The most runs in an over conceded in cricket are 36 runs, which has been conceded twice in ODI cricket and twice in T20I cricket.
South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs and USA’s Jaskaran Malhotra hold the record of scoring the most runs in a single over in ODI cricket. In T20Is, India’s Yuvraj Singh famously hit England’s Stuart Broad for 36 runs in the 2007 World T20, following which Kieron Pollard hit 36 runs against Sri Lanka’s Akila Dananjaya.
In Test cricket, surprisingly, it is Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah who leads the charts in scoring the most runs in a Test match over. He had smashed 35 runs in a single over of Stuart Broad in Birmingham Test in 2022.
Most runs scored in an over in Test cricket: Top 10 list
| Runs | Player | Bowler | Match | Venue |
| 35 | Jasprit Bumrah | Stuart Broad | India v England | Birmingham |
| 28 | Brian Lara | Robin Peterson | West Indies v South Africa | Johannesburg |
| 28 | George Bailey | James Anderson | Australia v England | Perth |
| 28 | Keshav Maharaj | Joe Root | South Africa v England | Port Elizabeth |
| 27 | Shahid Afridi | Harbhajan Singh | Pakistan v India | Lahore |
| 27 | Harry Brook | Zahid Mahmood | England v Pakistan | Rawalpindi |
| 26 | Craig McMillan | Younis Khan | New Zealand v Pakistan | Hamilton |
| 26 | Brian Lara | Danish Kaneria | West Indies v Pakistan | Multan |
| 26 | Mitchell Johnson | Paul Harris | Australia v South Africa | Johannesburg |
| 26 | Brendon McCullum | Suranga Lakmal | New Zealand v Sri Lanka | Christchurch |
A batter rarely dominates the bowler in Test cricket with conditions dictating terms unless the batting team is in an overly favourable position. At times, teams are looking to declare and adopt an aggressive approach leading to attacking the opposition bowlers. In an attempt to score runs quickly, they end up creating records.
However, it was a battle of ego between Bumrah and Broad when the two faced off in Birmingham Test in 2022. While Bumrah kept smacking the England bowler, the latter didn’t learn from his mistakes. Moreover, an extra delivery due to no-ball also played a role in Broad creating an embarrassing record. Bumrah smashed him for four fours, and two sixes and seven extras worsened things. Broad conceded 35 runs in a single, which became the most runs scored in a single over in Test cricket.
The second player on this list is Brian Lara who smacked left-arm spinner, Robin Peterson, for a massive 28 runs in a single over in Johannesburg way back in the 2003-04 season. Lara hit four fours and two sixes off the spinner to create the record and it remained the most expensive in Tests for around 18 years. The man was in beast mode in the innings smashing 202 runs and helping West Indies post 410 runs in the first innings.
Stuart Broad’s new ball partner James Anderson has also been at the receiving end, conceding 28 runs in a single over. Australia’s George Bailey took a massive toll on him during the 2013-14 Ashes series in Perth Test. Bailey smacked three sixes and two fours, including a double to smash Anderson for 28 runs in an over.
Another bowler who enjoyed his time with the bat scoring the second-most expensive over in the history of Test cricket is South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj. Interestingly, a part-time bowler in Joe Root had to suffer. Maharaj hit three successive fours off the first three deliveries of Root’s over and then followed it with a couple of sixes. Root conceded four byes off the final ball to end up going for a huge 28 runs in a single over during the 2019-20 Port Elizabeth Test between South Africa and England.
Most runs in an over in ODI cricket: Top 10 list
| Runs | Player | Bowler | Match | Venue |
| 36 | Herschelle Gibbs | DLS van Bunge | South Africa v Netherlands | St. Kitts |
| 36 | Jaskaran Malhotra | G Toka | USA v PNG | Al Amerat |
| 35 | Thisara Perera | RJ Peterson | Sri Lanka v South Africa | Pallekele |
| 34 | AB de Villiers | JO Holder | South Africa v West Indies | Sydney |
| 34 | James Neesham | NLTC Perera | New Zealand v Sri Lanka | Mount Maunganui |
| 32 | Shahid Afridi | CM Bandara | Pakistan v Sri Lanka | Abu Dhabi |
| 32 | Liam Livingstone | PRP Boissevain | England v Netherlands | Amstelveen |
| 31 | Kane Williamson | Rizwan Cheema HS Baidwan | New Zealand v Canada | Mumbai |
| 31 | Shreyas Iyer | RL Chase | India v West Indies | Visakhapatnam |
| 30 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Aamer Sohail | Sri Lanka v Pakistan | Singapore |
Herschelle Gibbs was the first player to score 36 runs in a single over in ODI cricket. He smashed six sixes off Netherlands bowler Daan van Bunge during the 7th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 that was played in West Indies. It was in the 30th over of a rain-curtailed 40-over per side game when all hell broke loose as Gibbs smashed Bunge to all parts of the ground.
