East Lindsey Cricket League

The following document is a precis of the important parts of the New "2000 Code" for players and aspiring umpires to copy and to understand!

The Laws of Cricket 2000

Changes from the 1980 code – captains version

Law 1: The players

·        The captain or a deputy must now submit a written list of players to one of the umpires which should also give the information regarding the ages of young players and whether they will be wearing helmets or have consent not to.

Law 2 : Substitutes and runners etc.

·        A player absent for longer than 15 minutes at the start of any match may not bowl until he has served his “penance” by being on the field at least as long as the time he has missed. This now applies to the first day of a game!

Law 5: The Ball

·        All match balls (and spares) must be given to the umpires before the toss.

·        Umpires will take charge of the match ball at the fall of every wicket as well as each interval or interruption.

Law 6: The Bat

·        Most important change is that any part of the glove on a hand holding the bat is considered part of the bat for purposes of runs/leg byes or the catch. Above or below the wrist is now irrelevant.

Law 10: Preparation & Maintenance of the Playing Area

·        Mowing of the pitch must be completed no later than 30 mins. before the start. Mowing of the outfield must be completed no later than 15mins. before the start.

·        Creases are to be remarked when the umpires consider it necessary.

·        Batsmen no longer have the right to beat the pitch with their bat. 

Law 12: Innings

·        The toss must now take place not earlier than 30 minutes before the scheduled or rescheduled start time. This is in addition to not later than 15 minutes before the start.

Law 17: Practice on the field

·        There will be no practice on the pitch or the area parallel and immediately adjacent to the pitch at any time on any day of the match.

·        There will be no bowling or batting practice on any other part of the square on any day of the match except before the start of the day’s play or after the close of a day’s play.  Practice before the start of a day’s play must not continue later than 30 minutes before the start time. The umpires shall not allow this practice if they consider it will be detrimental to the surface of the square due to prevailing conditions of ground and weather. In the event of a contravention of these points by a bowler, he will not be allowed to bowl until his side has delivered 5 completed overs. If this occurs during an over, he will not be allowed to complete the over and that over will not be included towards the 5 over ban.

·        An umpire can allow a bowler’s trial run-up if he is satisfied that it will not waste time (as before). This now does not have to be at the fall of a wicket and can be during the moving of a sight-screen for example.

Law 19: Boundaries

·        The boundary shall be specifically agreed to exclude the sightscreens. The sightscreens will therefore be outside the field of play and a ball hitting them full pitch will now be a 6.

·        The inside of the line or rope will be the boundary edge. The ball hitting the boundary edge scores 4 unless agreed otherwise. Any markers should be at or behind the back edge of the rope or line and will be for guidance only – they will actually be outside the field of play. A ball hitting the top of a rope is now a 6.

·        Where a fence or similar object (advertising hoarding etc) marks the boundary the actual boundary edge is the base line of the fence in contact with the ground. If such a fence is disturbed in any way it shall be replaced in its previous position.

Law 21: The Result

·        As soon as a match result is reached the ball is dead and the match is at an end. If, say, 1 run is required to win and a “No ball” or a “Wide” is delivered, then the match has been won and nothing else counts – even if the ball is hit for 4 or 6. Also if, say, 2 runs are required to win and the ball is hit towards the boundary then if the batsmen complete 2 runs before the ball crosses the boundary, these 2 count and the boundary allowance does not.

Law 23: Dead Ball

·        New “automatic dead ball” if ball gets trapped between the strikers bat and person or between items of his clothing or equipment.

·        See Law 2.6, also automatically dead if player returns to the field without permission and makes contact with the ball.

·        Ball is now “considered to be dead” when it is clear to the umpire at the bowler’s end that both sides have ceased to regard the ball as being in play i.e. the criteria formerly used to decide whether to call over or not now applies to all deliveries.

·        Umpire can now call and signal Dead Ball if the striker is distracted by noise or movement whilst receiving or preparing to receive a delivery. This distraction may be on or off the field. This is in addition to the striker not being ready and can be applied even if the striker makes an attempt to play the ball. Ball called dead in this way would not count in the over. 

Law 24: No Ball

·        The “throw” is now altered to prohibit the complete or partial straightening of the elbow after the arm has reached shoulder level.

·        The umpire must now consider that the ball was thrown before embarking on the sequence of events. “Not being entirely satisfied as to the fairness of the delivery” is now not relevant.

·        Any ball which the umpire considers to have been fairly delivered and which either bounces more than twice or rolls before reaching the popping crease shall be called as a No Ball. Provided always that the striker has not touched the ball with bat or person.

·        The penalty of 1 run for the No Ball is an instant award and is in addition to any runs, boundaries or penalties scored or awarded. Thus if 1 run is required to win and a No Ball is delivered the game has been won at that point and “Time” will be called. A ball being hit to the boundary is not scored as a boundary in this case.

·        The 1 run is credited to the batting side as a No Ball irrespective of whether it was hit or not. Any runs for running or boundary will be to the striker if hit or No Ball extras if not. Penalties scored are entered as Penalty Extras.

Law 25: Wide Ball

·        Definition of a Wide has changed significantly. It no longer includes a ball passing over the striker’s head – this is now dealt with under unfair or dangerous bowling in Law 42.

