Cricket rules explained
Scope: General MCC Laws, 2017 Code, fourth edition (2026). Competition playing conditions determine format-specific rules.
Teams and innings
A standard team has eleven players. During an innings, one side bats and the other bowls and fields. The captains toss for the choice of innings before play. The number of innings and any over limits depend on the agreed format.
Overs and bowling
An over has six valid balls. A wide or no-ball adds to the batting side’s score and does not count as a valid ball in the over. Bowlers alternate ends between overs, and a bowler cannot bowl consecutive overs.
MCC’s fair-delivery law prohibits throwing. It does not require every bowler to have a perfectly straight arm: the relevant restriction concerns straightening the elbow during the defined phase of delivery. ICC assessment procedures are separate from this introductory explanation.
Common dismissals
- Bowled: the delivered ball legally breaks the striker’s wicket.
- Caught: a fair catch is completed from a legal contact with the bat, subject to the law’s conditions.
- Run out: the wicket is lawfully broken while a batter is out of their ground, subject to exceptions.
- Lbw: requires several tests, including the delivery, pitching, impact and projected path. A ball hitting a leg is not enough on its own.
Runs and extras
Runs can come from running, boundaries, extras and penalties. A boundary six requires a strike with the bat and no prior grounding inside the boundary. Free hits are part of particular playing conditions, rather than a universal consequence of every no-ball in all cricket.
How an innings or match ends
Common innings endings include being all out, no further batter being available, reaching an agreed over limit, declaration or forfeiture. A successful chase ends when a winning result is reached. Ties, draws, revised targets and tie-breakers depend on the Laws and the competition’s conditions.
Sources and review
Reviewed on against MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, fourth edition (2026), Laws 13–23, 32–33, 36 and 38. This is an introduction; the full rules and the regulations for your competition take precedence.