First decide whether the ball is live; then decide who gets the runs.

The ruleset used on this page

This page applies the Marylebone Cricket Club Laws of Cricket 2017 Code, 3rd Edition (2022), which remains the general Laws baseline on 26 August 2026. The central provisions are Law 18 (Scoring runs), Law 20 (Dead ball) and Law 23 (Bye and Leg bye), with Laws 19, 21 and 22 controlling boundaries, No balls and Wides.

MCC's 4th Edition (2026) has been published but does not take effect until 1 October 2026. Its relevant changes are identified separately below. International, national, league, junior and tournament playing conditions can replace or add to the MCC baseline; the conditions appointed for the match control.

“Dead ball” and the type of extra are not the same decision

1. Was the delivery still live? Law 20 decides when play from it ended.
2. What did the ball touch, and in what order? Law 23 distinguishes bat, person and no contact.
3. Were runs legally available? For leg byes, the umpire also judges whether the striker attempted a shot or tried to avoid being hit.

The score is classified only after that sequence is known. A missed take by the wicket-keeper does not by itself make the runs byes, and contact with a pad does not by itself guarantee leg byes.

A bye requires no contact with bat or striker

If a delivery, not being a Wide, passes the striker without touching the striker's bat or person, completed runs or a boundary allowance are credited to the batting side as byes. They are extras, not runs to the striker.

Under the usual boundary allowance, a ball that misses everything and reaches the boundary produces four byes. It cannot be a Boundary 6: MCC Law 19.7.1 reserves that for a ball struck by the bat which is first grounded beyond the boundary. Law 19.6 permits the umpires and captains to determine different ground allowances before the toss, so “four” is the normal allowance rather than an unqualified universal.

Person first, then a shot-or-avoidance test

Leg byes begin when the delivered ball first strikes the striker's person. Appendix A.12 defines that as the body plus worn clothing and legitimate external protective equipment, but not the bat; an ungloved or gloved hand not holding the bat is also part of the person. The umpire must then be satisfied that the striker either attempted to play the ball with the bat or tried to avoid being hit.

If one of those conditions is met and there is no later contact, eligible completed runs or the boundary allowance are leg byes. The same applies after only inadvertent later contact with the striker's person. If the ball then makes inadvertent contact with the bat, however, Law 23.2.2.1 credits the resulting runs to the striker. A wilful lawful second strike is instead governed by Law 34.

The umpire waits, then disallows the attempted leg-bye runs

Under MCC Law 23.3, if the striker did neither—no attempt to play with the bat and no attempt to avoid the ball—leg byes are not awarded. Unless the ball has already become dead for another reason, the umpire calls and signals Dead ball when the ball reaches the boundary or when the first run is completed.

The delay matters. Contact with the striker's person is not itself an immediate dead-ball call, so the fielding side retains its opportunity to put down a wicket before the Law 23.3 stopping point. Once the procedure is applied, all runs to the batting side from the running or boundary are disallowed and any not-out batters return to their original ends.

Some events end the ball without a spoken call

Under MCC 2022, the ball becomes dead when, among other listed events:

• it is finally settled in the wicket-keeper's or bowler's hands;
• a boundary is scored;
• a batter is dismissed—it is dead from the incident causing the dismissal;
• it becomes trapped between a batter's bat and person, or between items of the batter's clothing or equipment;
• it lodges in a batter's clothing or equipment, or in an umpire's clothing; or
• the match is concluded under the applicable conclusion-of-match provision.

Law 20.1.2 also treats the ball as dead when it is clear to the bowler's-end umpire that the fielding side and both batters have ceased to regard it as in play. The bowler's-end umpire may signal a Law 20.1 dead ball when players need to be informed, but the signal does not create a delay in an event that already made it dead.

Other interruptions require an umpire to intervene

Either umpire must call and signal Dead ball for the circumstances listed in Law 20.4.2. They include intervention for unfair play; a possibly serious injury; leaving the normal position for consultation; a bail falling from the striker's wicket before the striker can play; justified unreadiness where the striker makes no attempt; distraction while receiving; the bowler accidentally dropping the ball before delivery; a ball that cannot be recovered; and disadvantage caused by a person, animal or object within the field.

