If you want cricket rules explained without learning every technical clause at once, start with the decisions that change a delivery: was the ball legal, did any runs count, and can the batter be out? The Laws of Cricket, maintained by MCC, provide the foundation, while international and domestic competitions can add their own playing conditions. For a new fan, understanding legal deliveries, scoring, dismissals and umpire signals covers most of what happens on screen.
First ask whether the delivery is legal
A normal delivery counts as one ball of the over. If the bowler delivers a no ball or a wide, the batting side receives an extra run and the delivery does not count as one of the valid balls in the over.
The cricket no ball rule
The most familiar no ball is a front-foot fault. During the delivery stride, some part of the bowler’s front foot, whether grounded or raised, must land behind the popping crease, while the back foot must land within and not touching the return crease. No balls can also arise from other illegal deliveries or actions covered by the laws.
A no ball immediately gives the batting side one penalty run, and the ball remains live. Batters may still score from the bat or run between the wickets. A batter cannot be dismissed bowled, caught, LBW, stumped or hit wicket from a no ball. Run out, obstructing the field and the rare hit-the-ball-twice dismissal can still apply.
When is a ball called wide?
A wide is called when the ball passes so far from the striker that, in the umpire’s judgment, it was not within reach for a normal cricket stroke from the position the batter is standing or has stood. It adds one run, remains live and can produce additional runs. If no ball and wide both appear possible, no ball takes precedence.
How runs are scored
Batters can run from one end to the other while the ball is live, a struck ball can reach the boundary, or extras can be awarded. A boundary four is normally scored when the ball reaches or crosses the boundary after touching the ground inside the field. A six is scored when a ball struck by the bat first lands beyond the boundary without touching the ground inside it.
Extras explain many scorecard numbers. Byes are runs taken when a delivery passes the striker without touching bat or body. Leg byes can be scored after the ball hits the striker’s body, provided the striker attempted a shot or tried to avoid being hit. No balls and wides are extras too.
The main ways to get out in cricket
Bowled, caught and LBW
Bowled is straightforward: a legal delivery breaks the striker’s wicket. Caught applies when a legal delivery touches the bat and a fielder completes a fair catch before the ball touches the ground. The catch is not complete until the fielder controls both the ball and their own movement.
LBW, or leg before wicket, has more conditions. In simplified terms, a legal ball must be intercepted by the batter’s person in circumstances where it would otherwise have hit the wicket. A ball pitching outside leg stump cannot produce LBW. If the batter genuinely attempts a shot and the impact is outside the line of off stump, LBW also does not apply. This is why broadcast replays focus on pitching, impact and the projected path toward the stumps.
Run out and stumped
A batter can be run out when, while the ball is live, they are out of their ground and a fielder fairly breaks the wicket. This can happen in some circumstances even when no run is being attempted, including when the non-striker leaves the ground too early before the bowler releases the ball.
Stumped is more specific. The striker must be out of their ground, not attempting a run, and the wicket must be put down by the wicket-keeper from a delivery that is not a no ball. A striker can be stumped from a wide.
The rarer dismissals
Other ways to get out include hit wicket, hit the ball twice, obstructing the field and timed out. These are uncommon, but they explain some of cricket’s strangest scorecards. Competition playing conditions can also affect practical details around timing and reviews.
Dead ball: when the action ends
The ball becomes dead in situations such as a completed dismissal, a boundary, or when it finally settles with the wicket-keeper or bowler and play has clearly finished. An umpire can also call dead ball in defined circumstances. Once the ball is dead, ordinary running and dismissal opportunities from that passage of play are over.
Consider a practical example. A bowler oversteps, the striker misses, and the wicket-keeper removes the bails while the striker is outside the crease. Because no ball was called, the striker cannot be stumped. A run-out question may still arise depending on the exact play, but the ordinary stumping dismissal is unavailable. Watching the no-ball signal first makes the rest of the decision much easier to understand.
Appeals are part of the law
In most dismissal situations, the fielding side must appeal before the umpire can give a batter out. The familiar shout of “How’s that?” is therefore part of the process, not merely celebration. After an appeal, the umpire decides under the laws and any review system used by that competition.
Umpire signals worth learning
One arm extended horizontally means no ball. Both arms extended horizontally mean wide. A raised index finger means out. Both arms raised above the head signal six, while an arm waved from side to side across the chest signals four. An open hand raised above the head means bye, touching a raised knee signals leg bye, and crossed and re-crossed wrists below the waist indicate dead ball.
FAQ
Can a batter be out from a no ball?
Yes, but only in limited ways. Run out, obstructing the field and hit the ball twice can still apply. Bowled, caught, LBW, stumped and hit wicket do not.
Can you be stumped off a wide?
Yes. If the striker is out of their ground, is not attempting a run and the wicket-keeper fairly puts down the wicket, a stumping can occur from a wide.
What is the difference between run out and stumped?
Stumping is a wicket-keeper dismissal of the striker when no run is being attempted and the delivery is not a no ball. Run out is broader and can involve either batter and other fielders.
Do the same laws apply in every competition?
The MCC Laws provide cricket’s foundation, but competitions may use additional playing conditions. That is why details such as review systems, over rates or limited-overs restrictions can differ.
The rules become easier when you follow the ball
You do not need to memorise every law to understand a match. First check whether the delivery was legal, then ask whether the ball remained live, whether runs were completed and whether a dismissal met its conditions. With that sequence in mind, the laws of cricket stop feeling like a maze of exceptions and start working like a logical chain from delivery to decision.