Rules
The laws that shape every decision on the field. 1,207 guides, page 19 of 26.
Played On: The Rarest Form of Bowled Out in Cricket
What 'played on' means in cricket — when the batsman inadvertently deflects the ball onto their own stumps, how it differs from a standard bowled dismissal, why it is recorded as 'bowled' in scorecards despite the bowler not directly hitting the wicket, common scenarios that produce played-on dismissals, and why inside edges are the primary cause.
Read explainerPace and Bounce in Cricket Pitches: Why Some Pitches Suit Fast Bowlers
How cricket pitches produce pace and bounce for fast bowlers — the soil composition, moisture content, and surface preparation factors that create a fast, bouncy pitch versus a slow, low pitch, why certain grounds (Perth WACA, Headingley) are known as fast-bowler pitches, what batsmen must do differently on a bouncy pitch versus a flat one, and how a pitch changes character over five days of a Test match.
Read explainerObstructing the Field: Cricket's Rarely-Invoked Dismissal
The 'obstructing the field' mode of dismissal in cricket — what actions constitute obstruction (deliberate interference with the fielding team's attempt to field the ball or take a wicket), how it differs from 'hit the ball twice,' notable instances of the dismissal in international cricket, why it is so rarely invoked, and how the law was simplified in 2017 to consolidate related offences.
Read explainerHit Wicket: When a Batsman Accidentally Dismisses Themselves
The hit wicket mode of dismissal — when a batsman breaks their own wicket with the bat or body while playing a delivery, why it is one of the rarest dismissals in cricket, the specific scenarios where it occurs (over-swing, back-foot collapse, helmet falling onto stumps), how umpires adjudicate the dismissal, and the famous hit wicket dismissals in cricket history.
Read explainerWide Balls in Cricket: The Rules, Signals, and Edge Cases Explained
How the wide ball rule works in cricket — the definition of a wide delivery, why the standard for wides differs between Test cricket and limited-overs formats, what happens when a wide is called (extra run, rebowled delivery), how umpires judge wides in practice, the edge cases that make wide-calling complex (batsmen moving, balls that curve back), and why wide strategy is a specific bowling tactic in T20 cricket.
Read explainerThe Full Toss in Cricket: When Is It Legal and When Is It a No-Ball?
The rules governing full tosses in cricket — what distinguishes a legal full toss from an illegal one, why high full tosses are considered dangerous and are ruled no-balls, the height threshold for a legal vs illegal full toss, the difference between a deliberate full toss and an attempted yorker that went wrong, and the umpire's protocol for calling high full tosses.
Read explainerDRS and Third Umpire: How Technology Changed Cricket's Decision Making
How the Decision Review System works in cricket — the technology used (ball-tracking for LBW, UltraEdge/Snickometer for edges, HotSpot for impact, Hawk-Eye for trajectory), how teams use their review allowances, why DRS was introduced to reduce wrong decisions, the ongoing debates about DRS accuracy, and how the third umpire's role has evolved in the technology era.
Read explainerThe Mankad Dismissal: Running Out the Non-Striker Backing Up
What the Mankad dismissal is — when a bowler runs out a non-striker who has backed up too far before the ball is delivered, the history of the controversy (Vinoo Mankad running out Bill Brown in 1947), the 2022 law change that reclassified it as a run-out (removing the 'spirit of cricket' stigma), current practice at international level, and why the dismissal is increasingly accepted and used in professional cricket.
Read explainerPenalty Runs in Cricket: When Teams Are Awarded 5 Runs for Rule Breaches
How penalty runs work in cricket — the specific circumstances that result in 5 penalty runs being awarded (ball touching helmet or equipment on the field, deliberate time-wasting, deliberate ball damage, dangerous fielding), who receives the penalty runs, how the umpire signals penalty runs, and why the 5-run penalty is used as a deterrent for specific player misconduct.
Read explainerThe Boundary Rope: Rules, Catches, and What Counts as Over the Line
The complete rules governing the cricket boundary — when 4 runs vs 6 runs are awarded, what happens when a fielder touches the boundary, the 'grounding outside the boundary' rule, when fielders can throw the ball from outside the boundary back into play, and the difference between a boundary from a hit vs a boundary from overthrows.
