No Ball in Cricket: Rules, Types and Penalties
A no ball is an illegal delivery in cricket that gives the batting team runs and a free hit in limited-overs cricket. This guide explains all the ways a no ball can be bowled and the consequences.
A no ball is an illegal delivery under the Laws of Cricket, resulting in a minimum of one run added to the batting team's extras and the delivery being re-bowled. No balls are called by the on-field umpire nearest the bowler's end. There are multiple types of no ball — foot over the crease, ball above waist height, ball bouncing more than twice, underarm bowling — each with specific definitions. In limited-overs cricket, a no ball also results in a 'free hit' for the batter on the next delivery.
Overstepping the Popping Crease
The most common no ball is the bowler overstepping: some part of the bowler's front foot must land behind (not on) the popping crease at the bowler's end. If the foot lands on or beyond the crease, it is a no ball. The umpire at the bowler's end watches the bowler's front foot on every delivery. Technology (crease cameras, Hawk-Eye foot tracking) is increasingly used to assist umpires, particularly for bouncers where the fast delivery and overhead angle make the crease line difficult to judge. Repeatedly overstepping is both a penalty and an advantage — the extra pace generated by a longer run-up step comes at the cost of no ball runs.
Dangerous Bouncers and Height No Balls
A ball that passes or would pass over the batter's head — above their standing height — is called a no ball if it does not bounce first (a full toss above waist height). A bouncer (a ball that bounces short and rises to head height) is permitted under the Laws in Tests and most first-class formats, with specific restrictions on the number per over. In T20 cricket, a full toss above waist height when the batter is in their normal stance is called a no ball and triggers a free hit. In all formats, a ball that bounces more than twice before reaching the batter is a no ball.
Other Types of No Ball
Other no ball situations include: **Fielder encroachment** — a fielder is standing outside their permitted position at the point of delivery (Test cricket has different fieldsman placement rules to limited-overs). **Underarm bowling** — the Laws prohibit underarm deliveries in modern cricket (following Australia's infamous 1981 underarm incident); all balls must be bowled overarm. **Ball landing outside the pitch** — extremely rare but a ball that pitches outside the pitch area is a no ball. **Ball bouncing more than twice** — if the ball touches the ground more than twice before reaching the batter or popping crease.
Frequently asked questions
Can a batter be out off a no ball?
Yes, but only via run out, obstructing the field or hitting the ball twice. A batter cannot be bowled, caught, stumped, LBW or hit wicket off a no ball — these dismissals are invalid and the batter is not out. However, if a batter hits a no ball and the fielding team completes a run out by direct hit or relay before the batters return, the run out stands even though the delivery was a no ball. The free hit rule (in limited-overs cricket) applies the same principle — only run out ends a batter's innings on a free hit.
Does a no ball count toward the bowler's over?
No. A no ball does not count toward the bowler's over. The delivery is not added to the over total; the over must still be completed with the correct number of legal deliveries (six balls in standard cricket). This means a six-delivery over can technically require many more physical deliveries if wides and no balls are bowled — the longest overs in cricket have involved numerous extras requiring many re-bowled deliveries. All no balls and wides appear in the bowler's figures as runs conceded but not as balls bowled.