Over Rates by Decades

Despite commentators complaining ad nauseam about the slow over rates in today's Test match cricket, the over rates have remained largely consistent since the 1980s. 14.44 overs were bowled per hour in the 1980s, as compared to 14.01 overs per hour this decade - a drop of 3%.

Yes, there is a certain amount of faffing around between overs, however, what also needs to be taken into consideration is the advent of DRS, which has prolonged the average length of a match day, though over rates have stayed more or less constant over the last four decades.

The over rates in the 40s-70s are especially impressive when you consider they were largely 8 ball overs.

The Tied Test in Brisbane 1960 had 120 8 ball overs bowled on the last day...

Maybe there was never a No ball called or a wide to bowl again 

was it Holding bowled a 17 ball over ?

Ooooppps....Curtly Ambrose

BTW you may wanna change " a drop of 3% TO a drop of .03%  "

Unless I am mistaken, 3% of 14.44 is 0.4332. 14.44 - 0.4332 = 14.01.

LoL ...correct is right ... never mind.

Phew. I was nervous for a minute. It took me back to my school days and being asked to show my work.  :-[

In the margins !

I saw 14.04 and 14.01 and thought "what is he calculating ??" 

The game is getting faster and faster and it is not just about the format but the over rates as well as timings gaps between the innings and many other such things. Even the celebrations between wickets or centuries are curtailed to a mere acknowledgement and this is actually good news, because the shorter the game the more attention it can garner. Hopefully it reduces even further.

Please read the image I posted again. Over rates have slowed down through the decades, just not quite as much as the commentators would have you believe. Test match cricket has not sped up, nor has the time between innings breaks.