A bent elbow is not automatically an illegal throw.

Which rule controls this page

The baseline here is Marylebone Cricket Club's Laws of Cricket 2017 Code, 3rd Edition 2022, especially Law 21.2 to 21.4. That edition took effect on 1 October 2022 and remains the MCC Code in force on 26 August 2026. Competition playing conditions can replace or supplement it.

MCC has published a 4th Edition for 2026, but it does not take effect until 1 October 2026. Its Law 21.2 to 21.4 keeps the same core arm test, warning procedure and pre-delivery-stride exception. Until then, describing the 4th Edition as the current MCC Law would be premature.

The rule is about straightening, not the starting bend

MCC Law 21.2 starts its test when the bowling arm reaches the level of the shoulder in the delivery swing. From that instant until release, the elbow joint must not straighten partially or completely. The rule expressly says this does not prevent the bowler flexing or rotating the wrist.

A bowler may therefore begin that part of the swing with a bent elbow and keep the bend substantially fixed. Conversely, an action can breach the MCC wording even if the arm never becomes perfectly straight: partial straightening is enough. Pace, spin, a low or round-arm release, shoulder rotation and an unusual natural arm shape do not by themselves decide legality.

How to analyse a delivery under MCC Law 21

1. Name the ruleset. Use MCC Law 21 unless the appointed competition has modified it.
2. Locate the delivery stride. A throw before the bowler enters that stride has a different result from a thrown delivery after entry.
3. Watch the bowling arm from shoulder level to release. The MCC question is whether the elbow straightens at all in that interval.
4. Exclude legal wrist movement. Wrist flexion or rotation is not elbow straightening.
5. Apply the immediate outcome. After entry into the delivery stride, either umpire may call and signal No ball.
6. Check the bowler's innings record. A first breach brings a first-and-final warning; a further breach by that bowler brings suspension from bowling for the innings.

The striker's-end umpire leads, but either umpire may call

MCC Law 21.2 gives primary responsibility for judging the arm to the striker's-end umpire. It also expressly allows the bowler's-end umpire to call and signal No ball if that umpire considers the ball thrown.

No appeal from the batting side is required. This is an umpire's fairness decision. The delivery's appearance on a replay may explain a discussion, but the MCC Law does not create an angle-measurement review during the ball.

A called throw is a live No ball, not an instant dead ball

Under MCC Law 21.14 to 21.18, calling No ball does not itself make the ball dead. One No ball penalty run is awarded, the delivery does not count in the over, and No ball overrides Wide. Runs, boundaries and permitted dismissals can still follow.

After a No ball, either batter may be dismissed only under Law 34 (Hit the ball twice), Law 37 (Obstructing the field) or Law 38 (Run out). A competition may add a free hit after a No ball, but that is a playing-condition feature, not part of the general MCC throwing procedure.

The first call creates one warning for the innings

Once the ball is dead, the calling umpire tells the other umpire why No ball was called. Under MCC Law 21.3.1, the bowler's-end umpire then gives the bowler a first and final warning that lasts throughout that innings, informs the fielding captain of the reason, and tells the two batters at the wicket what occurred.

The bowler is not automatically removed after this first delivery. The warning covers both misconduct grouped in Law 21.3: throwing and an underarm delivery not specially agreed before the match.

The next throw or prohibited underarm ball ends that bowler's spell for the innings

If either umpire considers that the same bowler delivers a further thrown ball in that innings, the umpire again calls No ball. MCC Law 21.3.2 then requires the bowler's-end umpire to direct the fielding captain to suspend the bowler immediately from bowling for the rest of that innings. A prohibited underarm delivery after the same warning has the same effect.

If the over is unfinished, another bowler completes it. That replacement must not have bowled the previous over or any part of it and may not bowl any part of the next over. The batters are informed immediately, and the batting captain is informed as soon as practicable.

MCC reporting is separate from the on-field penalty

Law 21.3.3 requires the two umpires together to report the occurrence as soon as possible after the match to the offending side's Executive and to any Governing Body responsible for the match. That authority decides what further action is appropriate.

