No-ball rules in cricket and the free hit
A no-ball is an illegal delivery under Law 21: it adds one run, doesn't count in the over, and in ODIs and T20Is the next ball is a free hit.
What a no-ball is
A no-ball is a delivery the bowler wasn't allowed to bowl. Law 21 of the Laws of Cricket sets out most of the reasons, and the most common is the front foot landing over the line. A no-ball gives the batting side one extra run, doesn't count as a ball of the over, and in one-day and T20 internationals the next ball is a free hit.
The front foot
Law 21.5.2 says that in the delivery stride, some part of the bowler's front foot must land behind the popping crease, the line in front of the stumps where the batter takes guard. That part of the foot can be on the ground or raised in the air, so a heel hovering behind the line is enough. A foot planted wholly on or beyond the line is a no-ball.
The same clause adds a second test that few fans know: the front foot must also land on the same side of the middle-stump line as the return crease the bowler is using. A bowler running in from round the wicket can't plant the front foot across on the other side.
Overstepping happens most with fast bowlers, whose run-ups are long and whose stride can stretch when tired. The cost can be much bigger than one run. A batter caught, bowled or LBW off a front-foot no-ball is not out.
The back foot
Law 21.5.1 covers the other foot. The back foot must land inside the return crease, the line at right angles to the popping crease on each side of the stumps, and must not touch it. The return crease stops bowlers delivering from out wide, at an angle the batter can't cover.
Height: waist-high full tosses and short balls
Two kinds of ball are no-balls because of how high they come at the batter.
Waist-high full tosses. Under Law 41.7, any delivery that passes, or would have passed, above the batter's waist without bouncing is a no-ball, with the batter judged standing upright at the popping crease. If the umpire thinks it was also dangerous, the bowler gets a first and final warning, and a second dangerous one in that innings means they are taken off and can't bowl again in it.
Short balls. Law 41.6 lets the umpire no-ball short-pitched bowling that is dangerous or unfair. The first such call also brings a first and final warning, and a second in that innings means the bowler is taken off for the rest of it. International cricket adds a count. Under the ICC's playing conditions, a bowler may bowl two fast short balls an over in Tests and ODIs and one in T20Is, a short ball meaning one that passes above the batter's shoulder. One more in the same over is a no-ball.
A ball that bounces and goes over the batter's head is a wide under the Laws (22.1.3), not a no-ball. In internationals, a short ball called wide this way still counts towards that over's limit.
Other ways to bowl a no-ball
Most fans know the front foot. These are rarer, but each is in the Laws:
- Throwing. The bowling arm must not straighten at the elbow once it reaches shoulder height in the delivery swing (21.2).
- Changing the mode without telling the umpire, such as switching from over to round the wicket, or right to left arm (21.1).
- Bouncing more than once or rolling along the ground before reaching the popping crease, or landing off the pitch (21.7).
- Coming to rest in front of the batter's stumps, or so wide the batter would have to leave the pitch to reach it (21.8).
- Breaking the wicket at the bowler's end at any point from the start of the run-up until the stride after delivery (21.6).
- The wicket-keeper coming in front of the stumps before the ball touches the batter or the bat, passes the wicket or the batter sets off for a run (27.3), or a fielder touching the ball before it reaches the batter (21.9).
- Field placing: more than two fielders, apart from the keeper, behind the popping crease on the leg side (28.4), or, in ODIs and T20Is, a breach of the fielding restrictions.
The penalty
The no-ball's one-run penalty is added at once and charged to the bowler (21.14 and 21.15). Anything the batters run, and any boundary hit, is added on top. The ball doesn't count as one of the six in the over (21.16), so the bowler has to bowl it again.
The ball is still live after a no-ball call (21.13), and a batter can still be out in three ways: run out, hit the ball twice, or obstructing the field (21.17). Bowled, caught, LBW, stumped and hit wicket are all off.
The free hit
The free hit is not in the Laws. It comes from the ICC's playing conditions for ODIs and T20Is, and many domestic white-ball competitions use it too. There is no free hit in Test cricket.
- Every kind of no-ball earns a free hit on the next delivery.
- If the free hit is itself a wide or a no-ball, the next ball is a free hit as well.
- The batter can only be out the ways they could off a no-ball: run out, hit the ball twice or obstructing the field.
- The fielding side can't move its fielders for the free hit, unless the batter on strike has changed or the field has to be fixed after a fielding-restriction no-ball.
The free hit came into international cricket in October 2007, at first only for foot-fault no-balls (front foot or back foot), and was extended to every kind of no-ball in 2015.
How a no-ball is called
The bowler's end umpire calls "No ball" and holds one arm out straight to the side. For a free hit, the umpire then raises one arm straight up and moves it in a circle.
In ICC international matches, the third umpire now watches a replay of the front foot on every ball and tells the on-field umpire if it was over. A bowler who oversteps on purpose can be suspended from bowling for the rest of the match under Law 41.8.
Next time a bowler oversteps, see if you can spot it before the umpire does. Try it on a run of deliveries in the game below.
Sources
- MCC Laws of Cricket, Law 21: No ball
- MCC Laws of Cricket, Law 41: Unfair play
- MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 Code, 4th edition (2026), Laws 21, 22, 27, 28 and 41
- ICC Men's ODI Playing Conditions, October 2026 (clauses 21.18 and 41.6)
- ICC Men's T20I Playing Conditions, October 2026
- ESPNcricinfo: Clarification to free-hit regulation in ODIs (2007)
- ICC Men's Test Match Playing Conditions, October 2026 (clauses 21.5 and 41.6)
- Wikipedia: Free hit (history)
Questions
What is a no-ball in cricket?
A delivery the bowler wasn't allowed to bowl, most often because the front foot landed over the popping crease. It gives the batting side one run, doesn't count as a ball of the over, and in ODIs and T20Is the next ball is a free hit.
What is the front-foot no-ball rule?
Under Law 21.5.2, some part of the bowler's front foot, on the ground or raised, must land behind the popping crease. A foot planted wholly on or over the line is a no-ball.
Is a waist-high full toss a no-ball?
Yes. Under Law 41.7, a ball that passes or would have passed above the batter's waist without bouncing is a no-ball, judged with the batter standing upright at the crease. A dangerous one also earns the bowler a warning.
What is a free hit in cricket?
In ODIs and T20Is, the ball after any no-ball is a free hit. The batter can only be out run out, for hitting the ball twice or for obstructing the field, and the fielding side can't change its field unless the striker changes or a fielding breach needs fixing.
Can you be out on a no-ball?
Only three ways: run out, hit the ball twice or obstructing the field (Law 21.17). Bowled, caught, LBW, stumped and hit wicket don't count off a no-ball.
Is there a free hit in Test cricket?
No. The free hit comes from the ICC's ODI and T20I playing conditions. In a Test, a no-ball still gives a run and an extra ball, but the next delivery is a normal one.
Play: Speed Round: ten umpire calls in 60 seconds