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Cricket · Level 2: Elementary · Sub-level 2.2

Batting Laws

10 tests · 100 facts · updated 12 October 2026 · markdown

This sub-level teaches what the striker and non-striker may and may not do once the ball is live — obstructing or distracting the fielding side by word or action, striking the ball with a hand off the bat, returning the ball without being asked, the narrow "guard your wicket" right to hit the ball a second time, the clock on a new batter, the difference between retiring hurt and retiring out, and being run out after straying from the crease at either end. It also covers taking guard and the stance, the fine lines of bowled and hit wicket, the stumping Law, short runs, and what happens when the striker is not ready.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1Obstructing the field — word and actionTake a test

  1. Law 37 turns on a wilful attempt to obstruct or distract; an accidental block or an unavoidable collision is not out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · recall

  2. The Law names "word or action", so a deliberate shout to put a fielder off is as much an offence as a physical block.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · recall

  3. Only a wilful obstruction is out; an unavoidable collision while running a normal line is not.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

  4. Deliberately barging a fielder to stop him fielding or taking a catch is a wilful obstruction and is out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

  5. Law 37 applies to "either batter", so a non-striker backing up can be dismissed for obstruction just as the striker can.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · recall

  6. A deliberate shout meant to deceive and distract a fielder is obstruction by word, and is out on appeal.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

  7. Law 37 expressly excepts obstruction that results from a batter taking genuine evasive action against injury.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · recall

  8. Moving purely to avoid being struck is protected by the avoiding-injury exception, even if the stumps are then missed.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

  9. Obstructing the field is not a bowler's mode of dismissal, so no bowler is credited with the wicket.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · recall

  10. Runs completed before the offence stand; only the run in progress is lost when the batter is dismissed.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

Test 2The free hand, and returning the ballTake a test

  1. The 2017 code merged handled-the-ball into Law 37; deliberately handling the ball is now a form of obstructing the field.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · recall

  2. Guarding the wicket with the bat is fine, but wilfully striking the ball with a hand off the bat is out under Law 37.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

  3. A hand holding the bat is treated as part of the bat, so a ball onto that glove is "off the bat", not a free-hand offence.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 5 · recall

  4. Returning the ball to a fielder without their consent, while it is still in play, is out under Law 37.4.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37.4 · applied

  5. The offence is returning the ball "without the consent" of a fielder; done with consent it is an ordinary courtesy.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37.4 · recall

  6. The dismissal is lawful but widely thought unsporting to claim, so captains normally decline to appeal for it.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37; cricket convention · applied

  7. Gooch used his hand to stop a ball looping back onto the stumps and was given out handled the ball for 133.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  8. Either batter wilfully handling the ball in play can be out obstructing; being at the non-striker's end changes nothing.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

  9. A lodged ball is dead once the umpire calls it, and only then can the batter safely retrieve it without risking an obstruction call.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 20 and 37 · recall

  10. Like any obstruction, knocking the ball away is out only when it is wilful; a genuine reflex is not penalised.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

Test 3Hitting the ball twiceTake a test

  1. A second strike is lawful when its purpose is to protect the stumps and no fielder has yet touched the ball; hitting it again for any other reason is out hit the ball twice.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · recall

  2. A second hit made only to keep the ball off the stumps is expressly allowed under Law 34.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · applied

  3. Runs may not be scored off a lawful second strike; the umpire calls dead ball and the run does not count.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · applied

  4. The batters cannot run, but penalties already incurred on the delivery, such as for a no-ball, still stand.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · recall

  5. The wicket-guard right does not extend to preventing a catch; doing so is out obstructing the field.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 34 and 37 · applied

  6. Law 34 covers a second strike "with bat or person", so using a pad or a foot to hit the ball again counts.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · recall

  7. Hitting the ball again to send it for runs, once it has already struck him, is out under Law 34.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · applied

  8. Accidental double contacts are not out, and an intentional second hit is nearly always the lawful wicket-guard kind, so genuine cases barely occur.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · recall

  9. Law 34 expressly allows using the bat to knock the ball back to a fielder, provided it is done with their consent.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · applied

  10. An unlawful second hit stops play straight away; no runs can accrue and the striker is out if the fielding side appeals.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · recall

Test 4The clock, and retiringTake a test

  1. Law 40 requires the incoming batter to be ready within the set time of the fall of the previous wicket or a retirement.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 40 · recall

  2. Law 40 sets the default at three minutes; international playing conditions shorten it.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 40 · recall

  3. ICC playing conditions replace the Law's three minutes with two minutes in Tests and ODIs, and with ninety seconds in T20Is.

