How are slow over rates penalised in Test matches?
Rule- South Africa
- ICC
- Cricket South Africa
- Proteas men
- ICC playing conditions
- DRS
- Senior
- 2026/27
- Fans
The minimum over rate in a Test is 15 overs per hour, averaged across both of the opposition's innings. Time is allowed for injury treatment, all reviews and third umpire referrals, batters wasting time, other things outside the fielding side's control, 2 minutes per wicket (not the last wicket of an innings or one just before an interval) and 4 minutes per drinks break.
Exemptions:
- An innings in which the batting side is bowled out in 80 overs or fewer, with the rate not exceeded, is left out of the calculation.
- No sanction if the fielding side bowls the opposition out twice in 160 overs or fewer in total, or bowls no more than 80 overs in the match.
Penalties: a side incurs one Penalty Over for each full over it is short. In the World Test Championship, each Penalty Over costs 1 championship point. Each player in the side is also fined 5% of their match fee per over short, capped at 50%.
Stop clock: the fielding side must start each over within 60 seconds of the previous one ending (the clock is cancelled for a new batter, drinks, injury treatment and the like). The first and second failures in an innings bring a warning and a final warning; the third and every later one brings 5 penalty runs to the batting side. The warnings reset to zero after every 80 overs in an innings.
Added 21 Oct 2026