15 Basic Rules of Cricket Every Fan Should Know

Cricket is governed by the Laws of Cricket, maintained by the MCC at Lord’s. At its core: two teams of 11 take turns batting and fielding, the batting side scores runs, and the fielding side tries to take 10 wickets to end an innings. Understanding these 15 fundamental rules gives you a solid foundation for following any format of the game.

1. Two teams, 11 players each

Each side has 11 players. The toss decides which team bats or fields first.

2. The objective

The batting team scores as many runs as possible. The fielding team aims to dismiss all 10 batting wickets (one batter always has no partner to bat with, ending the innings).

3. An innings

Each team has one innings (T20, ODI) or up to two innings (Test cricket). An innings ends when 10 wickets fall, overs run out, or the captain declares.

4. How runs are scored

• Running between the wickets: 1 run per completed run
• Ball reaches the boundary having bounced: 4 runs
• Ball clears the boundary without bouncing: 6 runs
• Extras (wides, no-balls, byes, leg-byes) also add to the total

5. The wicket

A wicket is three stumps with two bails balanced on top. Dislodging the bails dismisses the batter (unless they are grounded behind the crease in time).

6. The crease

Batters must have bat or body grounded behind the popping crease to be “in.” Crossing the crease at the wrong moment leads to run outs or stumpings.

7. Overs

An over is six legal deliveries bowled by one bowler from one end. After each over, a different bowler bowls from the opposite end.

8. The no-ball

A no-ball is called for a range of infractions (overstepping the crease, waist-high full-toss, etc.). The batting side gets one extra run, the delivery must be re-bowled, and the batter cannot be caught or bowled out off it.

9. The wide

A wide is a delivery the umpire rules too far from the batter to hit in a normal stance. One extra run is awarded and the delivery is re-bowled.

10. The 10 ways to be dismissed

Dismissal	How it happens
Bowled	Ball hits and dislodges the stumps
Caught	Fielder catches ball before it bounces
LBW	Ball would have hit stumps but hits batter’s body first
Run out	Batter fails to reach crease before fielder breaks the wicket
Stumped	Wicketkeeper removes bails while batter is out of the crease
Hit wicket	Batter dislodges their own stumps
Obstructing the field	Batter deliberately blocks a fielder
Hit the ball twice	Batter deliberately strikes the ball a second time
Handled the ball	(Merged into obstructing the field)
Timed out	New batter takes too long to arrive at the crease

11. LBW in detail

Leg Before Wicket is one of cricket’s most argued laws. The ball must be: not pitching outside leg stump, hitting the batter’s body, and the umpire must judge it would have hit the stumps. Impact outside off stump can still be given out if the batter plays no shot.

12. The fielding restrictions (powerplays)

In limited-overs cricket, fielding restrictions apply during powerplay overs — limiting how many fielders can be placed outside a set ring. This protects attacking batting early in innings.

13. The follow-on

In Test cricket, if the team batting second falls significantly short of the first team’s score, the leading side can enforce the follow-on, making the trailing side bat again immediately.

14. Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) method

In rain-affected limited-overs matches, DLS is used to set revised targets, keeping the match competitive while accounting for overs lost.

15. Fair and unfair play

Bowlers must not scuff or alter the ball illegally. Batters cannot obstruct the field deliberately. The umpires have authority to impose five-run penalties for breaches of fair play.

Quick summary: Cricket is two teams of 11 scoring runs by hitting a ball and running between wickets, while the fielding side tries to take 10 wickets. Key rules cover dismissals, extras, overs, and fielding restrictions — all overseen by the MCC’s Laws of Cricket.