    Source: ICC Playing Conditions · recall

  4. At the 2023 World Cup, Mathews was not ready in time after his helmet strap failed, and Bangladesh appealed.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  5. Timed out dismisses the incoming batter who failed to be ready in time, and no bowler is credited.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 40 · applied

  6. Retiring hurt is "retired not out" and the batter may resume; retiring for any other reason without consent is "retired out" and he may not.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 25.4 · recall

  7. Under Law 25.4.2 a retired-hurt batter comes back when a wicket next falls, or when another batter retires.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 25.4.2 · recall

  8. Retiring for any reason other than injury or illness, without the opposing captain's consent, counts as "retired out" — a dismissal, though no bowler is credited.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 25.4 · applied

  9. A voluntary retirement is permitted; the batter is simply recorded "retired out", and no bowler gains a wicket.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 25.4 · applied

  10. Law 40 applies only "unless Time has been called"; once play is suspended the clock does not run.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 40 · applied

Test 5Leaving the crease at either endTake a test

  1. The ball is not dead just because the stroke is finished; a batter out of his ground can be run out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 20 and 38 · recall

  2. A run out needs the wicket fairly broken — a bail off or a stump out of the ground; rattling the stumps without dislodging a bail is not enough.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 29 · applied

  3. Law 30.1.2: a batter who has grounded bat or person beyond the popping crease while running or diving is not out of his ground if contact with the ground is then lost.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 30 · applied

  4. The dismissal is called the "Mankad" after India's Vinoo Mankad, who ran out Bill Brown this way in 1947-48.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  5. The third edition of the 2017 code, in force from 2022, moved this dismissal from the unfair-play Law into Law 38, listing it as a legitimate run out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 38.3 · recall

  6. Law 38.3 allows the attempt until the instant the bowler would ordinarily have delivered the ball.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 38.3 · recall

  7. Sharma ran out Charlie Dean at the bowler's end to seal an India win, reigniting the debate over the dismissal.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

  8. If the non-striker has not left his ground there is nothing to punish, and the ball is normally called dead.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 38.3 · applied

  9. Run out is one of the few dismissals still available off a no-ball, so a batter short of his ground is out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 21 and 38 · applied

  10. Staying in the ground until the ball is on its way removes any chance of being run out at the bowler's end.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 38.3 · recall

Test 6Taking guard and the stanceTake a test

  1. Guard is the batter's position in relation to the stumps, given by the umpire on request.

    Source: General playing principle · recall

  2. Common guards are leg stump, middle and leg, middle, and middle and off.

    Source: General playing principle · recall

  3. A scratched mark lets the batter find the same guard each ball.

    Source: General playing principle · recall

  4. MCC confirmed in 2012 that the switch hit is a legal stroke.

    Source: MCC · recall

  5. A striker who switches stance later does not change which side counts as the off side for that ball.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 25 · applied

  6. The bowler's-end umpire sees the line from the stumps at his end down to the striker's.

    Source: General playing principle · recall

  7. Knowing where off stump is lets a batter judge which balls to leave.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

  8. Guard is given and marked before the batter settles to face his first ball.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

  9. Guards move from leg stump across the wicket towards off stump.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

  10. From the bowler's end a right-hander's off stump is on the left and his leg stump on the right: C.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

Test 7Bowled and hit wicket: the fine linesTake a test

  1. A batter is bowled even if the ball touches his bat or person before breaking the wicket.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 32 · applied

  2. A batter is out hit wicket if any part of his equipment falls and breaks the wicket while he is playing the ball.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 35 · applied

  3. Hit wicket covers setting off for the first run immediately after receiving the ball.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 35 · applied

  4. Avoiding the ball is part of receiving it, so breaking the wicket while doing so is hit wicket.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 35 · applied

