Law 42: Fair and Unfair Play in Cricket Explained
What Law 42 (now Law 41) covers regarding fair and unfair play, ball tampering, and player conduct.
What Does the Fair Play Law Cover?
The Laws of Cricket include a dedicated law on fair and unfair play (formerly Law 42, renumbered Law 41 in the 2017 edition). It is the most comprehensive conduct law in the Laws of Cricket and covers a wide range of situations where players might seek unfair advantage. It is the basis on which ball tampering, deliberate distraction, running on the pitch, intimidatory short-pitched bowling, and other unsporting acts are adjudicated.
Key Areas Covered
- Ball tampering — illegally altering the condition of the ball
- Deliberate distraction — attempting to distract the batter or fielders
- Deliberate time wasting — slowing the game to gain advantage
- Running on the pitch — deliberately damaging the protected area
- Intimidatory short-pitched bowling — repeated bouncers used as physical intimidation beyond cricket's spirit
- Dangerous and unfair bowling — full tosses at the batter's head
- Fielding restrictions and close fielding regulations
Penalty System
When an umpire judges an action to be unfair under this law, they issue a series of escalating responses. A first offence brings a warning to the captain. If the behaviour continues, five penalty runs are awarded to the opposing side. In extreme cases — particularly for ball tampering — the ICC match referee may impose additional sanctions including fines and match bans. The umpire has wide discretion under this law.
The Spirit of Cricket vs the Laws
The fair play law is also the bridge between the written Laws and the 'Spirit of Cricket' preamble that prefaces the Laws themselves. The Spirit of Cricket is aspirational and non-binding; the fair play law translates some of those aspirations into actionable rules that umpires and referees can enforce with penalties.
Frequently asked questions
Can an umpire call a no-ball for intimidatory bowling under this law?
Yes. The law empowers umpires to call a ball 'unfair' for repeated high full tosses aimed at the batter's body or for bouncers that constitute intimidation beyond the game's acceptable limits.
What happens if ball tampering is detected mid-match?
The umpires replace the ball with one of similar condition, award five penalty runs to the batting side, and report the incident to the match referee. Player suspensions are imposed separately after the match.
Is this law the same in all formats?
The same law applies to all ICC-sanctioned matches — Tests, ODIs, T20Is, and domestic competitions held under ICC-approved conditions.