Rules
The laws that shape every decision on the field. 1,207 guides, page 14 of 26.
Ball Tampering and Sandpaper Gate Explained: Cricket's Cheating Scandal
What ball tampering is in cricket — how and why teams illegally alter the ball, the 2018 Sandpaper Gate scandal (Australia in Cape Town), the bans on Warner, Smith, and Bancroft, and how reverse swing connects to ball condition.
Read explainerRain Delays in Cricket Explained: Why Weather Ruins Matches and How DLS Fixes It
How rain delays work in cricket — why Test matches can be abandoned for rain, what the DLS method does in rain-affected ODIs and T20s, reserve days in World Cups, and the notorious 1992 World Cup 'most productive overs' catastrophe.
Read explainerCricket Technology Explained: Hawk-Eye, UltraEdge, Snickometer and DRS
How cricket's broadcast and decision technology works — Hawk-Eye ball tracking for LBW, UltraEdge/Snickometer for catches, Hot Spot thermal imaging, and the Decision Review System (DRS) that uses all these technologies to overturn umpire decisions.
Read explainerCricket Law Changes Explained: How the Rules Evolved Over 150 Years
The most significant changes to cricket's Laws — Bodyline (1932-33), the bouncer restriction, LBW reform, overarm bowling becoming legal, the batting powerplay, bat size limits, and how each rule change reshaped how the game is played.
Read explainerObstruction of the Field and Handled the Ball Explained: Cricket's Rarest Dismissals
Obstruction of the field and handled the ball explained — what these two rare dismissals mean, Angelo Mathews' 2023 World Cup timed-out dismissal, when a batsman can handle the ball legally, and how 'handled the ball' was merged into 'obstruction' in 2017.
Read explainerCricket Protective Gear Explained: Helmets, Gloves, Pads and More
Every piece of cricket protective equipment explained — batting helmet (history, standard, grille), batting gloves (legal ball handling), batting pads (left knee lower than right for right-handers), abdominal guard (box), arm guard, and chest guard.
Read explainerDeepti Sharma and the Mankad Dismissal: India's Most Controversial Women's Cricket Moment
The 2022 Deepti Sharma Mankad dismissal of Charlie Dean at Lord's — what happened, why it was legal, cricket's historical debate around the Mankad, how the MCC moved the Law in 2022 to eliminate its 'unfair play' stigma, and Deepti's career context.
Read explainerThe Switch Hit and Reverse Sweep Explained: Cricket's Most Controversial Batting Shots
What the switch hit and reverse sweep are — Kevin Pietersen's 2008 invention of the switch hit vs Murali, the Laws governing switching hands, why the reverse sweep was controversial in the 1987 World Cup (Mike Gatting's dismissal), and how modern batsmen use both shots.
Read explainerCricket Umpires and Appeals Explained: How Decisions Are Made on the Field
How cricket umpiring works — the two on-field umpires, the third umpire (TV umpire) and DRS reviews, what constitutes a valid appeal ('Howzat?'), why umpires cannot give decisions without appeals, and the standard of 'benefit of the doubt to the batsman.'
Read explainerCricket Dew Factor Explained: Why Dew Decides Day-Night Matches
Why dew accumulates on outfields and pitches in evening cricket, how it affects the ball (heavy, damp, impossible to grip for spinners), why teams prefer to bowl first in day-night Tests and chase in night sessions of T20s, and the strategic implications of winning the toss in dew-affected conditions.
Read explainerCricket Pitch Preparation Explained: How Curators Make Batting and Bowling Pitches
How cricket pitches are prepared — the curator's role, rolling techniques (light vs heavy roller), moisture content management, grass coverage decisions (green seaming pitch vs bare dusty surface), how subcontinental curators produce spin-friendly pitches and how English curators produce seam-friendly ones, and who is responsible for pitch quality.
Read explainerCricket Catching Rules Explained: Clean Catches, Bump Balls and the Boundary Edge
How cricket's catching Laws work — what makes a catch legal (ball must be caught cleanly before touching the ground), the 'bump ball' exception (ball hits ground before the fielder's hands), boundary catches (feet must remain inside the boundary rope while completing the catch), relay catches (two fielders), and how DRS and third umpire adjudicate disputed catches.
