This article is a simplified version of various scenarios of no-call in cricket. A typical question might be how many types of NO Ball are there in Cricket?. Let’s try to answer this in this article. The content covers all clauses related to Cricket NO BALL as per MCC Laws of Cricket. The rules here are arranged and described for easy understanding.
In Overall, there 24 scenarios in which an umpire can call NO ball in Cricket. CRICKET NO BALL LIST goes as below
24 Laws
- 1. Bowler changing arm without informing Umpire
- 2. Bowler changing side without informing Umpire
- 3. Bowler breaking wicket in delivering ball
- 4. Bowler throws ball before entering a delivery stride
- 5. Bowler throws ball after entering a delivery stride
- 6. Underarm bowling
- 7. Front Foot No ball
- 8. Back Foot No ball
- 9. Ball bouncing over head
- 10. Beamer by Fast Bowler
- 11. Beamer by slow Bowler
- 12. Ball bouncing more than once.
- 13. Ball pitching wholly or partially off the pitch
- 14. Ball coming to rest in front of strikers wicket
- 15. Bowling dangerous and unfair short pitched deliveries
- 16. Wicket keeper moving any part of body in front of stumps
- 17. Wicket keeper decided to field at boundary line while keeping gloves on
- 18 Fielder encroaching on pitch.
- 19. Fielder intercepting a delivery
- 20. On side field restriction
- 21. Illegal Fielding
- 22. Power play field restrictions
- 23. One day boundary line field restrictions
- 24. T20 day boundary line field restrictions
Cricket NO BALL No. 1
Bowler changing arm without informing Umpire
MCC Law 21.1.1 states The umpire shall ascertain whether the bowler intends to bowl right-handed or left-handed, over or around the wicket, and shall so inform the striker.
If the bowler after initial notification changes the arm with which he/she bowls without notifying the umpire, the Umpire shall call and signal No ball.
Cricket NO BALL No. 2
Front Foot No ball
The MCC Law 21.5.2 states that the bowler’s front foot must land with some part of the foot whether grounded or raised and on the same side of the imaginary line joining the two middle stumps as the return crease described in 21.5.2 and behind the popping crease.
In the image, various scenarios are illustrated. Note that the thickness of the painted line does not affect the crease itself.
The crease will always be back edge of the line.
Law makes clear that It is not mandatory to have front foot landed on or between Popping and return crease. It means that Batsman can choose to bowl with front foot landed outside of return crease but his/her back foot must remain inside the return crease.
Cricket NO BALL No. 3
Back Foot No ball
MCC Law 21 explicitly states that delivery will be considered legitimate in respect of the feet, in delivery stride, if the bowler’s back foot lands “within and not touching the return crease appertaining to his stated mode of delivery.”
Interesting fact
Law 24 does not associate the front-foot with the return crease which means a delivery where the back-foot lands inside the return crease and the front foot on it completely legal. This could be very well exploited by left-arm bowlers but it would be highly difficult to get the angle from at this position.
Cricket NO BALL No. 4
Bowler breaking wicket in delivering the ball.
Cricket NO BALL No. 5
Ball bouncing over the head height of the striker
Cricket NO BALL No. 6
Beamer by Fast bowler
If fast bowlers deliver a ball that does not touch the ground in its flight between the wickets and reaches the batsman at a height above either his waist.
41.7.1 Any delivery, which passes or would have passed, without pitching, above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease, is unfair. Whenever such a delivery is bowled, the umpire shall call and signal No ball.
Cricket NO BALL No. 7
Beamer by Slow bowler
Cricket NO BALL No. 8
Ball Bounce more than once.
Cricket NO BALL No. 9
Ball pitching wholly or partially off the pitch
The umpire shall call and signal No ball if the ball which is considered to be delivered pitches wholly or partially off the pitch as defined in Law 6.1 (Area of pitch) before it reaches the line of the striker’s wicket.
When a non-turf pitch is being used, this will apply to any ball that wholly or partially pitches off the artificial surface.
Cricket NO BALL No. 10
21.8 Ball coming to rest in front of striker’s wicket
Cricket NO BALL No. 11
Bowler throws ball before entering a delivery stride
If the bowler throws the ball towards the striker’s wicket before entering the “delivery stride”, either Umpire (main or leg umpire) shall call and signal No ball. Reference is also available in Law 41.17 (Batsman stealing a run).
In this case, procedure stated in 21.3 of first and final warning, informing, action against the bowler and reporting shall not apply.
Cricket NO BALL No. 12
Throwing a ball after entering into Delivery stride
Cricket NO BALL No. 13
Bowler changes side of the wicket
Cricket NO BALL No. 14
Underarm Bowling
Cricket NO BALL No. 15
Bowling dangerous and unfair short-pitched deliveries
Fielding violations by Wicketkeeper | MCC Law 27.3
Gloves
The wicket-keeper is the only fielder permitted to wear gloves and external leg guards. If these are worn, they are to be regarded as part of his/her person for the purposes of Law 28.2 (Fielding the ball).
If by the wicket-keeper’s actions and positioning when the ball comes into play it is apparent to the umpires that he/she will not be able to carry out the normal duties of a wicket-keeper, he/she shall forfeit this right and also the right to be recognized as a wicket-keeper for the purposes of
Laws 33.2 (A fair catch), 39 (Stumped), 28.1 (Protective equipment), 28.4 (Limitation of on-side fielders) and 28.5 (Fielders not to encroach on the pitch).
Cricket NO BALL No. 16
Wicket keeper position
Cricket NO BALL No. 17
Using gloves other than keeping position.
If the wicket-keeper decides to field at boundary line while keeping gloves on. By doing this, he or she forfeits position as a wicketkeeper.
Fielding violations by close fielder
Cricket NO BALL No. 18
Fielding encroaching on the pitch
Cricket NO BALL No. 19
Fielder intercepting a delivery
Fielding violations
Cricket NO BALL No. 20
On side field restrictions
If there are more than two fielders that are on the leg side and behind the batsman’s crease, umpire shall call and signal No ball.
Cricket NO BALL No. 21
Illegal fielding
It shall be considered illegal fielding if the fielder intentionally fields or throws somethings towards a ball in play with a piece of clothing, equipment or any other object which has not accidentally fallen from the fielder’s person.
In such a situation,
– the penalty for a No ball or a Wide shall stand.
– any runs completed by the batsmen shall be credited to the batting side, together with the run in progress if the batsmen had already crossed at the instant of the offence.
– the ball shall not count as one of the over.
and Umpire shall award 5 Penalty runs to the batting side.
Cricket NO BALL No. 22
Power play Field restrictions
Cricket NO BALL No. 23
Field restrictions
Cricket NO BALL No. 24
T20 Play restrictions
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