TAPE BALL CRICKET

RULES
Highlights
„„ There will be absolutely ZERO TOLERANCE (no use of any tobacco, no pan parag, or no non-tumbaco pan
parag, or any smell of any of these items)’
„„ Forfeit time is five (5) minutes after the scheduled game start time. If a team is not “Ready to Play” within five (5)
minutes after the scheduled game start time, then that team will forfeit and the opposing team will be declared
the winner (assuming the opposing team is ready to play).
„„ A team must have a minimum of twelve (12) players and a maximum of eighteen (18).
„„ A match will consist of two teams with eleven (11) players including a team captain. A match may not start if
either team consists of fewer than eight (8) players.
„„ The blade of the bat shall have a conventional flat face.
„„ A Ihsan Tennis ball covered with WHITE ELECTRICAL TAPE (TAPE TENNIS BALL) will be used for all competitions.
„„ When applying any of the above-mentioned rules OR when taking any disciplinary actions, ABSOLUTELY NO
CONSIDERATION will be given to what was done in the previous tournaments.
„„ It is required that each team provide one (1) player (players can rotate) at all times to sit near or sit with the
scorer so he / she can write correct names and do stats correctly for each player.

General Information, Rules and Regulations for Cricket

„„ There will be absolutely ZERO TOLERANCE (no use of any tobacco, no pan parag, or no non-tumbaco pan
parag, or any smell of any of these items)
„„ Umpire’s decision will be final during all matches.
„„ There is zero tolerance for arguing with an umpire. If an explanation is needed, players must inform their team
captain, and only the team captain may request explanation from an umpire.
„„ Each team can have eleven (11) players maximum on the field. A minimum eight (8) players are necessary on
the field to start the game. At the end of four (4) overs only the numbers of players present on the field will be
allowed to play the remainder of the game.
„„ Ready to Play:
§§ A team must report on the field at least fifteen (15) minutes before the scheduled start time to sign in
for the game. If only one team is ready to play at start time then second team will only be given five (5)
minutes to be ready to play. If the second team is not ready to play at the end of five (5) minutes, the
match will be forfeited and the opponent team will be declared the winner and be given two (2) points.
In case both the teams are not ready to play the match will be forfeited and no points will be awarded to
either team.

Fielder absent or leaving the field

„„ If a fielder fails to take the field with his side at the start of the match or at any later time, or leaves the field
during a session of play, the umpire shall be informed of the reason for his absence, and he shall not thereafter
come on to the field during a session of play without the consent of the umpire.
„„ The umpire shall give such consent as soon as practicable. If the player is absent from the field for longer than
eight (8) minutes:
§§ the player shall not be permitted to bowl in that innings after his return until he has been on the field for
at least that length of playing time for which he was absent;
§§ the player shall not be permitted to bat unless or until, in the aggregate, he has returned to the field and
/ or his side’s innings has been in progress for at least that length of playing time for which he has been
absent or, if earlier, when his side has lost five wickets.

Batsman Leaving the Field or Retiring

„„ A batsman may retire at any time during his innings. The umpires, before allowing play to proceed, shall be
informed of the reason for a batsman retiring.
§§ If a batsman retires because of illness, injury or any other unavoidable cause, he is entitled to resume his
innings subject to (c) below. If for any reason he does not do so, his innings is to be recorded as “Retired
– not out”.
§§ If a batsman retires for any reason other than as in (a) above, he may only resume his innings with the consent
of the umpire. If for any reason he does not resume his innings it is to be recorded as “Retired – out”.
§§ If after retiring a batsman resumes his innings, it shall be only AT THE FALL OF A WICKET (not at the
retirement of another batsman).

TAPE BALL CRICKET 1

The Umpires
Umpire Positioning
„„ There will be two (2) umpires for each match.
„„ The bowler’s end umpire will stand behind the stumps on the end from which the bowler is bowling with a
direct line of sight down the pitch facing the batsmen.
„„ A second umpire, the square leg umpire, will stand perpendicular to the batsmen on the leg side square to the
batsmen.

Umpire Decisions
„„ There is no third umpire and therefore there will be no appeals from players or others persons of any on-field
decisions made by the umpires
„„ The ruling of the two on-field umpires is final on all decisions.
„„ The umpires have the right to discuss a decision before making a final ruling.
§§ The main umpire must initiate a request to discuss a ruling with the leg umpire.
§§ After the discussion the umpires have the right to overturn the initial decision or keep the initial decision.
§§ These decisions include, but are not limited to, caught decisions, clean catches, bump balls, boundary
decisions, batsmen running to the same end, wide balls and no balls.

Fitness of ground, weather and light

„„ If conditions during a rain stoppage improve and the rain is reduced to drizzle, the umpires must consider if
they would have suspended play in the first place under similar conditions. If both on-field umpires agree that
the current drizzle would not have caused a stoppage, then play shall resume immediately.
„„ The umpire may suspend play if light is unfit/fit for play.

