How many times can a bowler bowl in cricket?

Answer 1

It depends on the variant of cricket being played.

There is generally no limit to a bowler in First-class cricket since is there is no hard-set limit to the number of overs that will be bowled in a given innings.

For limited-overs matches, the general rule of thumb is that no one bowler can bowl more than 20% of the given overs in an innings. In a One Day International (ODI) match, for example, a bowler can bowl a maximum of 10 overs (less if a game is shortened by weather). Accordingly, Twenty20 limits a bowler to four overs.

There is, however, one important rule for a bowler that can cut short his innings. A bowler is not supposed to run through the pitch's protected zone (generally the zone directly between the wickets) while following-through on his delivery. If caught doing so three times, he is prohibited from Bowling for the rest of the innings.