What Happens If Ball Hits Umpire In Cricket?

Cricket is a very interesting sport with so much uncertainty in terms of results. It is also a very funny game with so many elements exists. From a batter getting timed out to a bowler bowling a ball outside of the pitch area, the rules of this game are written in the law book. Every time the ICC (International Cricket Council) thinks that there should be an amendment, addition, or subtraction of the laws, they do so accordingly. Today, we will talk about one of the unusual rules, which is- What if the ball hits umpire in cricket? So let’s dive into it quickly.

What if the ball hits umpire in cricket?

We have seen some unusual moments in different sports over the years. In a sport like Football, a referee runs with players, but there is a high chance that the ball hits the referee. The same goes with the Baseball as well.

Just like in the above-mentioned games, the ball could hit the umpires in cricket as well. There are two on-field umpires in cricket. One stands in front of the strike batter, next to the non-strike batter. And the other stands at square-leg of a strike-batter. The ball could hit any of the two umpires. Sometimes, a batter hits the ball through the main umpire while hitting the ball straight. And sometimes, a batter flicked or pulled the ball or may have edged through the square leg umpire. We have seen so many instances where the ball hits umpire in cricket.

The question is what if the ball hits umpire in cricket? So the answer is the ball is live (in play) even if the ball hits the umpire in cricket. But wait, it’s not like that every time. In some circumstances, the officials could give the ball a dead ball in this case, according to a few rules.Let’s see all of them in detail.

When will the ball be given dead if the ball hits umpire in cricket?

According to MCC law 20.1.1.5 (as of 2023), the ball will be considered as a dead ball if the ball lodges in the clothes of an umpire. The batter will not allow more runs in this case.

Another case in which the ball will be considered a dead ball is when the ball hits and a serious injury occurs to the umpire. In that case, as well, the umpire will call a dead ball. The rule is to allow the injured umpire to get medical attention.

Example of a ball hitting the umpire

An example of a ball hitting the umpire in cricket is the 1^st ODI in Auckland between Bangladesh and New Zealand. Bangladesh went on a New Zealand tour in 2007 for 3 ODIs and 2 Tests. The incident happened in the first ODI in the 45^th over of the first inning. A Kiwi bowler, Kyle Mills bowls a low full toss on off stump to Bangladeshi batter Abdur Razzak and the batter flicked it through the square leg umpire. The umpire (Gary Baxter) cops the blow. But even after that, the ball was considered in play. Bangladesh only scored a single off that ball. The umpire, Gary Baxter saved three runs for New Zealand. There was a gap in that area and if the ball couldn’t hit the umpire, there would be four runs.

Bangladesh lost that game and the series as well. We have explained this incident just to give you detailed information regarding this rule. You can find a clip of this incident on YouTube.

So this is all about the written rule if the ball hits umpire in cricket.

What if the ball hits the umpire in Baseball?

It wouldn’t be a catch on a batted ball if a fair ball reached the umpire before the ball passed an infielder. The batter-runner would receive first base and the ball would be declared dead. Unless they were forced to advance, all other runners would return to the bases that were occupied at the time of the pitch.

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Conclusion

Nowadays, the umpires take a lot of measures in cricket to tackle the situation of the ball hitting them. We have seen a few umpires wear helmets to cope with this situation. In another instance, the umpire wears a tool in his hand so that when the ball comes towards them, they can deflect through that tool. In the end, we just wanted to say that the safety of an individual is the most important thing. We have seen some unfortunate incidents in sports where the ball hits an individual (whether a player or an umpire). In some cases, the individual has to bear a serious injury or even die as well (Phil Huges in 2014 for example).

So this is it for today. What are your views on this? Comment down below. Thank you for reading the article. We hope you found it informative. Keep following us for the latest updates.

FAQs:-

1. Who becomes the first umpire to wear a helmet in cricket?

An Australian umpire, Gerard Abood becomes the first umpire to wear a safety helmet in cricket. He did that while officiating a Big Bash League (BBL) game between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers in 2015.