5 longest overs bowled in cricket history

With bowlers being at their mercy more often than not, Cricket has always been a batsman's game. However, right from the menacing era of West Indies' fast bowlers to the recent exploits by talented bowlers, numerous pacers and spinners across the globe are always willing to fight it out. After all, an even contest between bat and ball is what makes the game of cricket compelling to watch.

Not on all occasions do bowlers get their act right. In fact, some might take a bit longer to settle into their groove and rhythm. There have been umpteen instances where bowlers have ended up bowling more than the stipulated 6 balls in the over, sometimes going a bit beyond norm. Let us take a look at five of the longest overs that have been bowled in the history of the game at both domestic as well as international level across all formats.

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#5 Scott Boswell - 14 balls

Scott Boswell could not quite recover from his infamous over in the 2001 C&G Trophy final

During the final of the C&G Trophy at the iconic Lord's stadium, Leicestershire squared off Somerset. As medium pacer Scott Boswell ran into bowl, he might not have imagined what was in store. He sent down six wides and delivered a nightmarish over lasting 14 balls. It was a case of the pressure getting to him.

Incidentally, Boswell had been the best bowler for Leicestershire in the semi- finals of the championship. His four-wicket haul was one of the biggest reasons behind the team's surge to the title clash. Sadly, the horror show in the final marked the end of Boswell's professional career. He would later admit that it took nearly ten years for him to forget the terrible over.

#4 Daryl Tuffey - 14 balls

Daryl Tuffey had to endure a dismal over against Trans-Tasman rivals Australia

Opening the bowling in limited-overs cricket is always a tough task as the batsmen are often looking to go over the top with field restrictions in place. During an ODI against Australia in 2005, Daryl Tuffey bowled one of the longest opening overs in international cricket. The right-arm seamer delivered a staggering 14 balls to the destructive Adam Gilchrist.

At one point of time, Australia's score read 15/0 without a ball being bowled. Tuffey sprayed the ball around without any sort of control. The woeful over consisted of four wides and as many no-balls. When he eventually finished the over, Tuffey had conceded 16 runs. He retired from all competitive cricket in January 2013.

#3 Curtly Ambrose - 15 balls

Curtly Ambrose repeatedly over-stepped and ended up bowling 15 deliveries in the over

Curtly Ambrose's exploits in Australia are the stuff of legends. Time and again, he dismantled the Australian lineup by extracting extra bounce from the hard pitches down under. The WACA was his favourite hunting ground in the country. However, the same venue also saw him bowl one of the worst overs of his eventful career.

During the 1997 Perth Test, Ambrose delivered the longest over in Test cricket. Repeatedly over-stepping his mark, the West Indies pacer conceded as many as nine no-balls to send down a cumbersome 15-ball over. He went on to bowl six more no-balls in his very next over and was promptly removed from the attack by fellow fast bowler and skipper Courtney Walsh. The visitors eventually sealed a consolation victory by ten wickets.

#2 Mohammed Sami - 17 balls

Mohammad Sami had the tendency to spray the ball when out of form

Mohammad Sami was one of the fastest bowlers in the world during his prime. He burst on to the international scene during Pakistan's tour of New Zealand in 2001. On a clumsier note, Sami is the holder of an unwanted record in cricket. He has bowled the longest over in the history of ODIs, comprising of a whopping 17 deliveries.

Sami achieved this feat against Bangladesh at the 2004 Asia cup. He sent down seven wides and four no-balls to end up conceding 22 runs. Sami could not make a lasting impression with Pakistan as he was highly inconsistent and bowled erratic lines. In all likelihood, the veteran's last appearance at the international level came during the 2016 World T20.

#1 Bert Vance - 22 balls

Vance played 4 Tests and 8 ODIs for New Zealand

This has to be the worst over ever bowled in cricket history. New Zealand's Bert Vance bowled a mind boggling 22 balls in a single over during a domestic match. He was representing Wellington against Canterbury in the Shell Trophy Final during the 1989/90 season when he bowled this horrendous over.

In a bid to win the trophy as Canterbury was playing for a draw, Vance started bowling high full tosses which were also no-balls. The part-time off-spinner eventually conceded 77 runs in the over. Even the scorers and umpires were confused as the original over had only 5 legitimate balls bowled. Though Wellington went onto win the trophy, the incident was against the spirit of the game and generated a massive controversy in New Zealand's first-class circuit.