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Plain-language summaries of the Laws of Cricket, with examples. Every topic links to the official wording.
Describe the situation in your own words — like “What happens if we get bowled on a free hit and we ran?”
Two teams take turns to bat and to bowl. The batting side scores runs; the fielding side tries to get the batters out. The side with more runs wins.
Law 1 · The playersA side has eleven players, including a captain. Sides can agree to play with more or fewer, but never more than eleven may field at once.
Law 1 · The playersBefore play, the captains toss a coin. The winner chooses whether their side bats or fields first.
Law 13 · InningsAn innings is one side's turn to bat. It ends when the side is all out, the agreed overs are used up, or the captain declares or forfeits.
Law 13 · InningsAn over is 6 valid balls bowled from one end. Wides and no-balls don't count towards the 6, so an over can take more than 6 deliveries.
Law 17 · The overA run is scored each time both batters cross and reach the other end safely while the ball is in play.
Law 18 · Scoring runsHit the ball over the boundary without it touching the ground: 6. Hit it to the boundary after it has bounced, or it reaches the boundary without being hit: 4.
Law 19 · BoundariesA no-ball is an illegal delivery — most often because the bowler's front foot lands beyond the popping crease. The batting side gets 1 run and the ball is bowled again.
Law 21 · No ballA wide is a delivery the batter can't reach with a normal cricket shot. The batting side gets 1 run and the ball is bowled again.
Law 22 · Wide ballByes are runs taken when the ball passes the batter without touching bat or body. Leg byes are runs taken after the ball hits the batter's body.
Law 23 · Bye and Leg byeThere are ten ways to be out. The common ones are bowled, caught, LBW, run out and stumped. A batter is only given out if the fielding side appeals.
Law 31 · AppealsThe striker is out bowled if the bowler's delivery breaks their wicket — even if the ball touched their bat or body first.
Law 32 · BowledThe striker is out caught if a fielder catches the ball after it has been hit by the bat (or the glove holding the bat), before it touches the ground.
Law 33 · CaughtThe striker is out LBW if the ball hits their body (not the bat first) and would have gone on to hit the stumps — within rules about where it pitched and where it hit them.
Law 36 · Leg before wicketEither batter is run out if they are out of their ground and a fielder breaks the wicket at that end while the ball is in play.
Law 38 · Run outThe striker is stumped if they are out of their ground, not trying a run, and the wicket-keeper breaks the wicket without help from another fielder.
Law 39 · StumpedThe striker is out hit wicket if they break their own wicket with their bat or body while playing, preparing to play, or setting off for a first run.
Law 35 · Hit wicketAn umpire only gives a batter out if a fielder asks — usually by shouting "How's that?". A batter can also walk off without waiting.
Law 31 · AppealsA dead ball is when play stops for that delivery — no more runs can be scored and nobody can be out until the next ball.
Law 20 · Dead ballThe Laws punish cheating and dangerous play — most often with 5 penalty runs to the other side, plus a report to the governing body.
Law 41 · Unfair playPlayers must respect umpires, opponents and the game. Umpires deal with bad behaviour in four levels, from a warning up to sending a player off.
Law 42 · Players' conductThe side with more runs wins. Equal scores with every innings complete is a tie. A match that doesn't finish is a draw — unless the competition has other rules for that.
Law 16 · The resultThe Laws of Cricket are written by MCC and apply to every match. Inswing follows The Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026), in force from 1 October 2026.
Playing conditions are extra rules a competition adds — like the ICC's free hit, limits on overs per bowler, powerplays and the Super Over. They aren't Laws, and your tournament only uses them if the organizer says so. Where one matters, it's marked “Not a Law”.
These summaries are Inswing's own words, not the text of the Laws. The Laws of Cricket are © Marylebone Cricket Club; for the exact wording, follow the link on each topic.