Quick singles by Megan Hustwaite

Australian Cricket Captain Ricky Ponting

Hello ladies, today we keep the scoreboard ticking over by adding some more valuable rules to our total…

A `no ball’ can be declared for several reasons.

-If the bowler bowls the ball from the wrong place, the ball is declared dangerous (often happens when bowled at the batsmen'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 ran out, hit the ball twice, handle the ball or obstruct the field. The batsman gains any runs scored off the no ball for his 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 delivery is bowled over the batsmen's head it will not be declared a wide but a no ball. Umpires are much stricter on wide deliveries in the shorter format of the game while being much more relaxed in test cricket. A wide delivery will add one run to the batting team and any runs 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 runs are scored by hitting the batsman, but not the bat and the ball is not a no ball or wide. However no runs can be scored if the striking batsman didn't attempt to play a shot or if he was avoiding the ball.

Did you know?

Australia played 61 matches (13 Tests, 39 One Day Internationals and nine Twenty20s) over 107 days in 2009, the most by any team.

But no Aussie played all their team's matches last year. Mike Hussey played the most - 51. He was part of all the Tests but played only 33 ODIs and five T20s. Captain Ricky Ponting also played all the Tests but padded up in only 29 ODIs and six T20s.