Cricket section

Cricket laws, clearly set out.

This section is for the moments that make people stop and ask what just happened: close LBWs, strange run outs, disputed catches, dead ball calls, and reviews that change everything. Each page should show the order the umpire works through so the decision makes sense from start to finish.

Focus areas

Where cricket gets technical

Catches: whether the ball carried cleanly, stayed under control, and was completed before touching the ground.
Run outs and stumpings: whose ground it is, when the wicket is fairly broken, and which batter is actually out.
Dead ball moments: the exact point where the ball stops being live and why that can wipe out a dismissal or boundary.

LBW decision flow: pitching, impact, shot offered, and whether the ball would have hit the stumps.
No-balls, wides, and free hits: extra runs, valid balls, restricted dismissals, and why a no-ball overrides a wide.
Overthrows: when extra runs count, when a boundary changes the total, and where batters were when the throw started.
Reviews and umpire's call: what the technology checks and why a decision can stay with the on-field umpire.
Run outs and stumpings: making ground, breaking the wicket, direct hits, keeper stumpings, and which batter is out.
Catches and boundary catches: clean catches, fielder control, rope contact, relay catches, and six-or-out decisions.
Powerplay and fielding restrictions: inner-circle limits, boundary riders, format differences, and no-ball fielding breaches.
Dead ball, leg byes, and byes: when extras count, when leg byes are refused, and how dead ball changes runs or dismissals.
Unusual dismissals: hit wicket, obstructing the field, timed out, retired out, and appeal requirements.

How pages should work

Built for fast answers

Start with the decision first.
Show the checks in the same order an umpire uses.
Explain the one detail that usually changes the outcome.
Link the law to real match situations and review calls.

Official references

Where these rulings come from

MCC Laws of Cricket - MCC writes and maintains the Laws of Cricket.
Full Laws of Cricket - the searchable law book covering dismissals, dead ball, scoring, and fielding.
ICC Playing Conditions - the extra rules used in international cricket formats and events.
ICC Decision Review System - the official guide to player reviews, umpire reviews, and DRS procedure.
ICC Match Officials - how elite umpires and referees are organised at international level.

Cricket laws, clearly set out.

Where cricket gets technical

Natural first explainers

Built for fast answers

Where these rulings come from