Read explainerHandled the Ball: The Rare Dismissal Mode That Was Merged Into Obstructing the Field
The history of the 'handled the ball' dismissal in cricket — what it was, why a batsman touching the ball with their hand was a dismissal, famous instances of the dismissal in international cricket, why the 2017 Laws revision merged it into 'obstructing the field', and what the combined law now covers.
Read explainerDead Ball in Cricket: When Play Is Suspended and Runs Cannot Be Scored
What the dead ball rule means in cricket — the circumstances under which the ball is called dead (and all scoring, dismissals, and running stops), the difference between automatically dead and called dead by the umpire, how the dead ball interacts with penalty runs and appeals, common misconceptions about the dead ball, and why the dead ball rule is essential for the game's fairness.
Read explainerThe Beamer: Why Waist-High Full Tosses Are Dangerous and Illegal
The complete rules around beamers in cricket — what makes a full toss a beamer (height above the waist), the consequences for the bowler (warning, removal from bowling), the distinction between accidental beamers and deliberate ones, what happens when a tail-ender receives a beamer, and the rare cases of deliberate beamers in professional cricket history.
Read explainerLBW and the Pads: How Batsmen Legally Use Their Legs to Defend
How batsmen use their pads as a second line of defence without risking LBW — the three criteria that must all be met for an LBW decision (pitching in line, hitting in line, hitting the stumps), how batsmen use knowledge of these criteria to pad balls away legally, the controversy around negative pad play in Tests, and why DRS technology has changed pad-play tactics.
Read explainerObstructing the Field and Crease Laws: What Batters Must Know
The laws covering obstruction at the crease and batters' legal space are among cricket's most nuanced, occasionally producing dramatic dismissals in international cricket.
Read explainerSubstitutes and Concussion Replacements in Modern Cricket
The rules governing substitute fielders and concussion replacements have evolved significantly, with the concussion substitute law being one of cricket's most important recent rule changes.
Read explainerHandled Ball and Obstruction: Cricket's Rarest Dismissals
Handled ball (now merged into obstruction) and obstructing the field are among cricket's rarest dismissals, but their application reveals important principles about fair play and the spirit of the game.
Read explainerSubstitute Fielders in Cricket: When Replacements Are Allowed and Their Limits
The complete rules about substitute fielders in cricket — when a team can use a substitute (injury or illness of a regular player), what a substitute fielder can and cannot do (field but not bat, bowl, or keep wicket), the controversy around teams using 'tactical' substitutions to bring on elite fielders, and how the ICC has tightened substitute rules in recent years.
Read explainerNo-Balls and Free Hits: How Bowling Mistakes Become Batting Opportunities
The complete rules around no-balls in cricket — the different types (front-foot, height, field restrictions), how no-balls are called, which types trigger a free hit in limited-overs cricket, what the batsman can do on a free hit, whether a batsman can be dismissed on a no-ball, and how the free hit rule has changed batting tactics in T20 cricket.
Read explainerTimed Out: Cricket's Rarest Dismissal Mode Explained
The 'timed out' dismissal — where a new batsman takes too long to arrive at the crease — is the rarest mode of dismissal in cricket, but its recent high-profile application has brought it into sharp focus.
Read explainerDRS Explained: How the Decision Review System Works in Cricket
The complete explanation of the Decision Review System (DRS) — what technologies it uses (ball-tracking, edge detection, hot spot), how reviews are initiated and adjudicated, the 'umpire's call' concept that protects borderline decisions, how many reviews each team has per innings, what happens when a review is used correctly vs incorrectly, and the ongoing controversy around whether DRS has made cricket fairer or added new complications.
Read explainerThe Return Crease: What It Is and Why Bowlers Must Stay Behind It
The return crease in cricket — the lines running perpendicular to the bowling crease at each end — why bowlers must land their back foot behind the return crease to avoid a no-ball, how the return crease prevents bowling from an angle that would be unfair to batsmen, why the return crease is particularly relevant for round-the-wicket bowling, and what happens if a bowler repeatedly transgresses the return crease.