For these calls, the ball is generally treated as dead at the incident that required the call, not merely when viewers hear the words. A few other Laws expressly delay a call to protect the non-offending side. Once the ball is dead, Law 20.6 says no later change of decision can revive that delivery.

A return to the keeper is not always the end

Law 20.2 leaves the “finally settled” judgment to the umpire alone. Possession by the keeper or bowler is therefore necessary for this particular MCC 2022 route, but possession is not always sufficient: a keeper holding the ball while a stumping or run-out chance remains active has not necessarily brought play to an end.

Conversely, a shouted “Dead ball” is not always needed. If the umpire judges the ball finally settled, or it is clear that both sides have ceased to regard it as in play, the ball is already dead under Law 20.1. Players cannot manufacture another run or dismissal after that instant.

Dead ball does not mean every earlier run disappears

When the ball becomes dead for a reason other than a wicket, Law 18.9 normally preserves penalty runs, all runs completed before the incident or call, and the run in progress if the batters had already crossed at that instant. Specific provisions can override that default—Law 23.3's no-attempt leg-bye procedure is one.

When a wicket causes the ball to become dead, Law 18.8 applies instead. Penalty runs stand, but ordinary runs generally do not, subject to stated exceptions. For a Run out, completed runs before the wicket was fairly put down can count. The scoring result therefore depends on why the ball became dead, not just the fact that it did.

The delivery call changes the scoring label

• No ball: the call does not itself make the ball dead. Its one-run penalty is a No-ball extra; if the ball then misses bat and person, further completed runs or the boundary allowance are byes. If eligible body contact comes first, the further runs are leg byes.
• Wide: the call also does not make the ball dead, but all completed runs and the boundary allowance, together with the one-run penalty, are scored as Wides—not byes. Contact with the striker's bat or person before a fielder touches the ball revokes the Wide call.
• Both calls: No ball overrides Wide. The same delivery is not recorded under both categories.

Neither a No ball nor a Wide counts as one of the over. A different dead-ball event can still terminate the play, and the specific provision decides what is retained.

An extra does not make the batters safe

Bye and eligible leg-bye situations remain live until Law 20 or another Law ends them. A wicket can therefore intervene before runs are completed. A striker who misses a legal delivery can still be Stumped if the requirements of Law 39 are met, and either batter can be Run out while attempting a bye or leg bye. Eligible pad contact can also result in LBW if every Law 36 condition is satisfied.

If a dismissal is completed, the ball is dead from the incident causing it and the dismissal-scoring rules apply. No-ball and Wide deliveries restrict the available modes of dismissal under Laws 21.18 and 22.9, so those calls must be checked before assuming a wicket stands.

A dead delivery is not always re-bowled

Under Law 20.7, a delivered ball called or considered dead normally does not count if the striker had no opportunity to play it. If the striker did have an opportunity, it is normally a valid ball unless a No ball or Wide was called or a listed exception applies. In the special unreadiness case, the delivery is excluded only when the striker made no attempt and had an adequate reason for not being ready.

This is why “Dead ball means bowl it again” is unreliable. The cause, the striker's opportunity and any No-ball or Wide call all matter.

How to score a disputed delivery

1. Name the ruleset. Start with MCC 2022 only if the match has not appointed different playing conditions.
2. Find the stopping event. Identify the exact Law 20 event or umpire intervention and its instant.
3. Check No ball or Wide. Neither call alone ends play, but each changes scoring and dismissals.
4. Trace contact in order. Bat, person, later bat, or no contact.
5. For person-first contact, judge intent. Was there an attempted shot or an attempt to avoid being hit?
6. Check any wicket before the ball ended. Apply the dismissal Law and the restrictions for a No ball or Wide.
7. Credit only what survives. Use Law 18's default, then any specific override such as Law 23.3.

A clean miss runs to the rope

Situation: a legal, non-Wide delivery misses bat and person, the wicket-keeper misses it, and the ball reaches a boundary with the usual four-run allowance.

MCC 2022 ruling: four byes under Laws 23.1 and 19.7. The decisive facts are no contact and no Wide. The boundary makes the ball dead; the runs are extras and are not credited to the striker.

A defensive shot misses and the pad deflects the ball

Situation: the striker clearly attempts a defensive shot, misses, and the ball first hits the pad. The batters complete two before the ball is finally settled.

