Unfair play
The Laws punish cheating and dangerous play — most often with 5 penalty runs to the other side, plus a report to the governing body.
What you need to know
- Captains are responsible for their team playing fairly.
- Changing the condition of the ball (other than the allowed polishing and drying) is unfair.
- Deliberately distracting or obstructing a batter is unfair: the ball is dead and the batting side gets 5 penalty runs.
- Dangerous short-pitched bowling, and full tosses above waist height, are no-balls and can get a bowler removed from the attack.
- Wasting time, damaging the pitch, or running on the protected area of the pitch are unfair.
- Batters trying to steal a run while the bowler runs up is unfair: dead ball, the batters go back, and the fielding side gets 5 penalty runs.
- 5 penalty runs are added to the team's total as extras.
Examples
Specific situations
Ball hits a helmet on the ground
The batting side gets 5 penalty runs and the ball is dead the moment it hits the helmet — so there's no boundary, even if it then runs to the rope. Runs completed before it hit the helmet also count, plus the run in progress if the batters had crossed.
- Law 28.3.2 sets out the penalty and what else is scored.
- Fielding helmets may only be put on the ground behind the wicketkeeper, in line with both sets of stumps (Law 28.3.1).
Source: MCC Law 28
A fielder stops the ball with a cap or clothing
5 penalty runs to the batting side and the ball is dead. Runs already completed count, plus the run in progress if the batters had crossed, and the ball doesn't count in the over.
- Law 28.2.1: fielding the ball wilfully with anything other than the body (or with clothing held out) is illegal.
- Law 28.2.3 sets out the penalty.
Source: MCC Law 28
Fake fielding
5 penalty runs to the batting side, dead ball, and neither batter can be out from that ball. Runs completed count, and so does the run in progress — whether or not the batters had crossed. The batters choose who faces next.
- Law 41.5 covers wilful attempts to distract, deceive or obstruct a batter after the striker has received the ball.
Source: MCC Law 41
A fielder distracts the striker
Dead ball, 5 penalty runs to the batting side, and the ball doesn't count. Neither batter can be out from it.
- Law 41.4: deliberately distracting or obstructing the striker while they prepare to receive or receive the ball.
Source: MCC Law 41
Stealing a run during the run-up
Not allowed. Dead ball, the run is disallowed, the batters go back, and the FIELDING side gets 5 penalty runs — unless the bowler tries to run out the non-striker instead.
- Law 41.16.
Source: MCC Law 41
Official source
The Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026). Summary in Inswing's own words — follow the link for the official text.
Related: Player conduct · No ball