# Bowling Laws · Cricket Level 2: Elementary

Cricket · Level 2: Elementary · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/cricket/level-2/bowling-laws/)

Bowling Laws in Cricket (Level 2: Elementary) on Insporta: 60 sourced facts behind 6 tests. Covers: the front foot and the back foot; and more.

This sub-level teaches what makes a delivery fair or a no-ball in practice — the front-foot and back-foot rules of the delivery stride, an illegal bowling action, the dangerous full toss and the height rule, and the limit on short-pitched bowling; how an over is finished when a bowler cannot; and what makes the ball dead.

## Test 1: The front foot and the back foot

- Part of the front foot, whether grounded or in the air, must be behind the popping-crease line. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- Some part of the foot behind the line, even a fraction, makes the delivery legal. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- The front-foot rule looks only at where the front foot lands, whatever the back foot did on the way. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- The delivery stride is the final stride, in which the back foot lands and then the front foot; the foot rules apply to it. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- The back foot has to land within the return crease and not cut the line; touching or outside it is a no-ball. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- Either foot fault is enough on its own, so the back foot cutting the return crease is a no-ball. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- The standing umpire at the bowler's end judges the feet and makes the call as the ball is bowled. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- ICC playing conditions have the TV umpire check the front foot every delivery and pass a no-ball to the on-field umpire. (Source: ICC Playing Conditions (front-foot no-ball technology))
- A no-ball exists only once it is called; an unnoticed overstep counts as a legal delivery. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- A loud, early call tells the striker the ball is effectively free, so he can attack it hard. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)

## Test 2: An illegal action — the throw

- The elbow may bend, but it must not straighten in the delivery swing; straightening it is what makes a throw. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- A throw is an illegal delivery and is called and signalled as a no-ball. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- Biomechanical studies found small amounts of straightening are near-universal and invisible, so 15 degrees is allowed. (Source: ICC regulations on suspect bowling actions)
- A reported bowler has his action analysed in a lab; if it is over the limit he must correct it before bowling again. (Source: ICC regulations on suspect bowling actions)
- From square leg the arm is seen side-on, which is the angle that shows an elbow straightening. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 2)
- Bowling with a bent arm is fine; it is straightening it in the delivery swing that makes a throw. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21)
- The doosra, an off-spinner's ball that turns like a leg-break, is hard to bowl without straightening the arm. (Source: ESPNcricinfo)
- Muralitharan was called for throwing, then repeatedly tested; his action was found to be within the permitted range. (Source: ESPNcricinfo)
- A clearance is not permanent; a bowler whose action changes can be reported and tested again. (Source: ICC regulations on suspect bowling actions)
- Straightening the elbow acts as a second lever, generating speed or spin a genuinely bowled ball cannot produce. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21 (rationale))

## Test 3: The dangerous full toss

- For a slow bowler the limit is shoulder height; for anything quicker it is the lower waist height. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- Slow full tosses carry less danger, so they are only a no-ball above the shoulder, not the waist. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- The reference is the batter standing normally at the crease, not wherever he happened to end up. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- Because the batter advanced, the height is assessed against his normal crease position, where it may be below the waist. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- A deliberate dangerous high full toss brings instant removal from the bowling attack for that innings. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- A non-deliberate dangerous full toss is a no-ball and a warning; a further one means removal from the attack. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- It is still a no-ball for scoring, so runs off the bat are added to the one-run penalty. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- "Beamer" is the term for a dangerous fast high full toss, always a no-ball and often a warning. (Source: General cricket usage)
- Umpires give the marginal fast waist-high full toss as a no-ball to keep the batter safe. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41; umpiring practice)
- A blow from a beamer is a safety matter, so the umpires make sure the batter is all right before play continues. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)

## Test 4: Short-pitched bowling

- A bowler may send down two fast short-pitched balls above shoulder height per over. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- The delivery that exceeds the two-per-over allowance is a no-ball. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- ICC raised the white-ball allowance to two per over, matching the number used in Test cricket. (Source: ICC Playing Conditions (ODI and T20I))
- A bouncer out of reach over the head is a wide, but it is still counted against the two-per-over allowance. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 22 and 41)
- Persistent dangerous short-pitched bowling is dealt with by warnings and, if it goes on, removal from the attack. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- The two-per-over allowance resets at the start of every over. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- The second short ball of the over, if it is reachable, is a legal delivery. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- The counting rule is for fast short-pitched bowling; a slow bouncer is judged mainly on danger, not the count. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- A short ball above the shoulder is legal up to two an over, and ducking under it does not change that. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)
- After the warning, a further over-limit bouncer means the bowler is removed from the attack for the innings. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 41)

## Test 5: The over in practice

- The part-over resumes with the same bowler from the same end once play restarts. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17)
- A team-mate completes the over from the same end, and he must not have bowled the previous over. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17)
- Finishing a part-over counts against the consecutive-overs rule, so he cannot bowl the next one. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17)
- Deliveries bowled in good faith count; only the arrangement is corrected from that point on. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17)
- Balls already bowled stand; the error is put right by switching bowlers for the rest of the over. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17)
- Nothing about a wicket or a break lets a bowler send down two overs in succession. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17)
- A bowler sits out exactly one over; then he may bowl again from either end. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17)
- Each bowler is credited only with the balls he sent down; the over is shared between them. (Source: MCC scoring convention)
- Even a short attack has to be rotated so that no bowler delivers two overs back to back. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17)
- When the innings ends, any incomplete over stops where it is. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17)

## Test 6: The dead ball

- The ball is dead once it settles with the keeper or bowler and the umpire judges the action is over. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20)
- A boundary, a completed dismissal, the ball lodging in kit and several other events all make the ball dead. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20)
- No runs can be scored and no wicket can fall once the ball is dead. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20)
- A ball lodged in a batter's or fielder's kit is dead, and no runs or wicket can follow. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20)
- If the striker is distracted or not ready through no fault of his own, the umpire calls dead ball and the ball is re-bowled. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20)
- Wrists crossed and uncrossed low in front of the body is the dead-ball signal. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 2)
- A no-ball and a wide are live deliveries; the striker can hit a no-ball, and byes can be run off either. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20)
- A completed dismissal is one of the events that makes the ball dead at once. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20)
- The umpire calls dead ball for anything that stops fair play, such as an injury, and the ball is bowled again. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20)
- Where there is doubt, the umpires judge when the ball finally settled and the action was over. (Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20)

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.

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