  5. Hit wicket is one of the dismissals that a no-ball rules out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21 · recall

  6. A wide is still a ball the striker receives, and hit wicket is one of the ways he can be out off it.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 22 · recall

  7. If the ball breaks the wicket, bowled takes precedence over any other way out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 32 · recall

  8. Breaking the wicket while receiving the ball is hit wicket, given on appeal like any other dismissal.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 35 · applied

  9. Bowled stands even if the ball touched the batter on the way to the stumps.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 32 · applied

  10. Breaking the wicket while running, other than setting off for the first run, is not hit wicket.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 35 · applied

Test 8Stumped: the Law in fullTake a test

  1. A stumping is the keeper's alone; if another fielder has touched the ball it is a run out instead.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 39 · recall

  2. Once another fielder is involved, the dismissal becomes a run out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 39 · applied

  3. Stumped requires the striker not to be attempting a run; if he is, it is run out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 39 · applied

  4. The wicket must be put down by the ball or by the hand or arm holding it.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 29 · recall

  5. Only with the keeper right up at the stumps can he break the wicket before the batter gets back.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

  6. What matters is whether he is out of his ground at the moment the wicket is put down.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 39 · applied

  7. From fifteen metres back, the batter has time to regain his ground.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

  8. A ball that rebounds from the keeper's person onto the stumps can still bring a stumping.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 39 · applied

  9. The faster the bowler, the further back the keeper stands to take the ball.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

  10. Standing up means right behind the stumps; B is standing back, too far to stump anyone.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

Test 9Short runs and running offencesTake a test

  1. To complete a run a batter must make good his ground at the end before turning back.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 18 · recall

  2. Each short run is deducted, so a two with both runs short scores nothing.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 18 · applied

  3. Deliberate short running is unfair: no runs count and the fielding side gets five penalty runs.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 18 · applied

  4. Returning the batters to their original ends stops them gaining the strike they ran short for.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 18 · applied

  5. Like other signals, a short run is shown when the ball is dead.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 18 · recall

  6. Grounding the bat held in the hand beyond the popping crease makes good the batter's ground.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 30 · applied

  7. Changing who faces the next ball is the usual motive, which is why the Law sends them back.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

  8. A run made short at the turn is deducted when the umpire signals it.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 18 · applied

  9. The runs counted are 0, 1, 2 and 3.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 18 · applied

  10. Three runs were run and one was short, so two count.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 18 · applied

Test 10When the striker is not readyTake a test

  1. A ball the bowler drops accidentally before delivering it is called dead.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20 · recall

  2. Failing to deliver the ball is a dead ball; the Laws attach no penalty to it.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20 · recall

  3. A delivery called dead before it is bowled is bowled again.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20 · recall

  4. Whether a distraction justifies a dead ball is the umpire's judgement.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20 · recall

  5. A raised hand tells the bowler and umpire before the ball is delivered.

    Source: General playing principle · recall

  6. Repeated, needless stoppages can be dealt with under the Law on time-wasting.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41 · applied

  7. A delivery called dead before it reaches the striker is not counted in his balls faced or in the over.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20 · applied

  8. A dead ball for a distraction must come before the ball is delivered.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

  9. The ball is called dead and does not count, so the bowler starts again.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20 · applied

  10. Movement behind the bowler's arm, in the striker's line of sight, is what distracts him; that is why sightscreens stand there.

    Source: General playing principle · applied

Sources

MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022) for the Laws themselves; ICC Playing Conditions per format for the officiating and regulation detail that overrides the Laws in international cricket (DRS, powerplays, over rates, concussion replacements, the free hit); ESPNcricinfo for recent changes such as the soft-signal retirement. Questions are authored from these sources, not reproduced from them.

  • General playing principle16
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 3714
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 349
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 188
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 206
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 355
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 395
  • ESPNcricinfo4
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 404
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 38.34
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 25.43
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 323
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37.42
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 292
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 302
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 51
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37; cricket convention1
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 20 and 371
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 34 and 371
  • ICC Playing Conditions1
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 25.4.21
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 20 and 381
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 21 and 381
  • MCC1
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 251
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 211
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 221
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 411