Rules
The laws that shape every decision on the field. 1,207 guides, page 5 of 26.
Cricket Dismissals Explained: All 10 Ways a Batsman Can Be Out
Learn all 10 ways a batsman can be dismissed in cricket — bowled, caught, LBW, run out, stumped, hit wicket, and the rarer dismissals — with examples of each.
Read explainerCricket Fielding Restrictions: Full Guide to Circle, Powerplay and Leg-Side Rules
A complete guide to cricket fielding restrictions — the 30-yard circle, powerplay limits, leg-side rules, fielding penalties, and how captains use these restrictions tactically.
Read explainerCricket Free Hit Rules: What Is a Free Hit and When Does It Apply?
Learn the free hit rule in cricket — when a free hit is awarded, what can dismiss a batsman on a free hit, fielding restrictions, and the history of the free hit rule.
Read explainerCricket Over-Rate: What It Is, How It's Calculated and Penalties Explained
Learn about cricket over-rate — how many overs must be bowled per hour, what happens when teams bowl too slowly, penalties, and how over-rate affects Test cricket.
Read explainerCricket Wides: When a Ball Is Called Wide and the Rules Explained
Learn exactly when a cricket umpire calls a wide — the rules for wide deliveries, the line test, wides in T20 vs Test cricket, and common misconceptions.
Read explainerCricket Run Out Rules: How Run Outs Happen, Edge Cases and Famous Examples
Understand the cricket run out rule — how a batsman is run out, short runs, overthrows, the back-up throw, Mankad dismissals and the most debated run-out incidents in history.
Read explainerDRS Complete Guide: How the Review System Works in Cricket
Everything you need to know about the Decision Review System (DRS) — technology used, how teams use reviews, and common DRS outcomes explained.
Read explainerPowerplay & Field Restrictions in Cricket: Complete Rules Guide
Understand powerplay overs, mandatory fielding restrictions, and how they differ across Test, ODI, and T20 formats. Includes a breakdown of all three ODI powerplay phases.
Read explainerRain & Weather Interruptions in Cricket: DLS Method Explained
How rain affects cricket matches and how the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method calculates revised targets. Includes worked examples and edge cases.
Read explainerTest Match Draws: How, When, and Why a Draw Is Declared in Cricket
Understand what produces a draw in Test cricket, the conditions required, the difference between a draw and a tie, and how teams chase or defend draws tactically.
Read explainerLegal Bowling Actions in Cricket: Chucking Rules and ICC Testing
Understand what makes a bowling action legal in cricket, the elbow extension rule, how chucking is reported, and how the ICC biomechanical testing process works.
Read explainerCricket Match Officials: Umpires, Referees, and Their Roles Explained
Who officiates a cricket match? Understand the roles of on-field umpires, the third umpire, match referee, reserve umpire, and boundary officials in international cricket.
Read explainerCricket Ground & Boundary Rules Explained
How big is a cricket ground? What makes a four or six? Learn the official ICC boundary rules, minimum and maximum ground dimensions, the role of the boundary rope, and how ground size affects T20 scoring.
Read explainerHawkEye Ball-Tracking Technology in Cricket
HawkEye predicts where a cricket ball would travel after pitching. Learn how the six-camera system works, why it powers DRS LBW decisions, and why a 5cm 'umpire's call' zone exists to account for model uncertainty.
Read explainerSnickometer & UltraEdge in Cricket
The Snickometer and its modern replacement UltraEdge detect the faint acoustic spike produced when a cricket ball grazes the bat edge. Learn how sound waveform analysis is used in DRS caught-behind decisions.
Read explainerHotSpot Infrared Technology in Cricket
HotSpot uses infrared cameras to detect the friction heat left on a bat, pad, or glove when the ball makes contact. Learn how the technology works, why it was phased out of regular DRS use, and its current status in international cricket.
Read explainerICC Code of Conduct Explained
The ICC Code of Conduct sets the standards of behaviour for international cricketers. Learn the four levels of offence, common violations like dissent and abuse of equipment, the demerit-point system, and how match referees apply sanctions.
Read explainerDrinks Breaks in Cricket
Drinks breaks are scheduled mid-session interruptions that allow players to rehydrate on the field. Learn the ICC rules on when drinks can be taken, why Test cricket allows two breaks per session, and how captains can tactically time a drinks call.
Read explainerSightscreen Rules in Cricket
The sightscreen gives batsmen a clean background against which to pick up the ball. Learn the ICC rules on sightscreen position, what happens when it is not available, and what batsmen can demand under the Laws of Cricket.
Read explainerUltraEdge Explained
UltraEdge is the industry-standard acoustic system for detecting bat edges in DRS reviews. Learn how it differs from the original Snickometer, what the waveform display shows, and how the third umpire uses it to make caught-behind calls.
Read explainerHow Cricket Pitches Are Covered in Rain
When rain interrupts a cricket match, groundstaff rush out large plastic covers to protect the pitch. Learn the Laws and ICC Playing Conditions that govern pitch covering, what happens to uncovered areas, and how wet conditions affect play.
Read explainerTaking Guard in Cricket
When a new batsman comes to the crease, they take guard by asking the umpire to align their bat with a specific stump. Learn what middle, leg, and two-guard mean, why guard matters, and how different batsmen use it.