Read explainerCricket Hat-Tricks Explained: Three Wickets in Three Balls and the Famous Examples
What a cricket hat-trick is — three consecutive wickets from three consecutive balls by the same bowler (across overs, and across innings), famous hat-tricks (Wasim Akram 1999 World Cup, Brett Lee vs Kenya, Waqar 1994, Rashid Khan in The Hundred), and the rarity across Test, ODI, and T20 formats.
Read explainerCricket's Rarest Dismissals Explained: Hit Wicket, Handled the Ball, Timed Out and Obstructing the Field
Cricket's five rarest dismissal methods — hit wicket (batsman breaks own stumps), handled the ball (now merged into 'obstructing the field'), timed out (3-minute entry rule), obstructing the field (deliberate obstruction), and hit the ball twice. How often each occurs and famous examples.
Read explainerTest Cricket Declaration Tactics Explained: When to Declare and How to Set a Target
How and why Test cricket declarations work — the captain's decision to close an innings voluntarily before 10 wickets fall, target-setting calculation (runs scored minus runs already made plus runs needed to ensure time), famous declarations (Botham 1981, Waugh 2003), over-declarations (too early), under-declarations (too cautious), and the declaration timing in Bazball.
Read explainerDuckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) Method Explained Simply: Rain Rules in Cricket
A plain-language explanation of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method — how rain delays and interruptions are handled in ODI and T20 cricket, why the old average-run-rate method was replaced, what 'resources' means in DLS, famous DLS controversies (South Africa 1992, 2003 WC), and who invented the system.
Read explainerOutswing and Inswing Bowling Explained: How the Ball Moves in the Air
The physics of swing bowling — why a cricket ball swings (Bernoulli effect, seam position, shine differential), the difference between outswing (away from the right-hander) and inswing (into the body), conventional swing vs reverse swing (when the ball is old and scuffed), and which bowlers are the greatest swing exponents (Anderson, McGrath, Wasim Akram).
Read explainerUltraEdge and Snickometer Explained: How Cricket Detects Bat Edges
How UltraEdge (the live edge-detection technology used in DRS) and Snickometer (the original broadcast edge-detection) work — sound spike aligned with ball-passing-bat on a waveform, why UltraEdge replaced Hot Spot as the primary edge-detection tool, its limitations, and famous decisions where UltraEdge has been decisive or controversial.
Read explainerLBW Rule In Depth Explained: The Three Criteria, Ball-Tracking, and Umpire's Call
The LBW law explained in full — the three criteria (pitched zone, impact zone, projected path), what 'umpire's call' means in the DRS era, the off-side exception, the inside-edge exclusion, and why the LBW decision is the most complex in cricket.
Read explainerPowerplay Tactics Explained: How Teams Use the First 10 Overs in ODIs and T20s
Powerplay tactics in ODIs and T20s — why the first 6 overs matter (only 2 fielders outside the circle), typical batting approaches (aggressive vs controlled), bowling strategies (swing, pace to take wickets), how teams set up their middle-overs platform, and why powerplay wickets are disproportionately valuable.
Read explainerDLS Method Deep Dive Explained: How the Rain Rule Actually Works
The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method explained in depth — why the 1992 World Cup rain rule was a disaster (South Africa needing 22 off 1 ball), the 'resources' concept, a worked example of a DLS recalculation, and why some matches end controversially even when DLS is applied correctly.
Read explainerCricket Umpire's Role in Tests Explained: On-Field Decisions, DRS, and Match Referees
The role of cricket umpires in Test matches — the on-field umpire's 120+ decisions per match, the third umpire (DRS review), the TV umpire's technology, the match referee (law enforcement, code of conduct), ICC Elite Panel umpires, and famous umpiring controversies (Darrell Hair no-balling Muralitharan, the Oval forfeiture 2006).
Read explainerCricket Tiebreaker Rules Explained: Super Over, Boundary Countback, and DLS
How tied cricket matches are decided — the Super Over (T20 and ODI), boundary countback (2019 WC Final controversy and its subsequent abolition), DLS par score in rain-affected matches, tied Test matches (only 2 in history), and the ICC's evolving tiebreaker hierarchy in different competition formats.
Read explainerCricket Technology Explained: Hawk-Eye, Snickometer, UltraEdge, and How DRS Works
The complete guide to cricket's ball-tracking and edge-detection technologies — Hawk-Eye's ball trajectory prediction (LBW reviewed via DRS), Snickometer (now UltraEdge) for edge detection via sound and vibration, Hot Spot infrared imaging, Real-time Snicko, how DRS reviews are adjudicated, and why Umpire's Call exists.
