In ordinary six-ball-over notation, 17.2 means 17 completed overs and two valid balls, or 104 valid balls in total. Convert the completed overs to balls first, add the remaining balls, and then do arithmetic.
Give each side of the separator its own meaning
MCC’s 2026 Laws define an over using six valid balls. Wides and no balls do not count towards those six. The Laws also address umpire miscounts. Use the official count if it differs from a private tally. The examples here assume an ordinary correctly counted six-ball sequence.
Imagine a score display moves from 17.2 to 17.3. The completed-over figure has stayed 17 and one more valid ball has been recorded. After 17.5, the next valid ball completes that over and the display becomes 18.0. Treat the separator as a divider between two units, like the hours and minutes on a clock.
Convert before adding
| Displayed amount | Conversion | Valid balls |
|---|---|---|
| 17.2 | 17×6+2 | 104 |
| 2.4 | 2×6+4 | 16 |
| Combined | 104+16 | 120, or 20.0 overs |
The remaining balls can carry into a full over
A calculator adding 17.2 and 2.4 as ordinary decimals returns 19.6. That result leaves six balls in the right-hand column. Six valid balls complete another over here, so the resolved total is 20.0. Using a balls column makes the carry explicit before the result returns to cricket notation.
For smaller fragments, 0.4 plus 0.3 is seven valid balls. Divide seven by six. The quotient is one completed over and the remainder is one ball, written 1.1. The method applies to fragments from a bowling analysis, a remaining-ball calculation or a worked exercise. Keep the underlying balls available until the final display. To go in the other direction, divide a total of 110 balls by six. Eighteen complete groups use 108 balls and leave two, so the display becomes 18.2.
A run and a valid ball can change separately
An extra can alter the team score while the valid-ball figure stays the same. If a wide is called at 17.2, the next display may still read 17.2 even though the run total changed. Read the delivery description to see which count has advanced.
When a feed and a scorecard briefly disagree, use the corrected official scorecard. Identify the competition before converting. This method assumes six valid balls per over, while a ball-count competition such as The Hundred uses its own format. For a calculation you plan to share, write the ball total beside the overs notation so another reader can check the units.
Sources and review
- Laws of Cricket — 2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026 — Marylebone Cricket Club