Read explainerLBW in Cricket: The Leg Before Wicket Rule Fully Explained
LBW (Leg Before Wicket) is one of cricket's most complex dismissal methods. Understanding when a batsman can be given out LBW — and why DRS has changed how it works — is essential cricket knowledge.
Read explainerPowerplay Rules in Cricket: ODI and T20 Field Restrictions Explained
The powerplay restricts fielders outside the 30-yard circle for specified overs. Understanding the powerplay rules in ODIs and T20s — and the batting and bowling tactics they create — is essential for modern cricket.
Read explainerCricket Umpires: Roles, Signals and How Decisions Are Made
Cricket umpires are the sole on-field decision makers in a Test match. Understanding what they control — from LBW to wides, run-outs to DRS referrals — explains how the game's authority works.
Read explainerThe Super Over in Cricket: Tie-Breaker Rules Fully Explained
The Super Over is cricket's ultimate tie-breaker — one over per side to resolve a tied limited-overs match. The 2019 World Cup Final's double-tied Super Over decided on boundaries is the most dramatic example.
Read explainerEvery Cricket Fielding Position Explained
Cricket's fielding positions — slip, gully, cover, mid-on, square leg — can confuse new fans. This complete guide explains every position, where it's placed, and what it's designed to stop.
Read explainerDukes vs Kookaburra: How the Cricket Ball Differs Around the World
England and the West Indies use the Dukes ball; Australia, New Zealand and South Africa use Kookaburra; India uses SG. Each behaves differently, explaining why bowling conditions vary so much from country to country.
Read explainerRed Ball vs White Ball Cricket Explained
The difference between red ball (Test and first-class) cricket and white ball (ODI and T20) cricket — how the ball behaves differently and why it matters explained.
Read explainerKookaburra vs Dukes Cricket Ball Explained
Kookaburra vs Dukes — the two main cricket ball manufacturers, where each is used, how they differ in behaviour, and why it matters for seam and swing bowling explained.
Read explainerObstructing the Field in Cricket Explained
Obstructing the field is one of cricket's rarest dismissals — when a batter deliberately stops a fielder from catching or running out the ball.
Read explainerSpirit of the Game in Cricket Explained
The Spirit of Cricket is the ethical code that guides how the game should be played — beyond the laws, it asks players to respect opponents, umpires, and the game itself.
Read explainerUltra Edge and Snickometer in Cricket Explained
Ultra Edge and the Snickometer are audio-visual DRS technologies used to detect faint edges from the bat — crucial for caught-behind and LBW decisions.
Read explainerThe Laws of Cricket
The Laws of Cricket have governed the game since 1744. The MCC has been custodian of the Laws since 1787, updating them as the game evolved through Test, ODI, and T20 cricket.
Read explainerSuper Over and Boundary Count
The 2019 World Cup final tie-breaking rules — super over and boundary count — are explained in detail, covering why the outcome was so controversial and what ICC changed afterwards.
Read explainerCricket Match Fixing
Learn about cricket's match-fixing scandals from the 1990s and 2000s, how they affected the sport's integrity, and the anti-corruption measures now in place to protect the game.
Read explainerBeamer in Cricket
Learn about the beamer in cricket — what it is, why it is illegal, how umpires respond, and the Laws governing this dangerous high full-toss delivery.
Read explainerDeclaring in Cricket
Learn about declarations in Test cricket — when captains choose to close their innings, the tactical calculations involved, and famous declarations that shaped match outcomes.
Read explainerCricket Pressure Tactics
Learn about the concept of pressure in cricket — how bowling attacks and field placements work together to create pressure, build dot-ball sequences, and take wickets.
Read explainerCricket Substitute Fielder
A guide to the substitute fielder rule in cricket: when a sub can field, what they can and cannot do, and how the rule differs from substitutes in other sports.
Read explainerDeclaration in Cricket
A declaration is when the batting captain closes their innings voluntarily before all wickets fall — a tactical move to give their bowlers enough time to dismiss the opposition in the overs remaining.
Read explainerStumping in Cricket Explained
A stumping is a dismissal where the wicketkeeper breaks the stumps with the ball while the batter is out of their crease — usually when the batter has played forward to a spinner and missed.
Read explainerTwelfth Man in Cricket Explained
The twelfth man is a substitute fielder who can replace an injured player on the field — but cannot bat, bowl, or keep wicket, making the role primarily about running substitutions and carrying drinks.
Read explainerBeamer in Cricket Explained
A beamer is a full-toss delivery that reaches the batter at or above waist height without bouncing — considered dangerous and illegal, resulting in a no-ball and a warning to the bowler.
Read explainerMankad Dismissal in Cricket Explained
The Mankad (now called Run Out at the Non-Striker's End) is a dismissal where the bowler runs out the non-striking batter before delivery — one of cricket's most controversial dismissals.
Read explainerHit Wicket in Cricket Explained
Hit wicket is a rare dismissal where a batter knocks their own stumps down with their bat or body while playing a shot or setting off for a run — one of cricket's most unusual ways to lose a wicket.
Read explainerWides in Cricket
A wide is a delivery bowled too far from the batter to play a normal stroke — it adds one run to the batting total and must be re-bowled, making wide control critical in limited-overs cricket.
Read explainerCaught Behind in Cricket Explained
Caught behind is a dismissal where the batter edges the ball to the wicketkeeper, who catches it cleanly — one of the most common dismissals in Test cricket against pace bowling.
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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