Advertisement

Cricket Laws and Rules

Information about the Laws of Cricket for novice and experienced players alike. Access laws and rules for variations of the sport of cricket including indoor cricket and blind cricket.

Laws of Cricket
First implemented in 1774, the Laws of Cricket are designed to maintain the spirit of the game. Join with me, as we learn all about the laws which govern the playing of the sport. Please note this link requires you to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your PC. By providing the Laws in portable data format (pdf), the MCC allows you to download them to your desktop or browser for printing, viewing or storage at your leisure. If you don’t have Acrobat Reader you can get it now from the following link.



You should be aware that the MCC retains the copyright of the Laws of Cricket and requires permission be obtained before any reproduction of them. We have been advised that permission is not given for the current laws to be reproduced on any website other than the official MCC site.

Below is a summary of the Laws index available from the above link. To navigate the pdf file easily, make sure you click the tab on the left of the page that loads and then click Bookmark or Pages depending on your version of Adobe Reader.

• Preface
• The Preamble, The Spirit of Cricket
• Definitions and explanations of words or phrases not defined in the text (Appendix D)
• Law 1 : The Players
• Law 2 : Subs/runners, leaving field, retiring, commencing innings
• Law 3 : The Umpires
• Law 4 : The Scorers
• Law 5 : The Ball
• Law 6 : The Bat
• Law 7 : The Pitch
• Law 8 : The Wickets
• Law 9 : The Bowling, Popping and Return Creases
• Law 10: Rolling,Sweeping,Mowing,Watering the Pitch and Remarking of Creases
• Law 11: Covering the Pitch
• Law 12: Innings
• Law 13: The Follow-On
• Law 14: Declaration and Forfeiture
• Law 15: Intervals
• Law 16: Start of Play, Cessation of Play
• Law 17: Practice on the Field
• Law 18: Scoring Runs
• Law 19: Boundaries
• Law 20: Lost Ball
• Law 21: The Result
• Law 22: The Over
• Law 23: Dead Ball
• Law 24: No Ball
• Law 25: Wide Ball
• Law 26: Bye and Leg Bye
• Law 27: Appeals
• Law 28: The Wicket is Down
• Law 29: Batsman out of his Ground
• Law 30: Bowled
• Law 31: Timed Out
• Law 32: Caught
• Law 33: Handled the Ball
• Law 34: Hit the Ball Twice
• Law 35: Hit Wicket
• Law 36: Leg Before Wicket
• Law 37: Obstructing the Field
• Law 38: Run Out
• Law 39: Stumped
• Law 40: The Wicket-Keeper
• Law 41: The Fielder
• Law 42: Fair and Unfair Play
• Appendix A (Law 8) Wickets
• Appendix B (Laws 7+9) Pitch
• Appendix C (Law 40.2) Gloves
• Appendix D

First Laws of Cricket - 1774
View the very first Official Laws of Cricket exactly how they were written in 1774 at the Star and Garter in Pall Mall.

Blind Cricket Laws
The game of blind cricket, like all forms of the sport, is controlled by official laws and rules. This site, provided by the Australian Blind Cricket Association and CricInfo, provides a detailed and in depth look at the laws of the game.

Indoor Cricket Rules
Although mostly similar to the outdoor game, indoor cricket has a number of rules unique to the sport. Learn all about these rules by visiting this site, which provides a comprehensive explanation of them.

Kwik Cricket
With a minimum of basic rules, this game designed for children can be played by as few as 2 players or as many as 32. Join with me and view basic information about the game.