Read explainerRain Delays and Weather in Cricket Explained: Why Tests Can End in Draws and How Covers Work
How rain affects cricket across all formats — why Test matches can be drawn due to rain even when one team dominates, the D/L method in limited-overs, how pitch covers work and their maintenance rules, why some grounds drain faster than others, and famous rain-affected matches including the 1992 World Cup semi-final disaster.
Read explainerStump Microphone and Broadcasting Sounds Explained: What You Hear That Players Cannot See
The stump microphone — when it was introduced in cricket broadcasting, what it captures (ball-on-bat edges, behind-the-stumps chat, player conversations), why broadcasters have the right to broadcast these sounds, the most famous stump microphone moments (Warne-Strauss 2005, Kohli's heated exchanges), and why some nations restrict its sensitivity.
Read explainerFielding Restrictions and Powerplay Rules Explained: Why Powerplay Overs Change Scoring
How fielding restrictions work across ODI and T20 cricket — the exact rules (max fielders outside the 30-yard circle, mandatory inner ring positions, powerplay overs, middle overs, death overs), how each phase changes scoring rates, and why T20 powerplay averages (runs per over in overs 1-6) are 50-60% higher than middle overs.
Read explainerReverse Swing and Seam Bowling Explained: The Physics, the Pakistan School, and How to Bowl It
The physics of reverse swing — why a rough ball swings opposite to conventional, the Pakistan school (Sarfraz Nawaz, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis), how fielders keep one side of the ball rough and one polished, the difference between reverse swing and conventional swing, and why specific conditions (dry heat, abrasive pitches) enable the phenomenon.
Read explainerICC Code of Conduct Explained: Levels 1 to 4, Demerit Points, Fines, and Suspensions
The ICC Code of Conduct — what offences exist (Levels 1-4), how demerit points accumulate and trigger Test match bans, what counts as each level (excessive appealing to physical assault), famous Code of Conduct cases (Kagiso Rabada elbow, Jofra Archer bio-bubble breach, Ben Stokes Sydney nightclub), and how cricket's disciplinary system differs from football/soccer's card system.
Read explainerPlaying Spin Bowling: Footwork, Reading the Spinner, and How Batsmen Use Their Feet
How top batsmen play spin bowling — the footwork required (coming forward to the pitch of the ball, going back when it turns), reading the spinner's hand position to identify leg-spin vs off-spin vs googly, the sweep shot as a counter-attack, how Sachin Tendulkar and Joe Root have historically dominated spinners, and why attacking the spinner can be the best defensive strategy.
Read explainerThe Cover Drive Explained: Cricket's Most Beautiful Shot, Technique, and Who Plays It Best
The cover drive — cricket's most celebrated batting stroke, technique (head position, bat swing, elbow alignment), why it is considered the most difficult shot to play correctly, the batsmen most associated with it (Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, David Gower, Joe Root), when and when not to play it, and why it produces more edges than any other attacking shot.
Read explainerRain and Bad Light Rules in Cricket Explained: Delays, DLS in ODIs, and When Play Stops
How rain and bad light affect cricket — the umpires' decision to offer the batting team the light (bad light protocol), rain covers on the pitch, minimum over requirements, how DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) adjusts targets in rain-affected ODIs and T20Is, the 2019 World Cup semi-final (New Zealand vs India, reserve day used), and why Test cricket has different weather rules than limited-overs.
Read explainerSeam Bowling Types Explained: Outswing, Inswing, Off-Cutter, Leg-Cutter, and Wobble Seam
All the major seam bowling variations — how outswing differs from inswing (ball movement direction), what a leg-cutter and off-cutter are (fingers cutting the ball's rotation at release), wobble seam bowling (no deliberate swing, unpredictable deviation), how conditions affect each variation, and which bowlers are most associated with each type.
Read explainerPull Shot and Hook Shot Explained: Technique, Difference, and Who Plays Them Best
The pull shot and hook shot — two back-foot attacking shots played to short-pitched bowling. How they differ (pull shot hit square, hook shot hit finer behind square), technique (back and across, eye on the ball, flat bat or top-spin), which batsmen are most associated with each (Viv Richards hook, Ricky Ponting pull, AB de Villiers pull), and the risks (top edge, caught deep).
