All you need to know about penalty runs in cricket

Every five-run penalty in the Laws of Cricket in one table — which Law it sits under, which side gets the runs and when the umpire must warn first, plus the four levels of the players conduct Law.

Penalty runs in cricket are awarded to one team when the opposition side breaches laws of the sport relating to unfair play or players’ conduct.

Every five-run penalty in the Laws of Cricket

The Laws are written and owned by the MCC, and a penalty is always the same size — five runs. What changes is who receives them and whether the umpire must warn the side first. This is the full list:

Offence	Law	Runs to
Ball hits a helmet left on the ground behind the wicket-keeper	28.3	Batting side
Fielding the ball with clothing or anything other than the body	28.2	Batting side
A fielder returns without the umpire’s permission and touches the ball	24.4	Batting side
A fielder wilfully distracts, deceives or obstructs a batter	41.5	Batting side
Unfairly changing the condition of the ball	41.3	Opposing side
Time wasting by the fielding side, after a warning	41.9	Batting side
A fielder deliberately damaging the pitch, after a warning	41.12	Batting side
A deliberate short run — all runs are disallowed as well	18.5	Fielding side
Batters trying to steal a run during the bowler’s run-up	41.16	Fielding side
Time wasting by the batters, after a warning	41.10	Fielding side
A batter deliberately damaging the pitch, after a warning	41.14	Fielding side
Practice on the pitch or square during the match, after a warning	26.4	Opposing side
A players’ conduct offence — see the four levels below	42	Opposing side

Penalty runs awarded to the batting team

Ball striking a fielder’s helmet

Under Law 28, five penalty runs are awarded to the batting team if the ball hits a fielder’s helmet which is kept on the field but is not being worn.

Usually, wicket-keepers keep their helmet on the ground behind them while keeping. When a gloveman misses the ball and it strikes the helmet, five penalty runs would be awarded to the batting team immediately.

Illegal fielding

Under the above-mentioned law, a player is not allowed to field the ball by using their cap or any part of their clothing.

Ball is touched by illegal fielder

This one sits in Law 24.4, not in the unfair play Law: if a fielder who has been off the field comes back without the umpire’s permission and then touches the ball in play, the ball is dead at once and the batting side gets five penalty runs.

Fielding team deliberately distracts the batter

Law 41.5 of the MCC Laws puts it this way: “it is unfair for any fielder wilfully to attempt, by word or action, to distract, deceive or obstruct either batter after the striker has received the ball.” Five penalty runs to the batting side.

Harming the pitch

Law 41.12 covers deliberate or avoidable damage to the pitch by a fielder. The first instance brings a caution and a final warning to the fielding captain; any repeat by any fielder is five penalty runs to the batting side. Note the order — the warning comes first, which is true of every pitch-damage and time-wasting clause in Law 41.

Penalty runs awarded to the fielding team

Short run

Two separate Laws, both worth knowing. A deliberate short run (Law 18.5) costs the batting side every run from that delivery and gives the fielding side five penalty runs, with no warning first. Trying to steal a run during the bowler’s run-up (Law 41.16) is dead ball and another five to the fielding side.

Time wasting

Law 41.10. The first offence is a warning to the batters, which applies to both of them for the rest of the innings; the next one is five penalty runs to the fielding side.

Damaging the pitch

Law 41.14 is the mirror of 41.12. A batter running on the protected area is cautioned first, and a repeat costs the batting side five penalty runs, awarded to the fielding side.

Penalty runs awarded to either team

Ball-tampering

Under the MCC laws, either team can be punished if the umpires decide that any side has illegally changed the condition of the ball, also known as ball-tampering.

Practising on the pitch on matchdays

Law 26.1.1 is blunt: “There shall not be any practice on the pitch at any time on any day of the match.” Practice elsewhere on the square needs the umpires’ permission. A first offence brings a warning and a repeat brings five penalty runs to the opposing side.

Any unfair action

Under Law 41, umpires have the power to award five penalty runs if they judge any action of a player or a team to be unfair.

Penalty runs awarded due to players’ conduct

Law 42 grades misconduct into four levels. The common mistake is to assume all four cost five runs straight away — a first Level 1 offence does not.

Level 1 — mistreating the ground or equipment, dissent, obscene language or gestures, excessive appealing, approaching an umpire aggressively. The first one brings a first and final warning that applies to the whole team for the rest of the match. Any further Level 1 offence, by anyone in that side, is five penalty runs.

Level 2 — serious dissent, inappropriate physical contact with another player, throwing the ball dangerously, seriously insulting language. Five penalty runs immediately, and the captain is summoned and told.

Level 3 — intimidating an umpire, or threatening to assault anyone other than an umpire. Five penalty runs and the player is suspended from the field: 10 overs in an unlimited-overs match, or one fifth of the allotted overs in a limited-overs one.

Level 4 — threatening or making inappropriate physical contact with an umpire, physically assaulting anyone, or any other act of violence. Five penalty runs and the player leaves the field for the rest of the match, recorded as Retired – out.

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Featured photo: JEREMY NG / AFP