The No ball, warning and innings suspension settle the match situation. Any later technical assessment, eligibility restriction or disciplinary response depends on the governing body's competition rules; MCC Law 21 does not itself create one universal laboratory process.

A pre-stride throw towards the striker's end is treated differently

If the bowler throws the ball towards the striker's end before entering the delivery stride, MCC Law 21.4 says it is not a No ball and the Law 21.3 warning-and-suspension process does not apply. Either umpire instead calls and signals Dead ball under Law 20.4.2.9.

This exception is about timing. Once the bowler has entered the delivery stride, a delivery judged thrown falls under Law 21.3. A replay cannot be analysed correctly without first identifying that point.

International cricket separates a suspect normal action from a one-off throw

Current ICC playing conditions modify MCC Law 21. The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Playing Conditions, clause 21.2, and the ICC Women's T20I Playing Conditions effective July 2026 define an Illegal Bowling Action as elbow extension exceeding 15 degrees from arm-horizontal to release, with hyperextension discounted.

Under ICC clause 21.2, either umpire or the ICC Match Referee who suspects an Illegal Bowling Action completes the ICC Bowling Action Report Form after the match. Clause 21.3 retains the immediate No ball and first-and-final warning for a ball thrown in a way that does not correspond to the bowler's normal bowling action. The distinction means a viewer should not assume that every report of a suspect normal action produced an on-field No ball.

Fifteen degrees is measured from horizontal, not shoulder level

ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations Article 2.1 measures Elbow Extension from the point when the bowling arm reaches the horizontal until release. More than 15 degrees is illegal; 15 degrees or less is within the ICC limit. Elbow Hyperextension—movement beyond the naturally straight position—is discounted.

This is not the literal MCC Law 21.2 test, which begins at shoulder level and prohibits partial or complete straightening. It is the ICC's quantified modification for cricket under ICC jurisdiction. Domestic cricket is governed by each national federation's own published process, even where that process adopts the same threshold.

A report is a suspicion, not a finding of illegality

ICC Regulations Articles 3.1 to 3.3 permit an umpire and/or Match Referee to submit a Match Officials' Report at the conclusion of a match. Officials are directed to assess the action live or on normal-speed video with the naked eye; slow motion may confirm an initial suspicion but is not supposed to create it.

For Tests, ODIs and T20Is, the report goes to the player's team manager and the ICC within 24 hours. The player is then directed to an Independent Assessment at an ICC Accredited Testing Centre under Article 4.1, normally within 14 days unless exceptional circumstances exist. The player must reproduce the reported standard action and any identified Specific Variations. Subject to stated exceptions, Article 4.3 allows the player to keep bowling while the validated result is pending.

The result may ban the whole action or only a variation

If the validated assessment finds the player's Standard Delivery Type illegal—or finds that the tested action was materially different from the reported match action—Article 6.1 immediately suspends the player from bowling in international cricket. The player may return after a Re-Assessment finds the action legal.

If only a Specific Variation is illegal and the standard action is legal, Article 6.2 allows the player to continue bowling but warns against using that variation. A further report and confirmed illegal Specific Variation produces immediate suspension and counts as a second suspension. Under Article 6.12, a second suspension within two years of the first carries a minimum one-year suspension before Re-Assessment.

DRS is not an elbow-angle appeal

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 DRS protocol, paragraph 3.1.1, excludes a call or non-call concerning an Illegal Bowling Action from Player Review. Its third-umpire checks likewise exclude the general use of an Illegal Bowling Action.

There is a narrow exception: the third umpire may identify use of a Specific Variation that has already been prohibited under ICC Regulations Article 6.2. That is enforcement of an existing assessment result, not live biomechanical measurement of a previously untested action.

A bent arm stays at the same angle

Situation: after the bowling arm reaches shoulder level, the elbow remains visibly bent at roughly the same angle until release while the wrist rotates sharply.

