No-Ball
Also known as: no ball, front-foot no ball
A no-ball is an illegal delivery in cricket. This means most commonly when the bowler's front foot lands beyond the popping crease. This means resulting in one extra run and the delivery being re-bowled. The batter cannot be dismissed (except run out).
The most common no-ball is the front-foot no-ball: the bowler's leading foot must land entirely behind the popping crease at the instant of delivery. If any part of that foot lands on or in front of the line, the umpire calls no-ball. Other causes include the ball bouncing more than twice before reaching the batter (a pitch-ball-double-bounce), the ball going over head height (a beamer), the fielding side having too many fielders outside the fielding restrictions, and others. No-balls carry a one-run penalty added to extras, the delivery is a free-hit in limited-overs cricket (meaning the batter can only be run out from a no-ball). The delivery must be bowled again. Pro bowlers are penalised heavily in team dynamics for regular no-balls because they concede runs and remove the possibility of taking wickets.
Mark a line in practice that is 10 cm behind the popping crease and train yourself to land behind that mark. This means the buffer gives you crease safety without sacrificing the proximity that maximises your bowling length.
After a no-ball, reset your run-up length immediately rather than continuing to bowl. This means if your no-ball habit was developing over several deliveries, a run-up adjustment is more reliable than simply trying to plant differently.
Example
The bowler bowls a thunderous delivery and the batter is caught behind. This means but the umpire raises the arm for no-ball. This is because the foot was over the crease. The batter is reprieved.
Why it matters
No-balls waste deliveries and protect the batter. SwingVantage's cricket analysis (in development) will track foot-landing position relative to the crease in video so bowlers can eliminate this common and costly error.
How it shows up on video
A no-ball in the front-foot context is visible on video as the bowler's front foot landing on or over the popping crease at the moment of delivery. In the case of a height no-ball, slow-motion footage shows the ball reaching the batter above waist height without bouncing, or above shoulder height after pitching. Both result in a free hit in limited-overs cricket, which is identifiable in footage by the changed fielding restrictions.
Common mistakes
- Bowlers reliably overstepping the popping crease by trying to land as close to it as possible to maximise pitch length
- Bowlers not practising crease-awareness drills and only discovering the no-ball issue during match play from the umpire's call
- Batters not capitalising on the free-hit delivery by attacking aggressively when dismissal risk is removed
- Fielding teams forgetting the free-hit rules and positioning fielders illegally for the delivery that follows a no-ball
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
SwingVantage cricket analysis (currently in development) will track bowler foot-plant position relative to the crease on each delivery to generate a crease-compliance report and flag consistent no-ball tendencies.
Frequently asked questions
Can a batter be out from a no-ball?
A batter can only be dismissed run out from a no-ball. All other modes of dismissal — bowled, caught, LBW, stumped, hit wicket — do not apply to a no-ball delivery.
Related terms
- CreaseThe crease is any of the white painted lines on the cricket pitch that define legal bowling positions, the safe zone for batters. The starting point for LBW and run-out adjudications.
- WideA wide is a delivery that passes outside the marked wide lines on the pitch. This means too far from the batter to be played normally. This means penalising the fielding team with one extra run and requiring the delivery to be re-bowled.
- Run OutA run out occurs when a fielder hits the stumps with the ball. At the same time, a batter is outside their crease. At the same time, attempting a run. This results in the batter being dismissed.
- Good LengthA good-length delivery is one that pitches at the spot that forces the batter to be uncertain whether to play off the front foot or the back foot. This means the most dangerous line for any bowler.
Put this into your swing
SwingVantage can spot this in your own swing — free to start.