Jaskaran Malhotra of USA took on PNG’s Gaudi Toka in Oman’s Al Ameral stadium in 2021. He was in extremely good touch on the day and created the record by hitting six sixes on his way to an unbeaten 173 propelling USA to 271/9 in their 50 overs.
Thisara Perera disturbed the figures of South Africa’s left-arm spinner Robin Peterson in the 2013 ODI played in Pallekele. Perera smashed five sixes and a four before being helped by a wide as well to score 35 runs in a single over. During the 2018-19 ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, Thisara Perera got the taste of his own medicine when James Neesham scored 34 runs in an over.
The left-handed all-rounder smashed him for five sixes in an over to eventually score 34 runs in his over. No list is complete without the superman AB de Villiers and he is on this list for scoring a whopping 34 runs off Jason Holder during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia.
The match was played in Sydney where De Villiers went bonkers to smash Holder for 4 fours and two sixes and was also helped by a couple of no-balls.
Most runs in an over in T20I cricket: Top 10 list
| Runs | Batsmen | Bowler | Match | Venue |
| 36 | Yuvraj Singh | SCJ Broad | India v England | Durban |
| 36 | Kieron Pollard | A Dananjaya | West Indies v Sri Lanka | Antigua |
| 34 | Ross Taylor | S Dube | New Zealand v India | Mount Maunganui |
| 34 | Ryan Burl | Nasum Ahmed | Zimbabwe v Bangladesh | Harare |
| 33 | Jonny Bairstow + Moeen Ali | AL Phehlukwayo | England v South Africa | Bristol |
| 32 | Jos Buttler | WD Parnell | England v South Africa | Edgbaston |
| 32 | Evin Lewis | STR Binny | West Indies v India | Lauderhill |
| 32 | George Munsey | MP O’Dowd | Scotland v Netherlands | Dublin (Malahide) |
| 32 | Aadil Alam + Airee | N Pokana | Nepal v Papua New Guinea | Kirtipur |
| 31 | David Miller | Mohammad Saifuddin | South Africa vs Bangaldesh | Potchefstroom |
Yuvraj Singh was at his best when India faced England in the must-win game in the inaugural edition of World T20. Stuart Broad was at the receiving end as Yuvraj smashed him to all parts of the ground in Durban to become the first-ever player in T20Is to hit six sixes in a single over. Kieron Pollard replicated the feat perhaps comfortably taking on the spinner Akila Dananjaya during the T20I game played in Antigua in March 2021.
India’s Shivam Dube is the only player across formats to concede more than 30 runs in a single over. New Zealand batters Tim Seifert and Ross Taylor joined hands to smash Dube for 34 runs in one over hitting two sixes and one four each in Mount Maunganui in 2020. Another batter to score 34 runs in a single over is Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl who took on Bangladesh spinner Nasum Ahmed smashing him for five sixes and a four in Harare in 2022.
The fifth most expensive over in the history of T20I cricket is bowled by South Africa’s Andile Phehlukwayo in Bristol T20I against England in July 2022. Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali smacked five sixes to add 33 runs to England’s total in a single over.
Most runs scored in an over in domestic cricket
Gary Sobers smashed six sixes off Malcolm Nash in a single over in the first-class game between Nottinghamshire and Glamorgan back in 1968. Ravi Shastri also joined him on the list to hit 36 runs in a single over which is still the most expensive over in first-class cricket.
The most expensive over in List A cricket is 43 runs. Central Districts bowler Willem Ludick has an embarrassing record to his name. Northern Districts batters Joe Carter and Brett Hampton smashed 43 runs in a single over to create the record.
The most runs conceded in a single over in T20 cricket is 38 runs. James Fuller conceded a whopping 38 runs during the T20 game between Gloucestershire and Sussex. Scott Styris was the batter to take the toll of the bowler.
FAQs
What is the most runs scored by a batter in the IPL?
The most runs scored in an over in IPL is 37 runs. Harshal Patel and Prasanth Parmeswaran were the bowlers to concede those many runs.
Who gave away 77 runs in an over in cricket?
Wellington bowler Bert Vance conceded 77 runs in one over in February 1990 in the match against Canterbury.
Which Indian has the most runs in an over in ODI cricket?
Yuvraj Singh is the Indian cricketer to concede the most runs in an over in ODI cricket. He conceded 30 runs in a single over against England in the 2007 Oval ODI.
