You must have heard the term “super over” in cricket. It became the buzz in the market after the 2019 world cup final between England and New Zealand.
What is a Super Over in Cricket?
Cricket super over is a method of determining the winner in limited over cricket if the match ends in a tie irrespective of the number of wickets lost by both sides. In super overs, also known as a one-over eliminator, each team gets an opportunity to play six balls. The team who scores more in the cricket super over wins the match. Since it is relatively a new term in cricket, many people don’t know the super over rules. So, we will explain ICC super over rules in detail.
Cricket Super Over Rules Explained
We all know cricket super over comes to action in case of a tie match. But there are many super over rules that you must know. Super over rules explained in the following.
1. Teams are allowed 1 Over Each in a Super Over
Both the teams are allowed to bat for one over. The team that scores the most runs wins the Super Over and the match. The team that scores more runs in super over wins the match.
2. The team that Batted Last Bats first in the Super Over
The rule is simple. The team that causes the tie will bat first. The team chasing the target has the option to set the target for the opponent.
3. Three Batsman Can Bat During the Super Over
Both the teams have to nominate three players for batting. That means 2nd wicket down in a super over indicates your team is all-out.
4. the Same Player Can’t Bowl and Bat in a Super Over
The captains have the liberty to choose players to bat and bowl. However, they can’t nominate a player for both batting and bowling. They have to nominate four players for the super over.
5. One DRS available in Each Innings of the Super Over
Only one decision review system is available in the super over, according to ICC super over rules. That means the fielding team or the batting team can challenge the umpire’s decision if they are not satisfied. If the umpire’s decision was incorrect, then your review would be a successful player review and vice versa.
6. Same Cricket pitch for Super Over
You all must know cricket pitch is prepared according to a specific format of a cricket match. A Test match pitch is way different from an ODI or a T20 pitch. So the super over has to be played in the same pitch that was used during the match.
7. The Team that Scores More Runs in Super Over is the winner
The prime objective of super over is to determine the winner. The team that scores more runs in super over will be the winner. This is irrespective of no. of wickets fall, and the no. of boundaries scored. Let’s take an example in a tie match between Australia and India; Australia scores 14 runs by losing 0 wickets in the super over. If India scores 15 by losing one wicket, India will win the match.
8. Fielding Team Can Choose the Bowling End for the Super Over
As bowling is done from two sides of a cricket pitch, the bowling team can choose the side from which they want to bowl.
What if the super Over scores are also tied?
The possibilities of super over ending up in a tie are rare but not an impossible outcome. Until 2010, super over-rules stated that if a super over ended in a tie, then the team with more sixes was declared the winner.
ICC super over rules changed later although there were no such cases. According to new super over rules, the team with more boundaries instead of only sixes was declared to be the winner. But ICC faced a lot of criticism after the 2019 World Cup final results were declared on these boundary counts. Many former cricketers stated that this shouldn’t be the right way to decide the winner in a super over tie match, especially in big tournaments like this. According to the new super over rules, updated in September 2019, if a super over ends in a tie, the match will continue with another super over until the results.
What if the boundary count is also equal?
Super over rules were not updated when the boundaries factor used to be considered to decide the winner in a tied match. Previously, when a match ended up with a tie after super over, and coincidently, both the teams had the same boundaries count, the team that had more boundaries in the main match was declared the winner.
History of a Super Over
Super overs have a brief history in International cricket. Cricket super over was introduced in T20 and ODI cricket in 2008, and 2011 respectively. Before 2008, it was “Bowl Out” to decide the winner in case of a tie. Who can forget the India vs Pakistan match in the T20 World cup that ended up in a tie? In the “bowl out” team India won by 3-0. The bowl-out was quite similar to the penalty shootout in football. “But throwing the ball to a wicket” was not a good idea to find who will win. That’s the reason Icc replaced this with super over rules. In T20 cricket, super over comes into action at all ICC tournaments. However, in One Day International matches, super over comes to play in knockout games only.
It was the 2011 Cricket World Cup when ICC introduced the super over concept for the first time. There was a match between England and India that ended up in a tie, but super over was not used as it was reserved only for quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals. While in the 2015 world cup, ICC super over rules were applicable only for the finals. Icc super over rules were modified in the 2019 World cup when ICC reinstated super over for the knockout games. And the final match of the 2019 World Cup edition ended up with a tie, and what a match it was. The cricket super over came into action to decide the winner of the tied final.
Which Team Has Played the Most Super Overs?
The team that has the record of playing most cricket super overs is Newzealand. If we discuss the list of cricket super overs played by an International team, New Zealand tops the list with seven matches followed by England (3) and India (2). Ironically, Newzealand has lost six out of the seven matches they played. Hence their defeat % is 87.5%.
However, Australia has the worst defeat %, i.e. 100, as they have lost both the matches they played. And England is the team that has a 100 % winning record in cricket super over. And if we talk about women’s cricket, only one super over was played between England and Australia. So in cricket super overs, England has a 100 % winning rate, and England has a 100% defeat rate.
