Detailed Rules

The rules you'll find here are for the traditional form of cricket, namely Test Cricket. For other types of matches such as 50 Over matches and Twenty20 cricket, the rules differ slightly.

For starters

Cricket is played between two teams made up of eleven players each. There is also a reserve player called a "twelfth man" who is used if a player is injured. The twelfth man is not allowed to bowl, bat, wicket keep or captain the team. Their sole duty is to act as a substiture fielder. The original player is free to return to the game as soon as they have recovered from their injury.

There are two umpires on the field during games. Umpires are responsible for making decisions and notifying the scorers of these decisions. There is also a third umpire off the field who is in charge of video decisions. This is where the call is too close for the on-field umpires and they refer it to the third umpire who reviews slow motion video replays to make a decision.

Game structure

Test cricket is a game that spans over two innings. This means that one team needs to bowl the other team out twice and score more runs then them to win the match. Another key difference between test cricket and other forms of cricket is the length of the innings. In test cricket there is no limit to the innings length. whereas in One Day cricket & Twenty20 cricket there are a certain amount of overs per innings. The only limit in test cricket is a 5-day length (which can sometimes test the staying power of the observer as well!).

Before the game begins an official will toss a coin. The captain who wins the toss can then choose if they want to bat or field first. The aim of the batting team is to score runs while the aim of the fielding team is to bowl ten people out and close the batting team's innings. Although there are eleven people in each team only ten people need to be bowled out as you cannot have one person batting alone (cute!).

Once the first team has been bowled out, the second team then goes into bat. When the second team is then bowled out it would normally return to the first team batting again. However there is an exception to this in cricket rules, called the "follow-on". The follow-on is when the first team makes at least 200 runs more than the second team (in a 5 day test match). This then gives the first team the option to make the second team bat again. This is particularly useful if the game is progressing slowly or affected by bad weather and there mightn't be enough time for both teams to play a full innings. If this is the case the batting team's captain also has the right to forfeit their innings at any time. This is called a declaration. Some may wonder why a captain would forfeit the opportunity for their team to bat. However if the game is nearing the end and it looks like they will not be able to bowl the other team out again, this could be an option. If one team is not bowled out twice and a winner determined in five days, the game is declared a draw. Therefore it may be worth declaring an innings to creat the possibility of a win rather than a draw.

How runs are scored

The aim of the batsmen is to score runs by running to each other's end of the pitch (from one end to the other). In doing this, one run is scored. (OK so far, right?) Cricket rules allow batsmen to run multiple runs per shot. As well as actually running, batsmen can also score runs by hitting boundaries to score either four or six runs. A four is scored by hitting the ball past the boundary after hitting the groud while a six is scored by hitting the ball past the boundary on the full (before it hits the ground). Once a four or six has been scored any runs physically run by the batsman are not counted.

Other ways runs can be scored include no balls, wide balls, byes and leg byes. The rules state that all runs scored by these methods are awarded to the batting team, not the individual batters. Take a deep breath:

A "No Ball" can be declared for many reasons: If the bowler bowls the ball from the wrong place, the ball is declared dangerous (often happens when bowled at the batsman's body on the full), bounces more than twice or rolls before reaching the batsman, or if fielders are standing in illegal positions. The batsman can hit a no ball and score runs off it but cannot be out from a no ball except if they are run out, hit the ball twice, handle the ball or obstruct the field. The batsman gains any runs scored off the no ball for their shot while the team also gains one run for the no ball itself.
A "Wide Ball" will be declared if the umpire thinks the batsman did not have a reasonable opportunity to score off the delivery. However if the ball is bowled over the batsmen's head it will be a no ball rather than a wide ball. Umpires are much stricter on wide deliveries in the shorter games while being more relaxed in test cricket. A wide delivery will add one run to the batting team and any actual runs can be scored by the batsman. The batsman is not able to get out off a wide delivery except if they are stumped, run out, handle the ball, hit their wicket or obstruct the field.
A "Bye" is where a ball that isn't a no ball or wide passes the striking batsman and runs are scored without the batsman hitting the ball.
A "Leg Bye" is where a run is scored when the batsman hasn't hit the ball with the bat but the ball has hit the batsman's body and the ball is not a no ball or wide. However no runs are scored if the striking batsman didn't attempt to play a shot or if he was avoiding the ball.

How batsmen get out

There are a number of ways a batsman can get out. When a bowler gets a batsman out it is said that the bowler gets a "wicket". Other ways a batsman can get out include:

Bowled - If the ball is bowled and hits the striking batsman's wickets the batsman is out (as long as at least one bail is removed by the ball). It does not matter whether the ball has touched the batsman's bat, gloves, body or any other part of the batsman. However the ball is not allowed to have touched another player or umpire before hitting the wickets.
Caught - If a batsman hits the ball or touches the ball with their bat or hand/glove holding the bat then the batsman can be caught out. This is done by the fielders, wicket keeper or bowler catching the ball on the full (before it bounces).
Leg Before Wicket (LBW) - If the ball is bowled and it hits the batsman first without the bat hitting it then an LBW decision is possible. As long as the ball would have hit the wickets if the batsman was not there and the ball was not pitched on the leg side of the wicket, the batsman will be out. However if the ball hits the batsman outside the line of off-stump while they were attempting to play a stroke then they are not out.
Stumped - A batsman can get out when the wicketkeeper puts down his wicket while he is out of his crease and not attempting a run (if he is attempting a run it would be a run out).
Run Out - A batsman is out if no part of his bat or body is grounded behind the crease while the ball is in play and the wicket is fairly put down by the fielding side.
Hit Wicket - If a batsman hits his wicket down with his bat or body after the bowler has entered his delivery and the ball is in play then he is out. The striking batsman is also out if he hits his wicket down while setting off for his first run.
Handled The Ball (No giggling please) - A batsman may be out if he willingly handles the ball with the hand that is not touching the bat without the consent of the opposition.
Timed Out - An incoming batsman must be ready to face a ball or be at the non-strikers end with their partner within three minutes of the outgoing batsman being dismissed. If this is not done the incoming batsman can be given out.
Hit The Ball Twice - If a batsman hits a ball twice other than for the purpose of protecting the wicket or with consent from the opposition they are out.
Obstructing The Field - A batsman is out if they willingly obstruct the opposition by word or action.

If you're slighlty obsessive, there are many more cricket rules for you to get your head around. However these basics should have you well on your way to enjoying the game more, not to mention impressing your cricket-savvy mates!

Comments (1)

Tania J on 15/10/2009 11:17:41

i am ascorer and would like to know if there are any courses for scorers to attend.
I find that each scorer does a different thing.
eg: how do you record a wicket?
how do you record a wide? if a wide is called and the batsman hit it and take a run does the run go to the batsman? so 1 wide and 1 run (this to batsman)
How do you mark a no ball?
I am cricket crazy and would even doa coaching course if there is one
thanks

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