The Pitch
Pitch Information
„„ Pitch Grass Length: 60 ft (stump to stump)
„„ Pitch Hard Surface Size: 8 ft. x 36 ft
„„ Field Dimension: An circular or oval boundary with a maximum radius of 60 yards from the
center of the pitch.
„„ Cricket will be played on pitch which will be made of following material:
§§ To be made with nine (9) sheets of melamine wood boards. Each sheet is eight (8) ft. x four (4) ft. and ¾
inch in depth. (Total measurement is eight (8) feet wide and 36 feet length).
§§ Thin carpet to be laid on full length of the board. (36 feet).
§§ The melamine wood boards to be attached to each other with simple bracket clips and screws.
„„ In case of unavoidable circumstances, the games will be played on grass.

The Innings
Number of innings
„„ All matches shall be one day’s duration and shall consist of one inning per team. Each inning shall be limited to
maximum of eight eight (8) overs consisting of six (6) balls each.
„„ A minimum of four (4) overs per team must be completed in order to constitute a match.

Length of innings
„„ Each team shall bat for a maximum of eight (8) overs consisting of six (6) balls each, unless all batsmen are out earlier.
„„ If the team batting first is dismissed in less than eight (8) overs, the team batting second shall be entitled to bat
for eight (8) overs.
„„ The bowling team will have 35 minutes to complete their eight (8) overs of bowling
„„ The length of time in between innings will be NO MORE than five (5) minutes.

Extra time and Scheduling

„„ Any rulings on extra time or scheduling adjustments will be left to the National Tournament Scheduling Team.

TAPE BALL CRICKET 2

Number of overs per bowler
„„ At least four (4) bowlers are required to bowl in a single innings
§§ Each bowler can bowl a maximum of two (2) overs.
„„ In the event of a bowler breaking down and being unable to complete an over, the remaining balls will be allowed
by another bowler. Such part of an over will count as a full over only in so far as each bowler’s limit is concerned.

The Ball
„„ The ball will comprise of an Ihsan Brand tennis ball. The tennis ball will be covered with WHITE electrical tape.
„„ During a game, a player will not be allowed to wear apparel that is WHITE or similar to WHITE. This rule is applied
to insure visibility of the WHITE ball, which is in use during the tournament
„„ The tape around the ball will be at the same level all the way around (meaning there will be no raised seam on
the ball).

The Bat
„„ Fiber bats ARE NOT ALLOWED.
„„ Any team found using fiber bats during the course of any game will be disqualified from the ENTIRE
TOURNAMENT.

Use of Electronic Communications Equipment

„„ The use of electronic communication devices and equipment of any kind to communicate with players on the
field of play shall not be permitted.

Game Rules
„„ A minimum of four (4) overs must be bowled before a new tape-ball can be requested.
§§ If the umpire feels the tape is ripping off the ball and is no longer playable, then the umpire can also
request a new ball.
„„ The bowler may not deliver the ball underarm. If a bowler bowls a ball underarm the umpire shall call and signal
no ball. See below for the rules and penalties for bowling a no ball.
„„ No LBW (leg before wicket).
„„ Batsmen are allowed to run on byes and leg-byes to score runs at their own discretion. Batsmen can be run out
if trying to score runs on byes or leg-byes.
„„ Wide and no balls will be penalized by an extra delivery (an extra run counts and NO FREE HITS).
§§ No balls and or wide balls resulting from inconsistencies in the pitch will be judged as occurred and no
special considerations will be given due to the pitch.
„„ A ball bowled on the leg side of the wicket is a wide ball.
„„ No ball is one run plus the run(s) scored on that ball.
„„ Any ball bowled directly over the waist height is a no ball.
„„ A bounced ball pitched over the shoulder height is a no ball.
„„ A ball bowled full step (over step) is a no ball.
„„ Throw ball (Batta) bowling is prohibited
„„ During bowling, if a bowler’s foot touches the sideline, or if the foot is outside the sideline, it is a no ball.
„„ A batsman can be run out / stump out on a no ball
„„ A bowler can self-out the runner only after giving one warning per match per team. Bowler has to inform the
umpire and the umpire at his/her own discretion will warn the runner / team.
„„ When a batsman / runner is self-out (after the warning was issued) a ball will not be counted.
„„ A dead ball is at the discretion of the umpire.
§§ The dead ball rule will come into play if the ball hits the front face of the pitch and/or doesn’t reach
the batsman.
§§ If the ball bounces multiple times but still reaches the batsman, the ball shall be played and it is not a
dead ball. Umpire shall call this as a NO BALL if the delivery is not touched by the batsman.
„„ Batsmen are NOT ALLOWED to have runners. All batsmen must run for themselves. If a batsman is unable to run,
he must retire as not out and can return as per the Batsman Leaving the Field or Retiring Rule.
„„ The ball should be played as it is bowled. So if it the ball is bowled outside the pitch but comes to the crease it
should be played as a normal ball. If the ball goes wide of the crease, it should be called a wide by the umpire.

