Cricket is played between two sides of eleven players: one side bats to score runs while the other bowls and fields, and the side that scores more runs in its completed innings wins. An over is 6 valid balls, and the Laws list nine ways a batter can be dismissed.
This page follows the Marylebone Cricket Club's Laws of Cricket 2017 Code (3rd Edition, 2022), as of November 2026. I've used the Laws' own words, batter and striker, and kept to what the Laws say for every match. Things like over limits in limited-overs cricket are left to agreement in the Laws, so they aren't fixed here.
Sides, umpires, the pitch and the toss
Each side has eleven players, one of whom is captain. By agreement a match can be played with more or fewer, but not more than eleven may field at any time. Each captain nominates their players in writing to an umpire before the toss. Two umpires control the match, one at each end, and two scorers record the runs, wickets and, where it matters, overs.
| What | The Laws say |
|---|---|
| Pitch | A rectangle 22 yards (20.12 m) long and 10 ft (3.05 m) wide |
| Wicket | Three wooden stumps with two bails on top, 9 in (22.86 cm) wide |
| Stump height | Tops of the stumps 28 in (71.12 cm) above the playing surface |
The captains toss a coin on the field, with one or both umpires there, not earlier than 30 minutes nor later than 15 minutes before the scheduled start. The winner decides whether to bat or field, and can't change their mind once they've told the umpire.
Innings and overs explained
Each side has one or two innings, as agreed before the match. In a two-innings match the sides bat alternately, except when there's a follow-on or a forfeited innings.
The ball is bowled from each end alternately, in overs of 6 valid balls, and the umpire calls Over after the sixth. A bowler may change ends but can't bowl two overs in a row in the same innings.
A side's innings is complete when:
- It's all out, or no further batter is available.
- The captain declares or forfeits the innings.
- An agreed limit of overs or time has been reached, where one was agreed.
The follow-on lets a side that's batted first and built a big lead send the other side straight back in. The lead it needs depends on the length of the match:
| Length of match | Lead needed to enforce the follow-on |
|---|---|
| 5 days or more | At least 200 runs |
| 3 or 4 days | 150 runs |
| 2 days | 100 runs |
| 1 day | 75 runs |
Runs, boundaries and extras
A run is scored whenever the batters cross and make good their ground from end to end while the ball is in play. If a batter turns for another run without making good their ground, that's a short run and it isn't scored.
A Boundary 6 is scored if, and only if, the ball has been struck by the bat and first lands beyond the boundary without touching the ground inside the field of play. A Boundary 4 is when the ball reaches the boundary after first touching the ground inside it, or when it wasn't struck by the bat. The umpires and captains can agree different boundary allowances before the toss.
A catch isn't fair if the ball or the fielder touches the ground beyond the boundary before the catch is complete. That's worth remembering when someone takes a great grab on the rope.
Extras are runs that don't come off the bat: wides, no balls, byes and leg byes. Byes are runs from a delivery that passes the striker without touching the bat or person. Leg byes are runs scored after the ball first hits the striker's person, as long as the striker tried to play the ball or avoid being hit.
Why a wide or no ball makes the over longer
This is the rule new watchers miss. A wide or a no ball doesn't count as one of the 6 balls of the over, so it has to be bowled again, and each one gives the batting side an instant one-run penalty. Say a bowler sends down one wide in an over: there'll be seven deliveries before the umpire calls Over, and the batting side already has a run it didn't hit.
A wide is a ball that passes wide of where the striker is standing and out of reach of a normal cricket stroke. All runs from it are scored as wides. A no ball is called for several things, including a front foot that lands wholly beyond the popping crease, a delivery that passes over the striker's head height after pitching, a thrown ball, or a wicket-keeper standing in front of the wicket too early. If both are called, no ball wins.
They also change how a batter can be out. After a no ball is called, a batter can only be out Hit the ball twice, Obstructing the field or Run out. So a no ball that hits the stumps doesn't bowl anyone. After a wide is called, a batter can only be out Hit wicket, Obstructing the field, Run out or Stumped.
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The nine ways a batter is out
Each way of being out has its own Law, numbered 32 to 40.
| Way out | Law | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Bowled | 32 | A delivery that isn't a no ball breaks the wicket, even if it first touches the bat or person |
| Caught | 33 | The ball touches the bat and a fielder holds a fair catch before it touches the ground |
| Hit the ball twice | 34 | Still possible off a no ball |
| Hit wicket | 35 | Still possible off a wide |
| Leg before wicket | 36 | The ball would have hit the wicket but hit the striker's person first, with the conditions below |
| Obstructing the field | 37 | Still possible off a wide or a no ball |
| Run out | 38 | Out of the ground while the ball is in play, and a fielder fairly breaks the wicket |
| Stumped | 39 | Out of the ground, not attempting a run, and the wicket-keeper fairly breaks the wicket off a delivery that isn't a no ball |
| Timed out | 40 | The incoming batter isn't ready within 3 minutes of the previous dismissal or retirement |
LBW has the most conditions. The ball mustn't be a no ball, must pitch in line between wicket and wicket or on the off side, and must hit the striker's person before the bat. The point of impact must be in line, or outside the off stump if no real attempt is made to play the ball, and the ball must have been going on to hit the wicket. The Laws also record a retired batter as Retired - out in some cases.
None of these happen automatically. Neither umpire can give a batter out unless a fielder appeals, though a batter who knows they're out may leave without one. An appeal has to come before the bowler starts the next run-up, and 'How's That?' covers every way of being out. If there's doubt after the umpires consult, the decision is Not out.
Results: win, tie or draw
The side that scores more runs than the opposition in its completed innings wins. If the side batting last wins without losing all its wickets, the result is a win by the number of wickets still to fall. If the side fielding last wins, it's a win by runs.
A tie and a draw aren't the same thing. A tie is when all innings are completed and the scores are level. A draw is any match that isn't decided in another way.
My verdict for your first game
I'd learn the over, the one-run penalty for wides and no balls, and the appeal rule first. Those three explain most of what looks odd to someone watching for the first time, like a seven-ball over or a bowler shouting at the umpire.
I'd skip the finer LBW conditions and the follow-on figures until you're playing in a club or league, because umpires apply them and nobody expects a newcomer to. If you're after a simpler bat-and-ball game for a group, my kickball rules guide is a quick read, and if you'd rather play cricket on your phone, I've rounded up offline cricket games separately.
Frequently asked questions
How many players are in a cricket team?
Each side has eleven players, one of whom is captain. By agreement a match can be played with more or fewer, but not more than eleven may field at any time.
How many balls are in an over?
An over is 6 valid balls. Wides and no balls don't count, so they're bowled again.
How many ways can a batter be out in cricket?
The Laws list nine dismissals: Bowled, Caught, Hit the ball twice, Hit wicket, Leg before wicket, Obstructing the field, Run out, Stumped and Timed out.
How many runs is a boundary worth?
A Boundary 6 is 6 runs and a Boundary 4 is 4 runs, unless the umpires and captains agree different allowances before the toss.
What is the difference between a tie and a draw?
A tie is when all innings are completed and the scores are level. A draw is any match that isn't decided in another way.
