Whenever the concept of super over is introduced in the game, it adds more thrill, enjoyment & excitement in the match. Since its inception in 2008, super over has been played many times in cricket matches, but only few know all the rules & regulation behind this. With this post, I will try my very best to explain every inch details about the super over. After this post, you will know exactly what is the super over, what are its rules, what will happen if super over tied & many more interesting facts.
What is super over?
Till 2007, if an ODI or a T20I match ends in a tie, then it is declared as tie.
In the 2007 world cup, to declare the winner of a match in case of tie, the concept of ball out was used. Ball out was a type of “Penalty Shoot-out” method. However, it was used only once during the India vs Pakistan match and later removed from the laws.
Finally in 2008, with the sense of adding more cricketing touch to the game, the method of super over was adopted.
Super over is a way of determining the winner of a T20 or ODI match in case of a tie. In this, both teams get one additional over, and the team that scores more runs in their over is declared as the winner. Some people & experts also called this as “One-Over Eliminator”.
When the super over is applicable?
We know that super over is only used in ODI and T20 format.
In the ODI format, It is used only during the knockout matches of big tournaments such as ICC world cup, ICC champions trophy or even in Asia cup. No super over is used in any bilateral ODI series or any league matches of above tournaments.
However, in T20 format, whether the match belongs to bilateral, T20 world cup league stage and Knockouts or other T20 leagues like IPL, BBL etc, the super over is always used to decide the winner of the match in case of tie.
Super Over Rules In Cricket
Do you know that organizing this two over involves lots of important rules which usually go unnoticed among fans & spectators. Let’s take a look at all the rules involved behind these overs.
1. Each team gets one over to play
You can see super over as a 2 over match. Each team gets one over to bat, and the team that scores more runs in there over, will be declared as the winner.
2. Each team need to select a set of 4 players – 3 Batters + 1 Bowler
Each team has to submit the names of 3 batters & 1 batter from their playing XI to the match officials. This means that if 2 wickets of a participating team falls before the super over ends, then their inning will also end & the team will not be allowed to bat further, even if the balls remains.
3. The player who bat in the super over cannot bowl or vice versa
In simple terms, an all rounder cannot do both batting & bowling in the super over.
4. Team that batted last in the match, will bat first in super over
Simply there is no toss for super over to select who will bat or bowl first. Team who batted last in the tied match will bat first.
5. Feilding team gets the luxury to choose the bowling end
Not all of you might be aware that during the match, overs are bowled from two different sides of the cricket pitch. These sides from which the bowler runs to bowl a delivery is called a bowling end.The fielding team has the full freedom to choose their bowling end during super over.
6. No special fielding restrictions
There are no specially defined fielding restrictions for super over. The fielding restrictions which are followed in the last over of the match are applied in those overs too. For Ex- In an ODI match, five fielders will be allowed outside the thirty yard circle in super over like in the third power play of an ODI match. Similarly in a T20 match super over, five players are allowed outside the thirty yard circle.
7. Each team also has one DRS in their super over(both for batting or bowling)
Each team has the luxury to take a DRS to challenge the umpire decision. If the review gets successful then DRS will remain otherwise there will be no DRS further. You should note that each team has a DRS both during batting and bowling. For EX- if a team lost their DRS during batting, then they will have a new DRS during bowling or vice versa.
8. Super over has to be played on the same cricket pitch.
There is no specific cricket pitch for super over. Both team overs are played on the same cricket pitch, on which the actual match was played.
9. No new ball
To remove the advantage of new ball seam & swing, no new ball is used during the super over. The skipper of the fielding team has the benefit to choose its favorable ball from the ball box provided by the match referee. This box only has the balls which are already used in the match. Team fielding second can use the same ball which was used in the first inning or can demand a new ball.
10. Umpires will remain in the same ends in which they finished the tied match
What happens if super over is tied?
For this scenario, ICC has changed the rule not just once but twice.
