Cricket No-Ball Rules: Every Type of No-Ball Explained
A comprehensive guide to cricket no-ball laws — from front-foot transgressions to high full tosses — covering consequences, free hits, and umpiring protocol.
A no-ball in cricket is an illegal delivery that results in one run being added to the batting team's score (plus any runs scored off the bat), the ball not counting as one of the legal deliveries in the over, and in limited-overs cricket, a free hit on the subsequent delivery. No-balls can occur for many reasons beyond the most famous — the front-foot overstepping. Understanding all the ways a no-ball can be called helps both bowlers avoid costly transgressions and batters recognise when they should be looking for a free hit.
Front-Foot No-Ball: The Most Common Infringement
The most frequent no-ball occurs when a bowler's front foot lands beyond the popping crease (the white line at the batting end) at the point of delivery. The entire front foot must land behind the crease — touching the line is legal, crossing it is not. Umpires watch the front foot for every delivery and call 'no-ball' immediately if an infringement is spotted. Fast bowlers are most prone to front-foot no-balls because their long strides bring them close to the line at high pace.
Back-Foot No-Ball
A back-foot no-ball occurs when the bowler's back foot lands on or outside the return crease — the side crease line that runs from the stumps perpendicular to the pitch. This is far less common than the front-foot infringement but does occur, particularly with bowlers who have a wide run-up angle. The bowler must land with part of the back foot behind the return crease for the delivery to be legal.
Height No-Balls: Full Tosses and Bouncers
A full toss that reaches the batter above waist height on the full (without bouncing) is called a no-ball, regardless of foot position. In T20 and ODI cricket, the Law is applied strictly — even a marginally above-waist full toss from a spinner is called. Two bouncers per over are legal in Test cricket; more than two in a single over constitute a no-ball. In limited-overs cricket, only one bouncer per over is permitted — the second bouncer in an over is a no-ball and a wide if it passes above the batter's head height.
Free Hits in Limited-Overs Cricket
In ODI and T20 cricket, every front-foot no-ball results in a free hit on the next delivery. On a free hit, the batter can only be dismissed run out, obstructing the field, or handling the ball — they cannot be bowled, caught, stumped, or LBW. The umpire signals a free hit by rotating one arm overhead in a circular motion. Fielding positions can change between the no-ball and the free hit only if a wicket falls in between. Free hits have dramatically increased the value of front-foot no-balls in limited-overs cricket.
Other Types of No-Ball
No-balls can also be called for the fielding side having too many fielders outside the circle during powerplay overs, for the wicketkeeper standing in front of the stumps before the ball passes the wicket, for a fielder deliberately distracting the batter, or for a delivery that bounces more than twice before reaching the batting crease. Each type is relatively rare in practice but is part of the complete Laws of Cricket governing what constitutes a legal delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Can a batter be dismissed off a no-ball?
A batter can be dismissed off a no-ball only through a run out, obstructing the field, or handling the ball (now covered under obstructing the field). A batter cannot be dismissed bowled, caught, LBW, stumped, or hit wicket off a no-ball. This is why batters are sometimes seen playing recklessly at no-balls — they know the most common dismissals are off the table. However, they must still be careful not to run themselves out or obstruct a fielder.
Does the extra run from a no-ball go to the batter or extras?
The penalty run from a no-ball always goes to extras — it is credited as a no-ball extra in the scorebook regardless of whether runs are scored off the bat. Any runs scored off the bat on the same delivery (whether the batter hits the ball or runs byes) are also credited normally. So if a batter hits a no-ball for four, the scorebook records four runs to the batter and one no-ball extra — five runs in total from that delivery.