Read explainerNo-Ball Rules and Consequences: More Than Just a Free Hit
The full consequences of a no-ball in cricket — the penalty run, the extra delivery required, the free hit in limited-overs cricket (and what the free hit allows and doesn't allow), when a no-ball is called from front-foot vs height vs throwing action, why no-balls are more costly in T20 than Tests, and what happens if a wicket falls off a no-ball.
Read explainerThe Five-Run Penalty: When Cricket Punishes Deliberate Misconduct
The five-run penalty in cricket — when the laws allow umpires to award five runs to either the batting or fielding side as a penalty for deliberate misconduct — the specific circumstances that trigger a five-run penalty (deliberate fielding with equipment, ball hitting a fielder's helmet on the ground, deliberate distraction, deliberate time-wasting), how this differs from the standard penalty-run mechanism, and notable instances of five-run penalties in international cricket.
Read explainerIllegal Bowling Actions: What Throwing Is and How It's Tested
What constitutes an illegal bowling action in cricket — the 15-degree elbow straightening rule, why throwing gives the bowler an unfair advantage, how the ICC's biomechanical testing procedure works, the history of bowling action controversies (Muttiah Muralitharan, Shoaib Akhtar, recent T20 bowlers), what happens to a bowler who is reported, and why the line between a legal action and throwing is sometimes genuinely difficult to determine.
Read explainerOver Rate Rules: Why Teams Are Penalised for Bowling Too Slowly
What the required over rate is in each format of cricket, why slow over rates are penalised (the effect on match time, finances, and spectator experience), what happens when teams fail to bowl their overs on time (player suspensions, ICC fines, docked points), the captains' specific responsibility for maintaining over rate, and why over-rate management is a genuine tactical consideration during match play.
Read explainerThe Throwing Action Controversy: History and ICC Testing Procedure
The history of bowling action controversies in cricket — from the 19th-century debates over round-arm and overarm bowling to modern biomechanical testing; the specific historical cases (Tony Lock, Geoff Griffin, Shoaib Akhtar, Muttiah Muralitharan) that shaped the modern rules; how the ICC's action testing protocol was developed; and why the line between throwing and bowling has been genuinely contentious throughout cricket's history.
Read explainerHelmet on the Ground: The 5-Run Penalty Rule Explained
Why cricket penalises fielding teams 5 runs when the ball hits an unattended helmet — the law that prohibits fielding teams from using equipment left on the ground as part of the field, why captains have been surprised by this rule in high-pressure moments, notable match instances where the penalty changed the course of a game, the specific conditions that trigger the penalty (only the fielding team's helmet), and why the law exists to prevent accidental tactical exploitation.
Read explainerReviewing LBW Decisions: When Batsmen Use the DRS
The strategy behind a batsman's decision to review an LBW dismissal using the Decision Review System — the three questions technology answers (where did the ball pitch, did it hit in line, would it have hit the stumps), why some LBWs are reviewable but others are not, the statistical success rates of DRS reviews for batsmen, how teams preserve review credits across an innings, and why some dismissals appear clearly out but are overturned on review (and vice versa).
Read explainerOverthrows in Cricket: When Fielding Errors Add Extra Runs
What overthrows are and how they are scored — the runs added when a fielder's return throw misses the target and the ball reaches or crosses the boundary. The specific rules governing how many runs are counted (runs completed plus boundary), the controversial 2019 World Cup final overthrow ruling, why overthrows frustrate batting teams even though they score extra runs, and how fielding teams minimise the risk of overthrow boundaries through backing-up positioning.
Read explainerStumping vs Run-Out: Two Ways the Keeper Breaks the Wicket
The difference between a stumping and a run-out dismissal in cricket — both involve the wicket-keeper breaking the wicket, but they are fundamentally different dismissal types with different rules and recorded differently in scorecards. How the laws define each, why the distinction matters for bowling figures, the role of DRS in reviewing both, and the different situations that produce each dismissal.
Read explainerFree Hit Rules: What Happens After a No Ball in Limited-Overs Cricket
The free-hit rule in limited-overs cricket — what it is, when it applies, what a batsman can and cannot do on a free hit, how the fielding team's field restrictions work during a free hit, whether a batsman can be dismissed on a free hit, and how the no-ball that triggers a free hit affects the over's ball count.