Read explainerModern Batting Innovations Explained: The Scoop, Ramp, Reverse Sweep, and Upper Cut
Post-2000 batting innovations that transformed T20 cricket — the scoop (hitting ball over fine leg off a full delivery), the ramp (a variation of the scoop using pace), the reverse sweep (bat turned upside down to hit off-spinner to off-side), the upper cut (slapping a short wide delivery over point), and who invented or popularised each shot.
Read explainerCricket Balls Explained: Dukes vs Kookaburra vs SG and Why Different Balls Produce Different Results
The three main cricket balls — Dukes (used in England and the West Indies — highest swing), Kookaburra (used in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe — less swing but harder), SG (Sanspareils Greenlands, used in India and Pakistan — more seam movement) — why different balls produce different swing and seam behaviour, and how ball choice affects match conditions.
Read explainerCricket Captain's Tactics Explained: Field Settings, Bowling Changes, DRS, and Match-Reading
The full tactical role of a cricket captain — setting fielding positions and adjusting them ball-by-ball, deciding bowling changes and bowling order, using DRS (when and how often to review), reading match conditions (pitch, wind, light, humidity), and examples of great tactical captains like Ricky Ponting, MS Dhoni, and Imran Khan.
Read explainerTest Cricket Declarations Explained: When Captains Declare, the Strategy, and Famous Declarations
The declaration in Test cricket — why captains choose to declare (end their innings voluntarily before all 10 wickets fall), when it makes sense (enough runs to win, enough time to bowl the opposition out), famous too-early and too-late declarations, the forfeited innings tactic, and why the declaration is one of Test cricket's most complex strategic decisions.
Read explainerRun Out Dismissed Explained: How Run Outs Happen, Famous Moments, and the Mankad Controversy
Run outs in cricket — how they happen (ground not made before stumps broken), the direct-hit run out, the backing-up run out, the Mankad (non-striker run out before delivery), Deepti Sharma vs Charlotte Dean (Lord's 2022), famous World Cup run out moments (1999 SA-Australia semi-final Allan Donald), and what counts as the crease.
Read explainerStump Microphone and Snickometer Explained: How Sound Technology Detects Edges in Cricket
The stump microphone and Snickometer (ball-spike sound detection) in cricket — how they detect the tiny sound of bat-on-ball contact invisible to the naked eye, UltraEdge vs Hot Spot, the difference between glove edges and bat edges, famous DRS-reversals via sound technology, and why some dismissals remain controversial despite technology.
Read explainerODI Fielding Restrictions Explained: How the 30-Yard Circle and Fielder Limits Work
Fielding restrictions in One Day International cricket — the 30-yard circle (what it is and why it exists), how many fielders can be outside in each phase (powerplay 2, middle overs 4, death 5), how mandatory fielder positions work, and how these restrictions shape batting and bowling strategy throughout the innings.
Read explainerCricket Umpire Decisions and Signals Explained: Out Signals, Extras, DRS Review Procedure
How cricket umpires communicate decisions on the field — the arm signals for dismissals (raised index finger for out), extras signals (wide arms for wide, vertical arm for no-ball, both arms for byes), the DRS review procedure (T-shape signal, 3rd umpire referral), and the mechanics of the on-field umpire's decision role in modern cricket.
Read explainerSpin Bowling Grip and Action Explained: Off-Break, Leg-Break, Doosra, Googly, Carrom Ball
How spin bowlers generate turn from the pitch — the grip and wrist/finger positions for off-break (index finger spins clockwise from right-arm), leg-break (wrist rotates counter-clockwise at release), the doosra (Saqlain Mushtaq's invention, controversial elbow flex), the googly (wrong-un — same wrist position as leg-break but ball spins other way), and the carrom ball (Ajantha Mendis's finger-flick).
Read explainerCricket Bat Anatomy Explained: Willow Types, Sweet Spot, Handle, and Modern Bat Evolution
The anatomy of a cricket bat — English willow (grade 1-4) vs Kashmir willow (cheaper, denser), the sweet spot (where maximum power is generated), the handle (cane and rubber composite), bat weight (2lbs 7oz to 2lbs 11oz for modern professionals), and how modern bats evolved from thin-bladed traditional bats to the thick-edged power bats of the T20 era.
