In the 20th century, broadcast media immensely popularized cricket. It was a sport that was already being played in some parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. The sport also began to become competitive. It led to the governors of the game conceive a multi-nation event like the World Cup, that crowned the best cricket playing nation.
Since each match was now streamed live globally, it had to be ensured that matches began and ended at a designated time. Moreover, the cricket season gradually became more extensive with the growing popularity of triangular and bilateral series. The increased pace of the match meant that players now had to maintain a certain level in terms of their fitness.
Depending on the length of the format, teams need to complete a said number of overs in a given time. If they fail to do so, then they might be penalized. These penalties can take place during the match itself, wherein failure to complete a certain number of overs in the time limit can lead to the fielding side omitting one of their fielders from the field during the final overs of the innings.
An innings in test cricket has no limit on the number of overs. However, in one day, no more than 90 overs are bowled. The bowling side is expected to complete 15 overs in an hour. In One Day Internationals, teams need to complete an innings in three and a half hours, whereas in T20 cricket this number reduces to one hour twenty-five minutes.
Additionally, teams have to ensure that the next over begins within 60 seconds of the completion of the previous over. If teams breach this law twice, then they are given a warning. If the offense is repeated a third time, then they can get penalized. The penalty can come in the form of the match referee fining the captain or the team, and in some cases even suspending the captain. In multi-nation events, teams may also face point deduction if the over rate is slow. This can be a massive disadvantage for them for their qualification in the knockout stages.
One of the ways in which captains can avoid their team from being victims of slow over rate is by introducing spinners to bowl. Spinners have a shorter run-up and their overs are relatively quicker than pace bowlers. A captian has to constantly keep a check on the clock to ensure that they do not fall behind in the over rate. If needed, the captain can also take the guidance from the on-field umpire and ask them regarding their status of the over rate.
