Cricket (ICC) — Official Rules

The Laws of Cricket are owned and maintained solely by MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club), which has been their custodian since 1788 and is the only body that may change them. The ICC (International Cricket Council) is the sport's world governing body and writes the Playing Conditions that supplement and vary the Laws for international cricket (Test, ODI, T20I) — covering DRS, powerplays, the Super Over, the free hit, over-rate and stop-clock rules, and similar competition-specific regulations.

The Laws run on the 2017 Code. The operative edition through most of 2026 is the 3rd Edition (in force 1 October 2022), which introduced gender-neutral "batter" wording. The 4th Edition (73 material changes) was published in early 2026 and takes effect 1 October 2026: it legalises laminated bats in open-age cricket, requires the final over of a day's play in Tests to be completed even after a wicket falls, rewrites the overthrows/misfield Law, and revises ball specifications. ICC Playing Conditions are updated on rolling cycles, most recently the July 2025 white-ball changes and the 2025-27 WTC-cycle Test changes.

Three principal formats: Test (international first-class, two innings per side, played over up to 5 days, no over limit); One Day International (ODI), a single innings of 50 overs per side; and Twenty20 International (T20I), a single innings of 20 overs per side. The side scoring the most runs wins; a limited-overs tie is broken by a Super Over (see Chapter 11).

A match is played between two sides, each of eleven players, one of whom is captain. Each captain nominates the players in writing to the umpires before the toss; thereafter a player may not be replaced without the opposing captain's consent (substitute fielders and concussion/injury replacements are governed separately by the Laws and Playing Conditions).

The pitch is a rectangular strip 22 yards (20.12 m) long between the two sets of stumps and 10 ft (3.05 m) wide. The field of play is roughly oval; for international matches the boundary should be no longer than 90 yards (82.29 m) and no shorter than 65 yards (59.43 m) from the centre of the pitch, subject to ground size.

Each wicket is three stumps with two bails on top: the stumps stand 28 inches (71.1 cm) high and span 9 inches (22.86 cm) overall. The popping crease is 4 ft (1.22 m) in front of and parallel to the bowling crease (which is 8 ft 8 in / 2.64 m long); the return creases run perpendicular at 4 ft 4 in (1.32 m) either side of the middle stump. A batter is "in their ground" when part of their bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease.

The bat is no more than 38 in (96.52 cm) long and 4.25 in (10.8 cm) wide, with depth and edge limits. The (men's) ball weighs 5.5-5.75 oz (155.9-163 g) with a circumference of 8.81-9 in (22.4-22.9 cm). From the 4th Edition (1 Oct 2026), laminated bats are legalised in open-age cricket, and ball names/specifications are revised across formats.

A match is one or two innings a side by prior agreement. An innings is completed when: (a) the side is all out (10 wickets fall); (b) the captain declares or forfeits; or (c) in limited-overs cricket, the allotted overs are bowled. In a two-innings match the side batting first that leads by at least 200 runs (5-day Test) may enforce the follow-on (150 in 3-4 day, 100 in 2-day, 75 in 1-day matches).

An over consists of 6 legal (fair) deliveries, bowled from one end; the ball is then bowled from the other end for the next over. Wides and no balls do not count toward the 6 and must be re-bowled. No bowler may bowl two overs consecutively; bowlers are capped at 4 overs in T20I and 10 overs in ODI (no cap in Tests). If a bowler cannot finish an over, another bowler completes it from the same end, provided they did not bowl the previous over.

Score is reckoned in runs. A run is scored when the two batters cross and each reaches the opposite popping crease grounding bat or person behind it. A run is short if a batter fails to make good their ground when turning for another; the umpire calls "Short run" and that run is not scored. From the 4th Edition (2026), on a deliberate short run the fielding side keeps the 5-run penalty and chooses which batter takes strike for the next ball.

