Dead Ball in Cricket: Law 20 Explained

A dead ball in cricket is a ball that is no longer in play: nothing can be scored off it and no batter can be dismissed by it. Law 20 of the Laws of Cricket lists when the ball becomes dead on its own and when an umpire must call it, and the 2026 edition of the Laws changed the definition of the most common case, the ball being "finally settled". This guide sets out the Law as it now reads, the situations club players meet most, what counts in the over and what does not, and the famous incidents that are usually cited and often misdescribed.

When the Ball Is Dead Automatically

Under Law 20.1 the ball becomes dead, without any call, when:

• it is finally settled, which since October 2026 means it is in the hands of any fielder or stationary on the ground and the bowler's end umpire judges it no longer in play; it no longer has to be with the bowler or wicketkeeper;
• a boundary is scored;
• a batter is dismissed, from the instant of the incident that caused the dismissal;
• it becomes trapped between the bat and the batter, or in the batter's clothing or equipment, or lodges in the clothing or equipment of a batter or the clothing of an umpire;
• penalty runs are awarded for a player returning without permission or for illegal fielding, or a helmet on the ground is struck;
• the match is concluded.

Whether the ball is finally settled is for the umpire alone to decide. A ball lodging in a fielder's clothing is not on the list; nor is a ball that deflects onto the stumps at the bowler's end, which stays live.

When the Umpire Calls Dead Ball

Law 20.4 requires either umpire to call and signal dead ball when, among other cases:

• intervening in unfair play, or a possibly serious injury occurs;
• a bail falls from the striker's wicket before the striker has had a chance to play the ball, without any player touching it;
• the striker is not ready and makes no attempt to play a delivery;
• the striker is distracted by noise or movement while preparing to receive or receiving the ball, whether the source is inside or outside the match;
• a fielder deliberately tries to distract or obstruct a batter;
• the bowler drops the ball accidentally before delivery, throws it towards the striker's end before entering the delivery stride, or does not deliver it for any reason other than an attempt to run out the non-striker;
• the ball in play cannot be recovered;
• a person, animal or object within the field of play disadvantages either side, though a boundary stands if the ball would have reached it anyway;
• the striker plays at the ball with no part of the bat or person inside the pitch.

The signal is both arms crossed and uncrossed below the waist. The ball comes back into play when the bowler starts the run-up for the next delivery, and once dead it cannot be revived for that delivery whatever decision is later revoked.

Does It Count in the Over

A delivered ball called dead does not count if the striker had no opportunity to play it. If the striker did have an opportunity, it counts as a valid ball unless a no ball or wide has been called. The distraction cases, the fallen bail and the not-ready striker are the common examples of balls that are re-bowled.

Dead Ball and the Non-Striker

The one case where a bowler may legitimately not deliver the ball is an attempt to run out the non-striker under Law 38.3, the dismissal often called a Mankad. If the bowler stops and appeals, the umpire decides the run out; if there is no appeal or the batter is not out, the umpire calls dead ball and the ball does not count. Our guide to the Mankad rule covers the current wording.

Famous Incidents, Correctly Described

The 2019 World Cup final at Lord's is the incident most often filed under dead ball, and it is not one. When Martin Guptill's throw deflected off Ben Stokes's bat to the boundary, the umpires awarded six under the overthrow law, Law 19.8; the dispute, raised afterwards by the former umpire Simon Taufel, was whether the batters had crossed on the second run, which would have made it five. The ball was live throughout. Pakistan's forfeit at The Oval in 2006 was a refusal to take the field after a ball-tampering penalty, not a dead-ball ruling. And the 2001 handled-the-ball dismissal in India that is sometimes attributed to Sachin Tendulkar was Steve Waugh, at Chennai; no reversal was involved.

What Club Players Should Know

1. If you are not ready, step away before the bowler starts the run-up. Once the ball is bowled, pulling away only gets you a dead ball if the umpire accepts you had a reason.
2. A ball stuck in your pads or shirt is dead; stop running.
3. The ball is not dead because the bowler has it. It is dead when the umpire judges play has ceased. Leaving the crease early to chat to your partner has ended more than one club innings.
4. Only the umpire can call it. Players shouting "dead ball" change nothing.

For the other umpire-called interruptions see our guides to the no ball and to unfair play under Law 41.

FAQs: Dead Ball

What is a dead ball in cricket? A ball no longer in play, under Law 20: no runs can be scored and no batter dismissed until the bowler starts the next run-up.

When is the ball dead in cricket? Automatically when it is finally settled, a boundary is scored, a batter is dismissed or it lodges in a batter's or umpire's clothing; by the umpire's call for injury, distraction, a fallen bail, a dropped or undelivered ball and the other cases in Law 20.4.

Does a dead ball count as a ball in the over? Not if the striker had no chance to play it. If the striker did, it counts unless a no ball or wide was called.

What is the dead ball signal? The umpire crosses and uncrosses both arms below the waist.

Can a dead ball be reversed? No. Once the ball is dead, no revoked decision brings it back into play for that delivery.

Sources

Law 20 is quoted from the 2026 edition of the Laws of Cricket, published by the MCC, whose summary of the 2026 changes covers the new definition of finally settled.