?

The detailed information regarding the super over in cricket is given above. You can read its history, rules, first super over, thrilling top ten deciding one-over matches, and much more.

You can also see when it was invented and when it first came into action. It should be noted that these super overs are not part of red-ball cricket.

Also, see:

Who averages better, Babar Azam or Virat Kohli?

Who bats first in Super Over?