Read explainerThe Inner Circle: Fielding Restrictions and Why 30 Yards Matters
The 30-yard fielding circle is one of limited-overs cricket's most important structural features — it defines where fielders must be placed during powerplay overs and limits how many can be outside it during normal play. This article explains what the inner circle is, how fielding restrictions work in ODIs and T20Is, and how captains use the circle strategically.
Read explainerSubstitute Fielders in Cricket: When and How They Work
Cricket allows substitute fielders to replace players who leave the field during play — but substitutes cannot bat or bowl. This article explains when substitutes are permitted, what they can and cannot do, the difference between a substitute fielder and a concussion substitute, and the controversies around how substitute fielders have been used.
Read explainerUsing the DRS Review: When Batsmen and Captains Challenge Decisions
The Decision Review System (DRS) allows teams to challenge on-field umpiring decisions using ball-tracking and edge-detection technology. This article explains how DRS reviews work, when batsmen and captains choose to review, and the analytical and psychological considerations behind the review decision.
Read explainerThe Bouncer: Laws, Limits, and Tactical Use
The bouncer — a short-pitched delivery aimed at the batsman's head or chest — is one of cricket's most intimidating weapons. This article covers the Laws that restrict bouncer use, what constitutes a legitimate vs illegal bouncer, how different formats treat the short ball, and the tactical situations where captains deploy the bouncer.
Read explainerRetired Out vs Retired Hurt: Two Very Different Withdrawals
The distinction between a batsman who retires hurt (genuinely injured, allowed to resume) and one who retires out (a deliberate tactical withdrawal that counts as a dismissal). Why the rules treat these cases differently, the scoring implications of each, when 'retired out' is strategically used in domestic and international cricket, the rare circumstances under which it has been deployed historically, and the legal nuances that determine whether a retiring batsman counts as a wicket in the scorebook.
Read explainerBowler-Umpire Interaction: Appeals, Warnings, and Conduct
The relationship between bowlers and umpires in cricket is governed by specific Laws and codes of conduct. This article covers how bowlers appeal correctly, what constitutes an illegal appeal, how bowlers receive warnings, and what conduct standards are expected from bowling sides during play.
Read explainerWides in Cricket: When a Delivery Is Called Wide
A wide is called when the umpire judges the delivery was too far from the batsman to be hit in a normal batting position. This article explains the wide line, how the standard differs across formats, and common misconceptions about the wide rule.
Read explainerThe Concussion Substitute Rule in Cricket
Since 2019, cricket has allowed a substitute player to replace a concussed player — and the substitute can bat, bowl, and field unlike regular substitutes. This article explains the concussion sub rule, how it works, and when it has been controversially applied.
Read explainerHow Long Can a Bowler Bowl? Overs, Spells, and Workload Management
In limited-overs cricket, bowlers face strict over limits per match. In Tests, spells are managed by the captain. This article explains the over rules, the concept of a bowling spell, and how workload management affects bowling team strategy.
Read explainerThe Switch Hit: Cricket's Most Controversial Shot
The switch hit — where a batsman reverses their batting stance mid-delivery — tests the Laws of Cricket's limits. This article explains the switch hit, the controversy around its legality, and how the Laws have been interpreted to allow it.
Read explainerWhat Happens When a Ball Is Bowled Over the Boundary?
Cricket's rules about balls reaching or crossing the boundary cover many scenarios — including deliveries that reach the boundary without the batsman hitting them. This article explains what happens when different types of deliveries cross the boundary and how the runs are counted.
Read explainerLeg Theory in Cricket
What leg theory bowling is, how it shaped cricket history, and why the Bodyline series changed the laws forever.
Read explainerThe Gully Trap
Where gully stands, what catches it takes, and how captains use the gully trap to dismiss batters playing through the off side.
Read explainerMid-Wicket in Cricket
What mid-wicket does, where it stands, and why it is one of cricket's most important fielding positions in limited-overs cricket.
Read explainerThe Slip Cordon
How the slip cordon works, what first, second, and third slip do differently, and how captains manage the cordon.
Read explainerFielding Captaincy
How cricket captains set fields, read the game situation, and use fielding positions as an attacking and defensive tool.
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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