Read explainerCricket DRS Technology Explained: HawkEye, Hotspot, UltraEdge, and How They Changed Decisions
The technology behind cricket's Decision Review System (DRS) — HawkEye ball-tracking (how it predicts trajectory for LBW), Hotspot (infrared cameras showing impact marks on bat and pad), UltraEdge/Snickometer (audio spikes detecting bat-ball contact), and the statistical accuracy claimed by each system. Why the 15-degree umpire's call zone exists and the ongoing debates about technology dependence.
Read explainerWicketkeeper Role Explained: Gloves, Stumping, Catches, and Why the Keeper Is the Most Important Fielder
The wicketkeeper's role in cricket — the only fielder who must always wear gloves (no other fielder may wear gloves), how stumping works (ball must be held in hands or gloves, bails removed before the batsman grounds bat behind the crease), catching edges behind the wicket, the wicketkeeper-batsman's dual role (Gilchrist, Dhoni, de Kock), and why the position requires unique physical and mental skills.
Read explainerRain Rules in Cricket Explained: Reserve Days in Tests, D/L Method in ODIs, When Matches Are Abandoned
Rain rules in cricket — what happens when matches are interrupted. Reserve days in Test cricket (WTC Finals have a 6th day reserve), the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in ODIs and T20Is, when a match is officially abandoned (declared No Result), and how the ICC manages weather delays across all formats. Why Tests don't use DLS but ODIs and T20Is do.
Read explainerGoogly and Leg Break Explained: Wrist Spin Types, Shane Warne vs Mushtaq Ahmed, the Flipper and Zooter
Wrist spin bowling types explained — the leg break (the stock delivery, spinning from leg to off for a right-handed batsman), the googly (spinning from off to leg, the opposite direction), the flipper (backspin, skids through low), and the zooter (Shane Warne's mystery weapon). How Shane Warne and Anil Kumble used these deliveries, and how batsmen try to read them from the bowler's wrist position.
Read explainerRules — Cricket Guides
The Laws of Cricket are maintained by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and have governed the game since 1744. Understanding them separates a casual viewer from someone who truly follows what is happening on the field.
The most debated law in cricket is Law 36 — Leg Before Wicket (LBW). A batter is out LBW when the ball hits their body (not the bat) and the umpire judges it would have gone on to hit the stumps, provided the ball pitched in line or outside off stump, and the batter was not playing a shot outside their leg stump. The introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS) has made LBW decisions far more accurate: ball-tracking technology predicts the ball's path with sub-centimetre precision, and 'Umpire's Call' retains the on-field decision when the ball is clipping the stumps rather than hitting them full.
Fielding restrictions shape the scoring patterns of every limited-overs match. In an ODI, Powerplay 1 (overs 1–10) restricts the fielding team to two fielders outside the 30-yard circle, creating an open outfield that rewards early aggression. Batting Powerplay (the optional five overs, typically taken in the middle) can be used strategically to attack a weakened bowling spell. In T20Is the first six overs are mandatory Powerplay with only two fielders outside the circle. These restrictions evolved to encourage higher scoring and make limited-overs cricket more watchable — and the data shows run rates in the first six overs of a T20I now average above 9 per over at the highest level.
The free hit rule, introduced to penalise no-balls, awards the batter a delivery from which they cannot be dismissed by any fielded method — only a run-out or handling the ball applies. In T20Is, a front-foot no-ball typically costs 2–3 additional runs (the extras plus the free-hit delivery) when a batter capitalises. The wide rule differs by format: in Tests, a ball must be genuinely out of reach to be called wide; in T20Is the umpire stands closer to the stumps when calling wides, meaning straighter deliveries are penalised even if the batter could theoretically reach them. These rules, and dozens more, are covered in depth across this collection of 1,200+ guides.
Rare dismissals — handled ball, hit the ball twice, timed out, obstructing the field — appear occasionally at all levels and cause confusion even among experienced fans. The DRS protocol, the no-ball review process (now referred to the third umpire), ball-change procedures, the follow-on threshold (200 runs in Tests, 150 in five-day matches), and the Mankad (non-striker run-out pre-delivery) all feature in detail across the guides in this section. Whether you want to settle a pub argument about whether a batter can be given out obstructing the field for accidentally deflecting a return throw, or understand exactly when a match referee can intervene, you will find the answer here.
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