Full Toss in Cricket Explained — Legal, Illegal & When It Becomes a No-Ball
A full toss is a delivery that reaches the batter without bouncing. Learn what makes a full toss legal or illegal, when an umpire calls it a no-ball, and how bowlers use deliberate full tosses as variation.
A full toss is a delivery that reaches the batter at or above waist height without pitching — it does not bounce off the surface before reaching the batter. Full tosses are most commonly accidental: a slower ball that goes wrong, a yorker that misses its target, or a delivery that slips from the bowler's hand at the wrong moment. But they can also be deliberate variation in T20 cricket.
Is a full toss a no-ball?
Not automatically. A full toss below waist height is legal and can be played normally. However, under Law 41.7, a full toss above waist height from a fast bowler is a no-ball — this is to protect the batter from dangerous deliveries aimed at the body at height. The umpire calls no-ball and the delivery must be rebowled (as a free hit in T20s). A second such no-ball from a fast bowler in the same innings results in an official warning.
The beamer distinction
A beamer is a specific type of illegal full toss — a fast, head-height full toss aimed directly at the batter. Beamers are dangerous and considered a serious breach: a fast bowler who bowls a beamer must be warned by the umpire. A second beamer results in the bowler being removed from the attack for the remainder of the innings. The Laws distinguish between an accidental high full toss (no-ball + warning) and a deliberate beamer (more severe consequences).
Deliberate full tosses as a T20 variation
In T20 cricket, slower-ball full tosses — low, looping deliveries that arrive at shin or knee height — are a deliberate bowling tactic. A batter expecting a pitched delivery times their shot for a different arrival height; the low full toss disrupts the timing. When well-executed, the batter miscues into the air or plays on. A well-disguised slow full toss can be highly effective in the death overs.
- Full toss below waist height — legal, play normally
- Full toss above waist height (fast bowling) — no-ball, free hit in T20
- Beamer (fast, head-height) — no-ball, formal warning to the bowler
- Second beamer — bowler removed from attack for the innings
- Slow full toss (deliberate lower) — legal variation, often very effective in T20
Frequently asked questions
What is a full toss in cricket?
A full toss is a delivery that reaches the batter without bouncing off the pitch. It is legal if it arrives below waist height. If it arrives above waist height from a fast bowler, it is called a no-ball.
Is a full toss automatically a no-ball?
No. Only a full toss above waist height from a pace bowler is a no-ball under Law 41.7. A full toss below waist height is a legal delivery, though usually easy to score off.
What is the difference between a full toss and a beamer?
A beamer is a specific dangerous full toss aimed at the batter's head at high speed. All beamers are full tosses, but not all full tosses are beamers. Beamers receive a formal warning and, on a second offence, the bowler is removed from the attack.