During the early days of this concept, if the super over is tied then the team that hit more sixes in the match (including the super over) was termed as winner.
Later on, this rule was tweaked a little. If the super over is tied, then the team that hit boundaries i.e 4s & 6s in the match(including the super over) will be declared as winner.
Astonishing thing was, super over was never tied in any international matches. So, very few fans were aware of this rule. However, after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Final between England & New Zealand, the whole world witnessed this unfair rule. Many fans, former players criticized ICC for this. Consequently, ICC finally changed this rule for the third time in September 2019.
Now, if the super over is tied then the other super over will be followed. If the subsequent super over is also tied then the super over will happen continuously till the winner is not decided.
Subsequent Super Over Rules
Along with some rules of super over, there are some new rules for the subsequent super over. These rules are as follows:
- The team batting second in the super over, will bat first in the next super over.
- The ball selected by each team in the previous super over will be used again in the subsequent super over, provided the ball is in good conditions.
- The fielding side has to bowl the subsequent super over from the opposite end to which they bowled in the previous super over.
- Each team has to select a new set of 4 players which have not played in previous super over. It means, the batters who batted in previous super over will not bat againand same with the bowlers.
- All playing conditions will remain the same like in previou super over.
Till date, there is no recognized big match in international cricket where two super over was played. However, it happened once in an Indian Premier League(IPL) match in 2020 between Mumbai & Punjab in Dubai.
Some Interesting Facts About Super Over
To understand this tie breaker contest more closely you should know these interesting facts.
1. Do the Runs scored or Wickets taken by a player in super over are assigned in their career records?
No, the runs scored by the batter or wickets scalped by the bowler are not counted in their international career records. They just served as memories.
2. When was the concept of super over introduced?
It was first introduced by the ICC in 2008 to decide the winner of a T20 match in case of tie, later it was also made applicable to knockout matches of ODI tournaments.
3. When was the first super over played in an international T20 match?
First super over in an international T20 match was played between West Indies & New Zealand on 26 December 2008. West Indies while batting first scored 25/1 in their super over. In turn, New Zealand was bowled out at just 15/2 with one ball remaining. This was the first & last time till today that a team bowled out before their over ends.
4. When was the first super over played in an international ODI match?
First super over in an international ODI match was played between England & New Zealand in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Final. This was the most interesting & exciting ODI match ever in cricket history. In this match, both teams scored equal runs in their super overs, but England was crowned as champions since they hit more boundaries than New Zealand. There was no rule of subsequent super over during that time.
Which team has played the most super overs?
It looks like there is a heaven made connection between New Zealand & Super over, because New Zealand has played most in their matches. Surprising thing is, New Zealand has only won one super over once even after playing this one over eliminator7 times.
| Team | Super Over Played | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| England | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| India | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| West Indies | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Super over in World Cup
It is quite astonishing that, despite the big popularity of super over, it is played only three times in ICC tournaments. It was played two times in ICC T20 World Cup and only once in ICC Cricket World Cup.
| Teams Involved | World Cup | Year | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka v New Zealand | T20 | 2012 | Sri Lanka |
| New Zealand v West Indies | T20 | 2012 | West Indies |
| England v New Zealand | ODI | 2019 | England |
Conclusion
Since its inception, the super over has always added more thrill, enjoyment to the game of cricket. Even though some segments of fans always debate over the super over however, but this method has made its place permanent in cricket. After the introduction of consecutive super over in case of tied super over, some degree of unfairness has also been removed.
Thank you for reading this blog to the end. Tell me which rule should be changed according to you?, Which was the best super over in cricket history? ,Tell me your opinions about the Super over between England & New Zealand in the World cup 2019 final.
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Written By:
Somesh Lakhera, a passionate cricket enthusiast with over 13 years of dedicated cricket-watching experience. With an unwavering love for the game, Somesh shares his insights and knowledge through his cricket blogging. He brings the excitement of cricket to fans around the world.