What is No Ball Cricket? No Ball Cricket Explained in 2 minutes
Jesse M. Cox Last Verified
19/04/2026
A no ball is a delivery which, for a range of reasons, doesn’t count toward the six balls a bowler delivers during the course of an over. The main impact of a no ball on the cricket match itself is that the fielding team is penalised one run which is then added to the batting score of the other team in the form of an extra. This extra run will also count towards the total allotted to the bowler, both in terms of the official cricket score and of any bets which have been placed. There are a couple of exceptions to this formula – in domestic 40 over cricket, a no ball is penalised with two runs, and during a T20 match a no ball results in the batsman facing a ‘free hit’ delivery. This is a ball from which they can’t be caught or bowled out, but can still be run out.
How is a No Ball used in Sports Betting?
As it’s possible to place a bet on virtually every event which takes place during the course of a cricket match, a stake can be placed on no balls in a variety of different contexts. It’s possible to bet on the number of no balls bowled during an innings, over or match, the number delivered by a side or by an individual bowler and on when the first no ball will be delivered. Bets are also offered on the basis of the number of extras which each side will have added to their score during the course of the match. When placing bets such as these it is important to check the terms and conditions offered, as these will often include stipulations on the number of overs which have to be bowled or the percentage of a match which must have been completed if bad weather stops play.
Reasons why a no ball might be given include:
- The heel of the bowler’s front foot lands in front of the front crease
- The bowler’s back foot touches the return crease
- A full toss from a seam bowler – a ball which doesn’t bounce – reaches the batsman at waist height
- A full toss from a slow bowler is higher than the batsman’s shoulder
- The bowler changes their delivery (i.e. right to left hand) without informing the umpire