TAPE BALL CRICKET 3

No Balls
„„ The umpire will signal this no ball by holding one arm out horizontally.
„„ If the no ball occurs during the delivery, the umpire will also shout “No Ball” to give the players some warning
that the ball is an illegal delivery.
„„ In the event of a no ball being bowled, any runs scored during the delivery will be counted to the batting team’s
run total. Additionally one extra penalty run will be added to the batting team’s run total.
„„ In the event of a no ball being bowled, the ball will be re-bowled as a normal delivery.
„„ There are NO FREE HITS for front-foot no ball.
„„ No special considerations will be given for no balls resulting from due to the pitch inconsistencies. The umpire
shall the judge the delivery as it was bowled by the bowler

Wide balls
„„ Umpires are instructed to apply very strict and consistent interpretation in order to prevent negative bowling
wide of the wicket. Any offside or legside delivery which in the opinion of the umpire does not give the batsman
a reasonable opportunity to score shall be called a wide ball.
„„ A penalty of one run for a wide shall be scored. This penalty shall stand in addition to any other runs which are
scored or awarded on the illegal delivery. All runs, which are run or result from a wide ball, which is not a no ball,
shall be scored wide balls.
„„ As a penalty, the ball must be re-bowled.
„„ No special considerations will be given for wide balls resulting from due to the pitch inconsistencies. The umpire
shall the judge the delivery as it was bowled by the bowler

Timed out
„„ The incoming batsman must be in position to take guard or for his partner to be ready to receive the next ball
within one (1) minute of the fall of the previous wicket. The incoming batsman is expected to be ready to make
his way to the wicket immediately a wicket falls.
„„ In the event that the batsman fails to be ready to receive the next ball in the allotted time, the batsman who failed
to report also will be called out another wicket will fall. The wicket will be recorded as “Failed To Report – Out”.

Restrictions on the placement of fieldsmen (Powerplay)

Standard Fielding Restrictions
„„ The fielding restriction circle (infield circle) will have a radius of between twenty-five (25) and thirty (30) yards.
„„ The fielding restriction areas should be marked by continuous painted white lines or dots at five (5) yard (4.57
meters) intervals, each dot to be covered by a white plastic or rubber (but not metal) disc measuring seven (7)
inches (18 cm) in diameter.
„„ If the fielding team has more than three fieldsmen outside of the circle during the PowerPlay overs, it will be a
NO BALL.
„„ If the fielding team has more than five fieldsmen outside of the circle during the non-PowerPlay overs, it will be
a NO BALL.

PowerPlay 1
„„ A mandatory PowerPlay will be in effect for the first two (2) overs where only three (3) fieldsmen are permitted
to be outside the field restriction marking (infield circle) at the instant of delivery.

PowerPlay 2
„„ The batting team may call an additional PlayPlay for duration of one (1) over where only three (3) fieldsmen are
permitted to be outside the field restriction marking at the instant of delivery.
„„ Once the PowerPlay is called and acknowledged by the umpire, the batting team cannot reverse the decision.
„„ Once the PowerPlay is called, the bowling team can adjust the field and change the bowler for the PowerPlay over.
„„ The batting team must call for the PowerPlay only at the beginning of an over.
„„ The batting team can call this PowerPlay anytime between the third (3rd) and seventh (7th) overs. If no
PowerPlay is called after the 6th over is complete, then the batting PowerPlay is automatically called in the
seventh (7th) over.
„„ For the remaining five (5) overs, a maximum of five (5) fieldsmen are permitted to be outside the field restriction
marking at the instant of delivery.

TAPE BALL CRICKET 4

Net Run Rate Calculation
„„ At the end of a preliminary match, the run rate will be calculated based on batting & bowling and will be
counted as run rate differential.
„„ The net run rate will be calculated as such: Net Run Rate = (Total runs scored / total balls faced) – (Total runs
allowed / total balls bowled)
§§ If you are bowled out in your innings, then the total balls faced for the batting team and the total balls
bowled for the bowling team will be 48 balls even if you are bowled out in less than eight (8) overs.

Examples:
„„ If Team A bats first and scores 60 runs in eight (8) overs, and Team B batting second scores 62 runs in seven (7) over
and three (3) balls, then Team B is the winner with two (2) points and the per-ball run rate will be as follows:
§§ Team A batting at 60/48, which is equal to 1.25 per ball, and bowling at 62/45, which is 1.38. The total
average run rate differential will be -0.13
§§ Team B bowling at 60/48, which is equal to 1.25 per ball, and batting at 62/45, which is equal to 1.38. The
total average run rate differential will be +0.13
„„ If Team A bats first and is bowled out seven (7) overs and scores 60 runs, and Team B batting second scores 61 runs
in seven (7) overs, then Team B is the winner with two (2) points and the per-ball run rate will be as follows:
§§ Because Team A was bowled out first, the full allotment of eight (8) overs must be used to calculate their
net run rate. Team A batting at 60/48, which is equal to 1.25 per ball, and bowling at 61/42, which is 1.45.
The total net run rate will be -0.20
§§ Team B bowling at 60/48, which is equal to 1.25 per ball, and batting at 61/42, which is equal to 1.45. The
total average run rate differential will be +0.20

Rules and Regulations in the NAIG Sports Handbook supersede conflicting rules from any other outside sporting organization.
Referee and or Umpires decision is always final.

TAPE BALL CRICKET 5