·        Ball must now be sufficiently within the striker’s reach to allow a normal cricket stroke to hit it. Note this does not mean that negative bowling, down the leg side for instance, is automatically a Wide Ball.

·        The penalty of 1 run is an instantaneous award (see No Ball also) and would win the game if 1 was needed for that to be achieved. Any runs scored by running or boundary are entered as Wide Balls and will be added to the 1 run penalty. Any other penalty runs awarded will be entered as Penalty Extras. As with the No Ball the penalty of 1 run will apply even if a dismissal is achieved off that delivery.

Law 31: Timed Out

·        Unless “Time” has been called, the incoming batsman must be in position to take guard or for the other batsman to take strike within 3 minutes of the fall of the previous wicket.

Law 32: Caught

·        Note also the change in what constitutes the bat has an effect on this law.

·        There is no longer the opportunity to lean against a boundary fence to effect a catch. This is the effect of changing the definition of what constitutes the boundary. A fielder is not within the field of play if he touches the boundary (board, fence etc) or grounds any part of his person outside the boundary.

·        A player can now effect a catch by catching the ball, releasing it before he crosses the boundary, and catching it again when he returns to being wholly within the field of play.

Law 36: Leg before wicket

·        For a ball intercepted full pitch the umpire will only consider the potential flight of the ball before interception. This ignores any potential effect of the ball pitching and deviating before reaching the stumps. The umpire must still be certain the ball would have hit!

Law 38: Run out

·        The striker can now be given out Run Out of a No Ball if he is out of his ground for any reason (other than leaving it to avoid injury) and his wicket is fairly put down. He is not out under this law if he is not attempting a run and the wicket is put down by the wicket-keeper without the intervention of another fielder.

Law 40: The wicket-keeper

·        Movement by a significant amount, i.e. into stumping position, towards the stumps after the ball comes into play but before it reaches the striker is unfair and either umpire shall call and signal Dead Ball. A few paces movement to receive a slower delivery is acceptable.

Law 41: The fielder

·        Significant movement by a fielder after the ball comes into play and before it reaches the striker is unfair and either umpire shall call and signal Dead Ball.

·        For fielders in the outfield this allows movement directly in towards the striker or his wicket. Any movement away or more than slightly off that line is considered significant.

·        For close fielders anything other than minor adjustments of stance or position in relation to the wicket is considered significant.

Law 42: Fair & Unfair Play

·        42.3: Cleaning of the ball by removing mud must be done under the umpires supervision. A wet ball can only be dried with a cloth – sawdust is no longer allowed for this purpose. Rubbing the ball on the ground is prohibited.

·        42.6: Fast short pitched balls and high full tosses are now considered jointly as “dangerous or unfair bowling”. Any fast short pitched delivery which passes above head height of the striker when standing upright at the crease is considered as unfair even if not threatening injury. It will be considered as part of the sequence for repetition of deliveries which would be likely to cause injury. Each delivery above head height will be called and signalled as a No Ball.  There is no consideration of a high delivery being a Wide anymore. Any full pitched delivery, other than a slow paced one, which passes above waist height of the striker standing upright at the crease is considered dangerous and unfair whether it is likely or not to cause physical injury. A slow paced full pitch which passes above shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the crease is considered dangerous and unfair, whether it was likely to cause physical injury or not.

·        42.7: Any ball considered in 42.6 to be dangerous or unfair will be called a No Ball by the bowler’s end umpire. When the ball is dead the bowler will be cautioned with all interested parties being informed.

·        42.9: If a captain allows a fielder to waste time or the progress of an over is unnecessarily slow then the umpire at the bowler’s end will call Dead Ball if necessary and give the captain a first and final warning. Inform colleague and batsmen. If further wastage of time occurs but not during an over then 5 penalty runs will be awarded to the batting side. If such wastage of time occurs during an over then the captain will be instructed to take the bowler off and he may not bowl again in that innings. This will apply even if it is not the bowler himself who was wasting time. Inform and report.

·        It is strongly suggested that the umpires confer and agree on this matter before such actions as noted above take place.

·        42.12: The bowler’s end umpire shall caution the bowler when the ball is dead at the first instance the bowler runs on the protected area after delivering the ball. Inform all interested parties. If the bowler does it again in the same innings he will be given a final warning. Inform all as for caution. If he does it a third time in that innings, when the ball is dead, instruct the captain to take the bowler off. Get another bowler to complete the over if required. Inform and report. Note the change to the number of occasions the bowler can encroach into the Protected Area. Only three times in law! The umpire is likely to give a quiet warning initially if he thinks fit but once into the sequence it is one, two three. Captains, please note the offence is now one of trespass and not damage!!

·        42.14: If either batsman causes avoidable damage to the pitch the umpire will, in the first instance and when the ball is dead, caution both the batsmen. This caution will apply throughout the innings. Inform colleague, fielding captain and batting captain (as soon as practical). If there is a second instance of avoidable damage by any batsman who has previously received a warning (even as the innocent party) the batsman will be given a second and final warning. In addition all runs other than the penalty for No Ball or Wide Ball will be disallowed from that delivery. Batsmen will return to their original ends. If there is any further avoidable damage to the pitch by any batsman who has received a final warning any runs apart from those from No Ball or Wide Ball will be disallowed (done when ball is dead). Award 5 penalty runs to the fielding side. Inform and report.