4

Say, teamA score is 368 (369 to win), and teamB is batting at 368 (or 366). One run (or 3 runs) will make them win. The batsman hits the ball for a six, so score is 374 (or 372) which is more than the required 369. Even then the runs are counted for the team and for the batsman.

Now, on the last ball, suppose the batsman did not hit a six, but ran for a single : teamB will win. Can the batsmen continue to run until the ball is dead ?

Why will they want this ?
(A) If batsman is at 98 and wants to reach a century.
(B) If batsman has a career total of 9998 and wants to reach 1000 runs.
(C) If the batsman has a very high record strike rate, and wants to remain at that record strike rate.
(D) In the championship, this is the last quarterfinal, & even winning will put teamB equal to teamC, and the better runrate at the end of the quarterfinals will enable them to move to the semifinals.
(E) Many similar situations can happen.

So coming back to the question : Do the laws of cricket allow running on the last ball, even after winning ?

In most of the matches I have seen, after winning, the batsmen do not even look where the ball is and start celebrating the win. If the rules did not allow them to run more, then fine. If the rules did allow it, then has there been any game where they did run more ?

1 Answer 1

5

I think I found the answer :
When running, if the target score is reached, then the batsmen can not run further. If the ball goes for a boundary, that whole boundary is counted, even in excess of the target, but the "extra" running is not counted in excess of the target. In the event of batsmen completing the winning runs prior to the boundary the boundary will not count.

  1. Winning hit or extras

(a) As soon as a result is reached as defined in 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5(a) above, the match is at an end.

(b) The side batting last will have scored enough runs to win only if its total of runs is sufficient without including any runs completed by the batsmen before the completion of a catch, or the obstruction of a catch, from which the striker could be dismissed.

(c) If a boundary is scored before the batsmen have completed sufficient runs to win the match, the whole of the boundary allowance shall be credited to the side’s total and, in the case of a hit by the bat, to the striker’s score.

Reference :
http://www.lords.org/mcc/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-21-the-result/

I got to know this rule (and this website) through this question :
Does the batsman get runs on No ball when the team requires only 1 run to win?

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