MCC 2022 ruling: the visible bend and wrist rotation do not by themselves make the delivery a throw. Law 21.2 asks whether the elbow straightened in the relevant interval. The decisive fact is movement at the elbow, not the arm's appearance.

The arm straightens only part of the way

Situation: the arm is bent at shoulder level, then becomes less bent before release but never becomes fully straight.

MCC 2022 ruling: if the umpire considers that partial straightening occurred, the delivery is thrown for Law 21.2 purposes. After entry into the delivery stride, call No ball and apply the Law 21.3 warning procedure. Full straightening is not required.

A spinner deliberately darts one ball with a different action

Situation: in an ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 match, a spinner uses an obvious one-off throwing motion that does not correspond to the player's normal action.

ICC 2026 ruling: either umpire may call No ball under clause 21.3.1. Once the ball is dead, the bowler receives the first-and-final warning for the innings. The decisive fact is that the thrown mode is different from the normal bowling action; a general suspicion about the normal action instead follows the reporting route in clause 21.2.

A reported bowler remains available pending assessment

Situation: ICC match officials report a bowler's normal action after a T20I, but no validated assessment result has yet been delivered.

ICC Regulations ruling: subject to the Regulations' stated exceptions, Article 4.3 permits the player to continue bowling in international cricket while awaiting the result. A report records suspicion; it is not itself a technical finding or automatic suspension.

Claims that collapse different rules

• “Any bent elbow is illegal.” MCC Law 21.2 focuses on straightening after shoulder level, while ICC rules quantify extension from arm-horizontal.
• “The ICC allows 15 degrees under every cricket ruleset.” The 15-degree definition is an ICC modification; other competitions must be checked.
• “A reported bowler has already been found guilty.” An ICC report starts the assessment process.
• “Every ICC suspect action should be called No ball immediately.” Current ICC clause 21 distinguishes the normal-action report from an on-field throw unlike the normal action.
• “Slow-motion replay can settle the angle during DRS.” General Illegal Bowling Action calls and non-calls are excluded from ICC Player Review.
• “The first call removes the bowler for the match.” Under MCC Law 21.3 it creates a first-and-final warning for that innings; a further breach triggers suspension for that innings.

Check the appointed competition's procedure

ICC Regulations Article 10 requires national cricket federations to maintain their own procedures for suspected actions in domestic cricket. Those policies may prescribe different reporting routes, age-grade safeguards, testing arrangements and consequences. A local league should not be described as following the ICC international process unless its regulations say so.

For a practical ruling, identify the governing board, competition, season and playing conditions before applying the 15-degree threshold, a free hit or any off-field suspension.

Governing-body sources and effective versions

• Marylebone Cricket Club — Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 3rd Edition 2022, Law 21: No ball (especially 21.2–21.4 and 21.14–21.18)
• Marylebone Cricket Club — Laws editions and official downloads: 3rd Edition 2022 and published 4th Edition 2026
• Marylebone Cricket Club — 4th Edition 2026 commencement notice: effective 1 October 2026
• Marylebone Cricket Club — Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition 2026, Law 21.2–21.4 (published text effective 1 October 2026)
• International Cricket Council — ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Playing Conditions, clauses 21.2–21.3 and Appendix D paragraphs 2.6 and 3.1.1
• International Cricket Council — Women's T20I Playing Conditions, effective July 2026, clauses 21.2–21.3 and Appendix A.9
• International Cricket Council — Illegal Bowling Actions overview and current regulations links
• International Cricket Council — Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions, official current posting (ICC hub labels effective September 2018), Articles 2–7, 10 and Annexure 1

Checked on 26 August 2026 against the MCC Code currently in force, MCC's published 1 October 2026 commencement notice, current named ICC playing conditions and the ICC regulations linked from its rules hub. The ICC hub labels its regulations download “effective September 2018”, while Article 13.3 inside the posted text gives 19 October 2016 as its original effective date; current 2026 ICC playing conditions still incorporate those Regulations. The November 2020 addendum was not applied because its own text expired on 31 December 2021. Domestic and age-grade competitions may supplement or replace these procedures.