MCC 2022 ruling: two leg byes under Law 23.2, assuming no dismissal or other overriding event. The decisive fact is the genuine attempt to play, not whether the bat came close to contact.

No shot, no avoidance, and a completed run

Situation: the striker stands still, makes no attempt to play or avoid a legal ball, and it hits the pad. The batters complete one run without a wicket.

MCC 2022 ruling: Dead ball at completion of the first run under Law 23.3; no run is scored and both not-out batters return to their original ends. The ball normally counts because the striker had the opportunity to play it. The decisive fact is failure of both Law 23.2.1 alternatives.

The same no-attempt contact follows a No ball

Situation: a front-foot No ball hits a stationary striker's pad; there is neither a shot nor avoidance, and the batters complete one attempted run.

MCC 2022 ruling: the attempted leg-bye run is disallowed, but the No-ball call and one-run penalty stand. The total added is one No-ball extra. The delivery does not count in the over because it is a No ball.

A dead-ball call arrives halfway through a run

Situation: after one completed bye, an umpire calls Dead ball for a qualifying interruption while a second run is in progress. The batters had already crossed at the instant of the incident or call.

MCC 2022 ruling: absent a specific override, Law 18.9 credits the completed run and the crossed run: two byes. If they had not crossed, only the completed run would count and they would return to the wickets they had left. The decisive fact is their position at the exact dead-ball instant.

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 adds camera-contact rules

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Playing Conditions retain the MCC-style clauses for byes and leg byes but add specific dead-ball outcomes for on-field or overhead cameras, apparatus and cables.

• If a ball hit by the batter contacts the camera system while still in play, clause 20.1.3 makes it dead, excludes it from the over and scores no runs. A called No ball and its one-run penalty survive, but no other runs do.
• If a fielder's throw contacts the camera system, clause 20.1.4 makes it dead. Completed runs and the in-progress run if the batters had crossed are retained; unless the delivery was already a No ball or Wide, the ball counts in the over.

These are tournament playing conditions, not universal MCC rules. Other ICC events and domestic competitions must be checked against their own current documents.

MCC changes “finally settled” and clarifies the delayed leg-bye call

MCC's 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026) will broaden the finally-settled route. From 1 October, the ball may be finally settled in the hands of any fielder or stationary on the ground, provided the bowler's-end umpire determines that it is no longer in play. Until then, the 2022 wording on the keeper or bowler remains the MCC baseline.

The 2026 wording also expressly says the Law 23.3 call is delayed until the ball reaches the boundary or the first run is completed, and adds Law 23.3 to Law 20.4.2's list of delayed calls. The scoring consequence remains the non-award of leg byes; the revision makes the stopping point and remaining dismissal opportunity clearer.

Six claims that lose an important condition

• “It hit the pad, so they are leg byes.” Only if the shot-or-avoidance test is met and the runs are otherwise legal.
• “The keeper missed it, so it is a bye.” Contact and any Wide call decide the category, not the keeper's error.
• “Dead ball wipes out everything.” Law 18 often preserves earlier completed or crossed runs; specific overrides may disallow them.
• “A No ball is immediately dead.” Law 21 says the opposite; another event is needed to end play.
• “A Wide that reaches the rope is four byes.” The penalty and boundary allowance are recorded together as Wides.
• “Once the keeper holds it, a late run is always available.” The umpire alone decides whether it was finally settled; once dead, it cannot be revived.

Governing-body sources and effective versions

• MCC — Laws of Cricket 2017 Code, 3rd Edition (2022), Laws 18–23 (current through 30 September 2026)
• MCC — Law 20, Dead ball
• MCC — Law 23, Bye and Leg bye
• MCC — Law 18, Scoring runs, especially 18.8–18.10 and 18.12
• MCC — Law 19, Boundaries, especially 19.6–19.8
• MCC — 4th Edition announcement and 1 October 2026 effective date
• MCC — Changes to the Laws for the 2026 edition, Laws 20 and 23
• ICC — Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Playing Conditions, clauses 18–23, especially 20.1.3–20.1.4

Checked on 26 August 2026 against the currently effective MCC 2022 edition, MCC's published replacement effective 1 October 2026, and the named ICC tournament conditions. The MCC Laws are the general baseline; international, domestic, league, junior and tournament regulations may modify them, so use the playing conditions appointed for the match.