Laws of Cricket

Laws of Cricket
The game of Cricket has been governed by a series of Codes of Law for over 250 years. These Codes have been subject to additions and alterations recommended by the governing authorities of the time. Since its formation in 1787, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has been recognised as the sole authority for drawing up the Code and for all subsequent amendments.

In the late 1990s, two distinguished MCC members and ex-England captains, Ted Dexter and Lord Cowdrey, sought to enshrine the 'Spirit of Cricket' in the game's Laws - thereby reminding players of their responsibility for ensuring that cricket is always played in a truly sportsmanlike manner. The Dexter/Cowdrey initiative proved successful, and when the current Code of Laws was introduced, in 2000, it included, for the first time, a Preamble on the

Two small cylinders of wood that sit on top of the stumps. In normal play the bails must be knocked off for a batsman to be Bowled, Stumped, or Run Out.

England and Australia played each other in international cricket from as early as 1861, and the first Test was played in 1877, but the two words that conjure up more jingoism and fervour than any other between these two nations were coined by The Sporting Times in 1882 after a stunning, and not uncommon, batting collapse by the English which led to their defeat at the hands of the enemy. The newspaper ran a spoof obituary of English cricket

When the fielding team asks the umpire to decide if a batsman is out. This is used mainly in cases of LBW, Caught, Stumped, and Run Out. The "appeal" is more often than not a raucous shout of "'OWZAT?!", or "HOW WOZEE?!" with arms raised and all attention focussed on the poor umpire - not in any way to influence his decision you understand, simply because he is the one who has to make the decision. In Test cricket, the umpire can make a signal with his hands, of a tv screen shape, to pass the buck to someone else. At our level, the buck stops in the middle!