Cricket laws, clearly set out.

Cricket rules in five minutes

Rules baseline: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 Code, third edition (2022), which remains in force through 30 September 2026. MCC's fourth edition takes effect on 1 October 2026; ICC and domestic playing conditions modify the Laws.

1. Objective: score more runs than the opposition while dismissing its batters and managing the allotted innings, overs, or time.
2. Players, field, and equipment: two teams of 11 use a central pitch with a wicket at each end inside an oval field; bat, ball, wickets, boundary, and protective equipment are regulated.
3. How play begins: a toss decides which captain chooses to bat or field, and an over begins when the bowler delivers from one end to the striker.
4. Possession and turns: one side bats while the other bowls and fields; six valid balls normally form an over, after which a different bowler delivers from the opposite end.
5. Scoring: batters score by running between the wickets, hitting boundaries worth four or six, and receiving extras such as no-balls, wides, byes, and leg byes.
6. Length and winner: format controls the contest—Tests allow up to five days and two innings per side, while ODIs and T20s limit each side to 50 or 20 overs under ICC conditions.
7. Main dismissals and offences: bowled, caught, LBW, run out, and stumped are common dismissals; no-balls, wides, unfair play, dangerous bowling, and time breaches carry runs or other sanctions.
8. Restarts and penalties: the next delivery normally restarts play after the ball becomes dead; invalid balls may have to be re-bowled, and penalty runs or free hits depend on the playing conditions.
9. Competition differences: ICC Test, ODI, and T20I conditions change fielding restrictions, reviews, over limits, new balls, ties, rain calculations, and match timing; domestic competitions add their own rules.
10. Go deeper: start with LBW, no-balls and wides, run outs and stumpings, penalty runs, and the full explainer list below.