Lost ball
Encyclopedia
In the sport
of cricket
, if a ball in play cannot be found or recovered, any fielder may call Lost ball. The game then proceeds as described in Law 20 of the Laws of cricket
.
This Law prescribes that the ball immediately ceases to be in play. In cricket the same ball
is used for each delivery and only changed rarely: either at request of the fielding captain after a set number of fair deliveries (480 in Test cricket
) or when the ball is damaged. Also, the wear on a ball determines how it behaves in the air and when it pitches. As a result of this, when 'lost ball' is called, Law 20 requires the umpires
replace the ball with one which had comparable wear to the previous ball.
When 'lost ball' is called, the batting side keeps any penalty that would have been declared if the delivery was not fair (see no ball
and wide) plus 6 runs, or whatever they have in fact run before the call of 'lost ball' was made.
A call of 'lost ball' is unusual in professional cricket, and nowadays only really happens in recreational games where cricket fields may include rabbit warrens, molehills or the like, or where there is a tree in the field of play and no local rule about what happens when it is hit. Previously 'lost ball' could only be called when the ball could not be found. This has resulted in some ridiculous local games where batsmen scored a large number of runs whilst the fielding side fetched a ladder to climb up a tree the ball had got lodged in. (The ball not being lost as it was readily visible.) The current version of the Law prevents this, as now 'lost ball' can also be called when the ball cannot be recovered without outside assistance.
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, if a ball in play cannot be found or recovered, any fielder may call Lost ball. The game then proceeds as described in Law 20 of the Laws of cricket
Laws of cricket
The laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is...
.
This Law prescribes that the ball immediately ceases to be in play. In cricket the same ball
Cricket ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid leather ball used to play cricket. Constructed of cork and leather, a cricket ball is heavily regulated by cricket law at first class level...
is used for each delivery and only changed rarely: either at request of the fielding captain after a set number of fair deliveries (480 in Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
) or when the ball is damaged. Also, the wear on a ball determines how it behaves in the air and when it pitches. As a result of this, when 'lost ball' is called, Law 20 requires the umpires
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
replace the ball with one which had comparable wear to the previous ball.
When 'lost ball' is called, the batting side keeps any penalty that would have been declared if the delivery was not fair (see no ball
No ball
In the sport of cricket a no ball is a penalty against the fielding team, usually as a result of an illegal delivery by the bowler. The delivery of a no ball results in one run to be added to the batting team's score, and an additional ball must be bowled...
and wide) plus 6 runs, or whatever they have in fact run before the call of 'lost ball' was made.
A call of 'lost ball' is unusual in professional cricket, and nowadays only really happens in recreational games where cricket fields may include rabbit warrens, molehills or the like, or where there is a tree in the field of play and no local rule about what happens when it is hit. Previously 'lost ball' could only be called when the ball could not be found. This has resulted in some ridiculous local games where batsmen scored a large number of runs whilst the fielding side fetched a ladder to climb up a tree the ball had got lodged in. (The ball not being lost as it was readily visible.) The current version of the Law prevents this, as now 'lost ball' can also be called when the ball cannot be recovered without outside assistance.