No ball
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In the sport of cricket a no ball is an illegal delivery by the bowler.
An umpire will rule a no ball under any of the following conditions:
- If the bowler bowls with the front foot wholly in front of the popping crease.
- If the bowler bowls with the back foot touching or outside the return crease.
- If the bowler throws, rather than bowls, the ball.
- If the bowler changes the arm with which he bowls without notifying the umpire.
- If the bowler changes the side of the wicket from which he bowls without notifying the umpire.
- If the bowler bowls underarm (made illegal in 1982).
- If the bowler bowls the ball before actually entering the "delivery stride".
- If the ball rolls or bounces more than twice before reaching the batsman's popping crease.
- If the ball comes to rest before reaching the batsman's popping crease.
- If the wicket-keeper moves in front of the wicket at the opposite end before the ball passes that wicket or touches the batsman or his bat.
- If any fielder touches or passes over the pitch before the ball passes the batsman's wicket or touches the batsman or his bat.
- If, at the instant of delivery, there are more than two fielders, excluding the wicket-keeper, behind the batsman's popping crease and on the leg side. (See Bodyline for an explanation.)
- If the bowler bowls a ball that is physically dangerous to the batsman.
- If the ball does not bounce and reaches the batsman at a height above his waist.
- (In Test matches) If, for the third or subsequent time in a single over, a ball bounces over the batsman's shoulder.
- (In one-day matches) If, for the second or subsequent time in a single over, a ball bounces over the batsman's shoulder.
- (In one-day matches) If, at the instant of delivery, there are more than five fielders on the leg side.
- (In one-day matches) If, during the first fifteen overs, and at the instant of delivery, there are more than two fielders in the outfield as demarcated by a line marked on the field.
The umpire signals a no ball by holding one arm out horizontally. If the call is for illegal placement of the bowler's feet, the umpire will also shout "No!", giving the batsman some warning that the ball is a no ball. A batsman with quick enough reflexes can take advantage of this by playing an otherwise overly aggressive shot at the ball.
A batsman may not be ruled out bowled, leg before wicket, caught, stumped, or hit wicket off a no ball. He may be run out if he attempts to take runs. In some types of short form cricket the batsman may not be out by these methods on the following ball either.
A no ball does not count as one of the six balls in an over, but it does count as a ball faced by the batsman.
When a no ball is bowled, a number of runs are awarded to the batting team, the number varying depending on local playing conditions in force. In Test cricket the award is one run; in some domestic competitions, particularly one-day cricket competitions, the award is two runs. These runs are scored as extras and are added to the team's total, but are not added to any batsman's total.
If the batsman hits the ball he may take runs as normal. These are scored as runs by the batsman, as normal. The batsman may also score leg byes as normal, which are recorded as leg byes as normal. The batsman may also score byes as normal, but if so these are recorded as no balls, not byes.
If a ball qualifies as a no ball and a wide, the umpire will call it a no ball, rather than a wide.
No balls are considered to be the fault of the bowler, and are recorded as a negative statistic in a bowler's record.
No balls are not uncommon. A typical number occurring in a game might be in the range 10-30. It should be noted, however, that no balls are most commonly as a result of one of the first two rules being broken (a front foot no ball or back foot no ball respectively). While there are a number of bowlers who have been called for throwing, rather than bowling, most notably Muttiah Muralitharan, this remains a relatively uncommon occurrence at the highest levels of cricket. Other violations resulting in no balls being called are sufficiently rare as to be unheard of in the modern era.