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Often hailed as the world’s most popular game, cricket harbors a plethora of rules and hidden strategic moves. While most viewers are well aware of the basic rules, wickets, boundaries and runs, a lot more decides the fate of cricket teams and players on the cricket field. In addition to the explicitly outlined regulations, the sport of cricket is also majorly regulated by an unspoken code of conduct and a distinguished set of rules.
The Mankading Rule
The mankading rule is one of the most popular and also one of the most misunderstood rules in the cricket world. The rule was named after the prominent Indian bowler Vinoo Mankad and dictates that if the batsman on the striking end leaves the crease before the bowler has released the ball, the bowler holds the right to strike the bails and appeal for a dismissal. A detail that most cricket fans tend to overlook here is, that the mankading rule can be applied only if the bowler hasn’t reached the apex height of his/her delivery. Recently, the mankading rule left the internet divided after Deepti Sharma dismissed Charlotte Dean at the non-striker’s end during the third Women’s ODI between India and England. After reviewing the entire controversy, the International Cricket Council (ICC) stated that marketing would be counted as a run-out rather than being considered an unfair play with effect from October 1, 2022.
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The ‘timed-out’ Rule
The timed-out rule indicates that the incoming batsmen must be padded up to face the ball or already positioned at the non-striker’s end within three minutes in case of the outgoing batsman” dismal or injury. In case the batsman exceeds the waiting period of three minutes and fails to be at the crease, the opposition team can appeal for his/ her dismissal. In the recent ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews was timed out before facing even a single delivery from Bangladesh’s bowlers. According to the reports, Angelo Mathews was facing issues with his helmet’s strap and therefore couldn’t reach the crease on time. Nevertheless, he was dismissed after Bangladesh’s timed-out appeal.
The ‘No-Twice Hitting” Rule
The “Law 34” of the Indian cricket laws explicitly states that a batsman is not allowed to hit the ball twice before it has touched any fielder on the ground. In case the batsman tries to strike the ball twice to hit a shot, he/she will be considered out. However, there are two exceptions to this rule that most cricket fans don’t know about. Firstly, the batsman can hit the ball twice to pass it on to a fielder only if he/she has the fielder’s consent to do so, and in the second case, the batsman can hit the ball twice to safeguard his wickets.
The “Fake-Fielding” Rule
Although the fake-fielding rule is relatively new in the book of cricket laws, it still holds significant prominence and influences the game to a formidable extent. The rule of fake-fielding implies that if a fielder deliberately pretends to have the ball which subsequently prevents the batsman from going for an extra run-chase between the stumps, it would be considered a ‘fake-fielding’ and, as a harsh consequence, the bowler’s team would be penalized for five runs for creating a nuisance. The fake fielding rule ensures fair play on the field.
The ‘No-Gloves for fielders” Rule
A majority of cricket aficionados are aware of the fact that fielders are not allowed to wear gloves on the field while fielding. However, not many of them are aware of the consequences that the rule brings forth. If any fielder is observed wearing the wicket-keeper’s gloves for more than ten seconds without any intent of being a wicket-keeper for the match, as a penalty a total of five runs are awarded to the batting team.
