The No Ball

A no-ball is an illegal delivery in cricket, signalled by the on-field umpire extending one arm horizontally at shoulder height. It is one of the most important and multifaceted rules in the game, covering a range of bowling and fielding violations. When a no-ball is called, the batting team receives one extra run (added to the extras column, not to the batsman's score), and the delivery must be bowled again. A batsman cannot be bowled, caught, LBW, stumped or out hit the ball twice from a no-ball, though a run out remains possible. No-balls have match-turning implications in limited-overs cricket, where the extra delivery and the run can significantly affect close totals.

There are several distinct ways a no-ball can be called. The most common is a front-foot no-ball: the bowler's front foot lands with the heel fully past the front edge of the popping crease (the crease closest to the batsman) at the moment of delivery. A second type is a back-foot no-ball: the back foot lands on or outside the return crease (the line marking the edge of the bowling corridor). A full toss above waist height is a no-ball, and repeated dangerous high deliveries can see a bowler removed from the attack for the innings. Fielding violations — more than two fielders behind square on the leg side, or fielders positioned outside the fielding restrictions during Powerplay overs — also result in a no-ball.

Captains use the no-ball rule tactically in a limited way. Bowlers who habitually overstep the crease (a common issue at high speeds, where the extra momentum moves the body forward) are carefully monitored and coached, because a no-ball at a critical moment — particularly the free hit that follows in limited-overs cricket — can cost the fielding team dearly. In limited-overs formats, a front-foot no-ball mandates a free hit on the following delivery: the batsman cannot be dismissed by any means except a run-out, effectively giving them a free scoring opportunity. This rule makes front-foot no-balls particularly costly in T20 cricket.

No-ball incidents have decided major tournament matches and reshaped how the game is officiated. Controversy over missed front-foot calls in international cricket led the ICC to trial and then adopt third-umpire no-ball monitoring, where every delivery's front foot is checked on video and relayed to the on-field umpire. The free hit rule, introduced to limited-overs cricket in the 2000s, dramatically raised the cost of no-balls and has led to significant investment in bowler front-foot coaching and biomechanics work at every professional level.

Players often confuse a no-ball with a wide — both are extras, but they arise from different violations (illegal delivery vs deliveries too far from the batsman to hit). A batsman cannot be out caught from a no-ball — this is a rule many beginners get wrong, leading to confusion when a fielder takes a catch and the umpire still calls no-ball and asks the batsman to stay. Another confusion surrounds the free hit: it applies in limited-overs cricket (ODIs and T20s), not in Test matches, where a no-ball still invalidates most dismissals but the delivery is simply re-bowled with no free hit.