A History of Balls to an Over in First-Class Cricket
Philip Bailey first produced this list in ACS Journal No. 7
| In England | Balls per Over | Balls per Over | ||
| pre 1889 | 4 | 1889 – 1899 | 5 | |
| 1900 – 1938 except: Surrey v London County MCC v Nottinghamshire both 5 balls The change to 6 was not passed by MCC until after Notts match had started |
6 | 1939 | 8 | |
| 1945 – date | 6 |
| In Australia | Balls per Over | Balls per Over | ||
| 1850/51 – 1886/87 except Victoria v Tasmania, 1870/71 Tasmania v Victoria, 1872/73 South Australia v Tasmania, 1877/78 South Australia v Victoria, 1883/84, All 6 balls |
4 | 1887/88 S Australia v Victoria, 4 balls Victoria v NSW, 6 balls NSW v Victoria (Sydney), 4 balls |
- | |
| 1888/89 Victoria v NSW, Australia v NSW, S Australia & Victoria, all 4 balls NSW v Victoria, Victoria v Tasmania, Victoria v S Australia, Australia v Rest, all 6 balls, |
- | 1889/90 – 1914/15 except: NSW v Sheffield XI (2 matches) 1891/92 and Victoria v Tasmania 1898/99, all 5 balls |
6 | |
| 1918/19 – 1978/79 except First-class matches, MCC Tour 1920/21 Victoria v MCC, March 1929 Australia v England Tests, 1928/29 Australia v W Indies Tests, 1930/31 Australia v S Africa, Tests, 1931/32 Australia v England, Tests, 1932/33 all 6 balls |
8 | 1979/80 – date | 6 |
| In South Africa | Balls per Over | Balls per Over | ||
| 1888/89 | 4 | 1889/90 – 1898/99 | 5 | |
| 1902/03 – 1936/37except: SA City of Johannesburg v Rest of SA, 1936/37, 8 balls | 6 | 1937/38 – 1957/58 | 8 | |
| 1958/59 – date | 6 |
| In India | Balls per Over | Balls per Over | ||
| 1889/90 – 1899/1900 | 5 | 1900/01 – 1945/46 | 6 | |
| 1946/47 except: Zonal Quadrangular & India v Rest, 8 balls |
6 | 1947/48 except: Maharashtra Past & Present v Rest of India, 8 balls |
6 | |
| 1948/49 – 1960/61 | 6 | 1961/62 except: Duleep Trophy, 8 balls |
6 | |
| 1962/63 | 8 | 1963/64 – date | 6 |
| In New Zealand | Balls per Over | Balls per Over | ||
| 1859/60 – 1894/95 (See separate list) |
- | 1895/96 | 6 | |
| 1896/97 except: Otago v Canterbury, 5 balls |
6 | 1897/98 – 1917/18 | 6 | |
| 1918/19 – 1926/27 except: Otago v Southland 8 balls, 1918/19 |
8 | 1927/28 – 1936/37 except: NZ v Rest games, 8 balls |
6 | |
| 1937/38 – 1943/44 | 8 | 1944/45 to 1966/67 | 6 | |
| 1967/68 except: Canterbury v NZ XI, 8 balls |
6 | 1968/69 – 1978/79 | 8 | |
| 1979/80 – date | 6 |
| In North America | Balls per Over | (Bermuda/Canada/USA) | Balls per Over | |
| 1878 | 4 | 1880 | 6 | |
| 1881 | 5 | 1882 | 4 | |
| 1883 | 4 & 6 | 1884 | 4 | |
| 1885 | 4 & 5 | 1886 | 4 & 5 | |
| 1890 – 1893 | 5 | 1894 | 5 & 6 | |
| 1895 -1896 | 5 | 1897 – 1913 | 6 | |
| 1951 | 8 | 1972 – date | 6 |
| In West Indies | Balls per Over | Balls per Over | ||
| 1864/65 – 1899/1900 except: 1871/72 Barbados v Demarera Barbados 6 balls, Demarera 5 balls 1865/66 all 6 balls 1882/83 & 1887/88, 4 balls |
5 | 1900/01 – 1937/38 | 6 | |
| 1938/39 except: Comb Univ tour, 6 balls |
8 | 1940/41 – 1946/47 | 8 | |
| 1947/48 except: Brit Guiana v Jamaica, 8 balls |
6 | 1948/49 – 1949/50 | 6 | |
| 1950/51 except: Brit Guiana v Jamaica, 8 balls |
6 | 1951/52 – date | 6 |
| In Argentina | Balls per Over | In Bangladesh | Balls per Over | |
| All | 6 | All | 6 |
| In Kenya | Balls per Over | In Malaysia | Balls per Over | |
| All | 6 | All | 6 |
| In Namibia | Balls per Over | In Nepal | Balls per Over | |
| All | 6 | All | 6 |
| In Netherlands | Balls per Over | In United Arab Emirates | Balls per Over | |
| All | 6 | All | 6 |
| In Zimbabwe | Balls per Over | |||
| All | 6 |
| In Pakistan | Balls per Over | |||
| 1947/48 – 1972/73 | 6 | 1973/74 to 1978/79 except: Pakistan v Rest of World (2) 1973/74, 6 balls and All Indian tour matches 1978/79, 6 balls |
8 | |
| 1979/80 – date | 6 |
| In Sri Lanka (Ceylon) | Balls per Over | |||
| 1925/26 – 1974/75 | 6 | 1975/76 to 1977/78 except: Presidents XI v Wadekar’s XI 1975/76, 6 balls |
8 | |
| 1978/79 – date | 6 |
