Cricket as a game is a form of pure entertainment. Like every sport , cricket is bound by rules and regulations. In fact, there is a Law Book written particularly for the purpose by the Marylborne Cricket Club (MCC) since its formation in 1787. There are 42 laws in cricket which deals on various subjects. These laws ensure that the game is played within the right spirit. However, there are some rules which are unknown to a common fan because they hardly come into play. Here is the list of five laws which are not very popular.
LOST BALL
We have seen a ball is never recovered or found after being hit out of the ground by a batsman. In this case, umpires call for a new ball and the game starts once again. However, you may be surprised that a rule is written about the lost ball. The Law 20 states that if, during play, the ball is lost, or is unable to be recovered, the fielding side can call it a “Lost ball”. The batting side can then keep the penalty runs (if it a no-ball) along with the actual run (4 or a 6) hit by the batsman or ran by the batsmen.
HANDLING THE BALL
Handling the ball is one of the ten methods of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. It dictates that a batsman can be given out if he intentionally touches the ball with his hand. An exception is given if a batsman handles the ball to avoid any sort of injury. It is governed by Law 33 in the laws of cricket and is a rare way for a batsman to be dismissed. In the history of cricket, there have been 56 instances in first-class matches and 4 occasions in List A games where a batsman has been given out handling the ball.
FORFEITURE
In the sport of cricket, a forfeiture occurs when a captain chooses to forfeit an entire innings. It is covered in Law 14 of the laws of cricket. This concept applies only to matches in which each team is scheduled to bat in two innings. This is not applicable in shorter formats of the game. Under the current laws, a captain may forfeit any of his side’s innings in a Test match. A forfeited innings shall be considered as complete. There is only one such instance when an entire inning was forfeited by two leading international captains. It happened during the fifth and final Test between South Africa and England at Centurion in 2000. South Africa had already won the series and were 2–0 up after the first four matches. The rain washed out three days after South Africa had scored 155 for 6. Hansie Cronje, the then South African captain, entered into a deal with his English counterpart, Nasser Hussain, that South Africa would continue batting till they reached somewhere near to 250 and then declare. England and then South Africa would then both forfeit an innings, leaving England approximately 250 to win (in the event the target was 249). South Africa scored 248/8 before declaring their inning. England went on to score the required runs and won the match by 2 wickets.
MANKADING
As a bowler enters his delivery stride, the non-striking batsman usually ‘backs up’. This means he leaves his popping crease and walks towards the other end of the wicket so that it will take him less time to reach the other end if he and his batting partner choose to attempt a run. Sometimes a batsman, whilst backing up, leaves the popping crease before the bowler has actually delivered the ball. In this case, the bowler may attempt to run-out the non-striking batsman. Getting a batsman out this way is generally considered to be against the spirit of the game despite being legal. It is governed by Law 38 in the Laws of cricket. The name Mankading was given because of the fact that it was Vinoo Mankad who first enforced such a dismissal while bowling. He ran out Bill Brown in 1947. The last time Mankading took place in international cricket was in 2014. Sachithra Senanayake, the Sri Lankan off-spinner, ran out non-striker Jos Buttler during the fifth ODI against England.
RESTRICTIONS ON INJURED FIELDER
When a bowler leaves the ground due to an injury and is replaced by a substitute fielder, he/she is generally not permitted to return and immediately resume bowling. The injured bowler is required to spend a period of time back on the field equal to the time that he was absent before resuming bowling. For example: If the player happens to be out of the field for a span of over 15 minutes, he shall not be allowed to bowl or bat (during the course of his team’s batting) for the exact length of the time for which he was out. Also, there are further restrictions about this. If a player, who has earlier left the field fail to inform the on-field umpires about his return to the field, and if it happens that the fielder fields a ball, the umpire shall offer 5 penalty runs to the batting team.
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