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, 1900 MCC v Nottinghamshire, 1900 both 5 balls The change to 6 was not passed by MCC until after the Notts match had started |
6 | 1939 | 8 | |
1945 to 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 S Australia Australia v Victoria Australia v NSW all 4 balls Victoria v Tasmania Victoria v S Australia NSW v Victoria Australia v Rest all 6 balls |
– | 1889/90-1914/15 except: NSW v Sheffield XI (2 matches) 1891/92 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 to date | 6 |
In South Africa | Balls per Over | Balls per Over | ||
1888/89 | 4 | 1889/90-1898/99 | 5 | |
1902/03-1936/37 except: SA City of Johannesburg v Rest of SA 1936/37, 8 balls |
6 | 1937/38-1957/58 | 8 | |
1958/59 to 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 to 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 1918/19, 8 balls |
8 | 1927/28-1936/37 except: NZ v Rest games, 8 balls |
6 | |
1937/38-1943/44 | 8 | 1944/45-1966/67 | 6 | |
1967/68 except: Canterbury v NZ XI, 8 balls |
6 | 1968/69-1978/79 | 8 | |
1979/80 to 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 to date | 6 |
In West Indies | Balls per Over | Balls per Over | ||
1864/65 – 1899/1900 except: Barbados v Demarera 1871/72 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 to 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 | 1973/74-1978/79 except: Pakistan v Rest of World (2) 1973/74, 6 balls All Indian tour matches 1978/79, 6 balls |
8 | |
1979/80 to date | 6 |
In Sri Lanka (Ceylon) | Balls per Over | |||
1925/26-1974/75 | 6 | 1975/76-1977/78 except: Presidents XI v Wadekar’s XI 1975/76, 6 balls |
8 | |
1978/79 to date | 6 |