What is a Maiden Over in Cricket?

What is a maiden over?

A maiden over is an over in which the bowling side concedes zero runs off the bat — no boundaries, no singles, no byes or wides credited to the batting side. It is called a 'maiden' because the over has been 'untouched' by the batting side in terms of runs. A maiden over contributes 0 to the bowler's runs conceded column, significantly improving their economy rate.

What counts as a maiden?

For an over to be recorded as a maiden, the ball must be bowled six legitimate deliveries (not counting wides or no-balls, which add extra deliveries) with zero runs attributed to the over — whether off the bat, from byes, or leg byes. However, wides and no-balls are not counted as part of the over for maiden purposes — if a bowler bowls a wide, the next legitimate delivery is still included in the over count. Crucially, if any extras (byes, leg byes, wides) are scored, the over is no longer a maiden.

Why do maiden overs matter?

In Test cricket, maiden overs are crucial for building pressure. When a bowler keeps a batter scoreless for multiple overs, the batter faces a dilemma: they must either take an increasing risk to score or remain goalless while their partners at the other end face their own bowlers. Maidens also directly reduce a bowler's economy rate — a stat measured in runs per over that distinguishes economical bowlers from expensive ones. In T20 cricket, maiden overs are rare and highly prized. Bowling a maiden in a T20 match can shift momentum dramatically, denying six balls of scoring opportunity to a batter who typically expects 8–12 runs per over.

Maiden over records

Glenn McGrath holds the record for most maiden overs in Test cricket with over 1,500 maidens from his career. In a single innings, the record for consecutive maiden overs is held by Alfred Shaw, who once bowled 17 consecutive maidens in first-class cricket in 1876. In T20 International cricket, a bowler completing an over for just 0 runs is a feat noted in match reports — bowlers like Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan have delivered T20 maiden overs in high-pressure international matches.