Published : March 22, 2026 at 7:25 PM IST
Hyderabad: Usually, in cricket, a single bowler bowls an over, which comprises six deliveries. But if the bowler gets injured, the other player completes his over, and that has happened a few times in cricket. So, the sport has seen instances when two bowlers completed a single over. However, there was a unique instance that occurred 25 years ago when three different bowlers completed a single over.
Cricket is an unpredictable sport, and anything can change in a matter of seconds. In the mentioned instance, one bowler started the over, but it was completed by the other two.
SL vs WI 2001: 3 bowlers to complete one single over
In a Test fixture between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in 2001, it took three bowlers to throw down a single over.
Marvyn Dillon bowled the first two balls of the over, but a sudden pain forced him to stop. Then, Colin Stuart took charge of the proceedings, but he was removed by the umpire from bowling after throwing down two consecutive full toss balls over the waist. The last three balls were bowled by Chris Gayle, and the over was complete.
The proceedings of the over started with the right-arm pacer charging in from the first ball. Both his two balls were played back to the bowler by the Sri Lankan batter. However, he seemed in discomfort after that and clutched his hamstring and was forced to halt. The team physio soon rushed onto the ground to take care of the pacer, and soon it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to continue anymore.
Collin Stuart continues the same over
This sudden turn of events compelled Captain Brian Lara to hand the ball to another bowler. Out of the multiple options available, he passed on the ball to Colin Stuart, who had recently made his debut for the national team.
Stuart bowled two full tosses over the waist, and he was removed by the umpire, John Hampshire, as he had to remove the bowler according to the laws.
West Indies were now in trouble. They lost the main bowler to an injury, and part-time spinner Chris Gayle came to complete the job. He bowled the last three balls of the over and completed the proceedings for the over.
The instance records a rare phenomenon when a total of three different bowlers completed a single over.
What was the result of the Sri Lanka vs West Indies 2001 Test series?
Sri Lanka completely dominated the proceedings in the three-match Test series, winning it by 3-0. The batters dished out a brilliant performance in the series to help the team emerge victorious. They won the first match by 10 wickets, followed it up with a 131-run win in the second and then signed off the Test series with another 10-wicket triumph.
Brian Lara was the highest run-getter, amassing 688 runs with an average of 114.66, including three centuries.
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