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Overs to balls converter (cricket notation and decimal overs)

  

Six legal balls an over.

Convert from

overs

Overs.balls, as on a scorecard: 14.3 = 14 overs 3 balls.

Balls

87

14.3 overs is 87 legal balls, or 14.5 decimal overs.

Decimal overs
14.5
Balls left in 20 overs
33

How we got this

  1. 14 overs × 6 = 84 balls
  2. + 3 balls = 87
  3. 87 ÷ 6 = 14.5 decimal overs

Why the point in 14.3 trips people up

Scorecards write overs as overs.balls. The digit after the point only runs from 0 to 5, because the sixth ball completes the over.

Every rate on this hub converts to balls first. That is how the required run rate and net run rate pages stay exact for part overs.

Sources

What this calculator does not account for

  • Wides and no-balls, which add runs but are bowled again.
  • Eight-ball or five-ball overs from older or experimental formats.
  • Scorers' rounding: some apps print 14.5 overs where the scorecard says 14.3.

How this is calculated

Formula: Overs and balls

balls =overs × 6 + extra balls ; decimal overs =balls ÷ 6

What the symbols mean

  • oversThe whole overs, the number before the point.
  • extra ballsThe digit after the point, 0 to 5.

Good to know

  • 14.3 is 14 × 6 + 3 = 87 balls, and 87 ÷ 6 = 14.5 decimal overs.
  • Use decimal overs, never the scorecard figure, when dividing runs by overs: the economy calculator does this for you.

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Worked examples

Each example is worked out by the same code as the calculator above.

14.3 overs on a scorecard

14 × 6 = 84, plus 3 balls = 87 balls. As a decimal that is 14.5 overs, not 14.3.

100 balls back to overs

100 ÷ 6 = 16 overs with 4 balls over, written 16.4 overs, or 16.67 decimal overs.

Embed this calculator

The frame shows the tool only.

<iframe src="/embed/overs-to-balls" title="Overs to balls" width="100%" height="720" style="border:0;max-width:42rem" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Questions

Is 14.3 overs the same as 14.3 in maths?

No. It means 14 overs and 3 balls, which is 14.5 overs as a decimal. Dividing by 14.3 instead of 14.5 gives the wrong run rate.

Why is 14.6 not a valid over?

An over has six legal balls. After the sixth ball the count rolls over, so 14.6 is written 15.0.

Do wides and no-balls count?

They add runs but are bowled again, so they do not move the ball count. Scorecard overs count legal balls only.