A boundary is scored when the ball reaches or crosses the boundary. If it touches the ground before doing so, 4 runs are scored; if it clears the boundary on the full (without bouncing), 6 runs are scored. Boundary runs supersede any runs being run at the time and are credited to the striker (unless the ball was a no ball, wide, bye or leg bye, when they are extras).

If the ball passes the striker without touching bat or person and runs are taken, they are byes. If the ball first strikes the striker's person (not the bat) and runs result, they are leg byes — but only awarded if the striker either made a genuine attempt to play the ball with the bat or tried to avoid being hit. Both are credited to the team as extras, not to the batter.

A delivery is a No ball if the bowler's front foot lands wholly beyond the popping crease (no part behind the line), the back foot touches/cuts the return crease, the ball is thrown (the elbow is illegally straightened in the bowling action), it bounces more than once, or it passes the striker above waist height on the full. A No ball adds 1 run (penalty) plus any runs scored, is re-bowled, and (in limited-overs) triggers a free hit. (The ICC's separate 15-degree elbow-extension tolerance is a biomechanical testing threshold for suspected illegal actions, not the on-field throw definition.)

In limited-overs cricket, the delivery following any No ball is a free hit for whichever batter faces it. On a free hit the batter cannot be dismissed except by Run out, Obstructing the field, or Hitting the ball twice — the field may not be changed for the same striker unless the No ball changed the striker.

A Wide is called when the ball passes so wide of (or above) the striker, standing in a normal guard, that they cannot reach it with a normal stroke. In limited-overs cricket wides are judged strictly, including down the leg side and over head height. A Wide adds 1 run plus any runs run, is re-bowled, and is not dead — the batter may still be out by Run out, Stumped, Hit wicket or Obstructing the field.

The striker is out Bowled if a fair delivery (not a No ball) puts down their wicket — i.e. dislodges a bail — even if the ball first touched the bat or person. Bowled takes precedence over all other modes of dismissal.

The striker is out Caught if a fair delivery touches the bat (or glove holding the bat) and is held by a fielder before it touches the ground, the catch being completed inside the field of play. Under the 2025 ICC Playing Conditions (and the MCC 2026 Law), a fielder who steps beyond the boundary may make airborne contact with the ball only once more and must then land and remain wholly within the boundary — the repeated-touch "bunny-hop" catch is no longer permitted.

The striker is out LBW if the ball pitches in line with or on the off side of the stumps, strikes the striker in line with the stumps, and would have gone on to hit the stumps — provided the ball did not first touch the bat. If the impact is outside the line of off stump, the striker is not out unless they made no genuine attempt to play the ball with the bat, in which case they may be given out.

Either batter is out Run out if, while the ball is in play, their wicket is fairly put down by the fielding side while that batter is out of their ground (no part of bat or person grounded behind the popping crease). The striker is out Stumped if — not attempting a run — they are out of their ground and the wicket-keeper puts the wicket down with the ball, without another fielder's intervention.

Hit wicket: the striker breaks their own wicket with bat or body while playing or setting off for a run. Hit the ball twice: deliberately striking the ball a second time other than to guard the wicket. Obstructing the field: wilfully obstructing or distracting the fielding side (this mode now absorbs the old "Handled the ball"). Timed out: an incoming batter not ready to face the next ball within the prescribed time. Retired out: a batter who leaves the field without the umpires' consent and does not resume. With Bowled, Caught, LBW, Run out and Stumped, these make nine methods of dismissal under the 2017 Code (Handled the ball having merged into Obstructing the field), plus Retired out.

The ball becomes dead when it is finally settled in the hands of the bowler or wicket-keeper, a boundary is scored, a batter is dismissed, or the ball lodges in a player's clothing/equipment. The ball is "finally settled" when the bowler's-end umpire is satisfied no further run or dismissal can result. While the ball is dead, no run may be scored and no batter dismissed.

Under the MCC 4th Edition (effective 1 October 2026), in Test/multi-day cricket the final over of a day's play must be completed even if a wicket falls near the close — a new batter may have to face the remaining deliveries that same day, rather than play ending early as it did under the previous Law.

The umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play and may intervene at any time. Penalties for unfair play include 5 penalty runs to the opposing side (e.g. ball tampering, deliberate distraction, running on the protected area, time wasting, or a fielder's unfair fielding of the ball).

Fast short-pitched bowling is dangerous and unfair if, in the umpire's opinion, it is likely to inflict injury on the striker; the umpire warns the bowler and on repetition bars them from bowling for the innings. Limited-overs Playing Conditions also restrict bouncers (typically two above shoulder height per over). Persistent dangerous full-pitched deliveries (beamers) are likewise penalised.

Applying saliva to the ball remains banned (permanent since 2022). Under the 2025 ICC Playing Conditions the change is no longer automatic: umpires need not replace the ball every time saliva is used, and will change it only at their discretion if its condition is materially altered (e.g. too wet). This removes the incentive to apply saliva deliberately to force a ball change.

The MCC 4th Edition (2026) rewrites the overthrows Law for clarity, defining precisely what counts as an overthrow versus a misfield. The updated wording helps umpires rule consistently on runs and boundaries arising from a fielder's errant throw or fumble, particularly in close boundary situations.

Each side may use a limited number of unsuccessful Player Reviews per innings: under the current ICC Playing Conditions this is 3 in Tests and 2 in ODIs and T20Is (raised in 2025). A review that returns Umpire's Call does not cost the team its review; only a clearly overturned decision against the reviewing side is "used." Reviews reset each innings.

The on-field umpire gives the decision; the fielding captain (for an appeal) or the dismissed batter must signal a review (the T-sign) within about 15 seconds. The third umpire reviews using ball-tracking, UltraEdge/Snicko and replays. From the 2025 update, the "wicket zone" for ball-tracking is the actual outline of the stumps and bails (not a reduced box). In a combined umpire-and-player review, incidents are adjudicated chronologically: if the first shows the batter out, the ball is dead at that point and the later incident is not examined.

In T20I, the first 6 overs are the powerplay; in ODI, the first 10 overs are the mandatory powerplay. During the powerplay only 2 fielders may be outside the 30-yard (27.4 m) inner circle. (Powerplays do not apply in Test cricket.)

After the powerplay, in T20I a maximum of 5 fielders may be outside the circle. In ODI the middle overs (11-40) allow a maximum of 4 fielders outside the circle, rising to 5 in the final overs (41-50). At all times no more than 2 fielders may stand behind square on the leg side.

Under the 2025 ICC Playing Conditions, an ODI innings uses two new balls for the first 34 overs, one from each end; from the 35th over onward the fielding team selects one of those two balls to be used for the remainder of the innings (reverting from the previous two-balls-throughout regime to give the older ball more reverse swing in the closing overs).

If a limited-overs match is tied, a Super Over decides it. Each side nominates 3 batters and 1 bowler and faces 6 balls; the innings also ends if 2 wickets fall. The side scoring more wins. If the Super Over is itself tied, further Super Overs are played until a result is reached (competition rules may differ for some events).

When a limited-overs match is shortened by rain or other interruption, the target (or par score) is recalculated by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, which adjusts for the overs and wickets (resources) remaining to each side. A revised target/overs is set on resumption; a result may be decided on DLS if play cannot continue, provided a minimum number of overs has been bowled.

Under the 2025 ICC Playing Conditions, a stop clock applies in all formats: the fielding side must be ready to bowl the next over within 60 seconds of the previous over ending. The first two breaches in an innings draw warnings; the third (and each subsequent) breach incurs a 5-run penalty to the batting side. In Tests, warnings reset every 80 overs.

A substitute fielder may field for an injured/absent player but may not bowl, bat, keep wicket, or act as captain. Under the Playing Conditions, teams nominate concussion replacements in advance; a like-for-like concussion replacement may bat and bowl in place of a concussed player, who then has a minimum 7-day stand-down before returning. T20 leagues may additionally allow a tactical Impact Player substitution where their competition rules provide.