The mystery behind Penalty Runs in Cricket
Let’s dive in!
Cricket, often hailed as a gentleman’s game, has its controversies and penalties. From ball tampering to time-wasting, various infractions can lead to penalty runs being awarded. Moreover, penalty runs play a crucial role in maintaining fairness and sportsmanship in cricket. By penalizing infractions such as ball tampering, dangerous bowling, time-wasting, misfielding, running on the pitch, slow over rates, and unfair play, cricket authorities uphold the integrity of the game and ensure a level playing field for all teams involved.
Scenarios under which penalty runs are given
1. Ball Tampering:
Possibly one of the most well-known violations in cricket is ball tampering. It entails modifying the cricket ball’s state to obtain an unfair advantage. This can involve doing things like rubbing the ball with your fingernails or polishing or roughening one side of it with foreign materials. Ball tampering can result in a variety of penalties, such as the opposition receiving penalty runs or the team captain receiving a warning.
2. Dangerous Bowling:
Player safety is a top priority in the sport of cricket. Dangerous bowling is when a bowler delivers a ball in a way that puts the batsman’s safety in jeopardy. This can involve bowling bouncers that are overly aimed at the batsman’s body or beamers, which are full toss deliveries that are over waist height. Penalty runs could be given to the batting team in these circumstances.
3. Time Wasting:
Deliberate activities used by players to decrease the game’s speed are referred to as time-wasting. Excessive delaying techniques can include bowling wide deliveries on purpose, setting fields too slowly, or taking too long to retrieve the ball. Umpires have the authority to penalise the offending team by giving the other team penalty runs.
4. Misfielding:
Runs are given up as a result of misfielding, which happens when a fielder doesn’t stop or field the ball properly. Even though misfielding by itself might not result in penalty runs, umpires may give the batting side penalty runs if they witness repeated misfielding or intentional actions to hinder the batsman.
5. Running on the Pitch:
Batsmen running on the covered portion of the pitch is referred to as “running on the pitch,” which can harm the surface and interfere with play. It is very forbidden to do this, and the fielding team may be assessed penalty runs if a batsman is caught sprinting on the pitch.
6. Slow Over Rate:
Every team has a set amount of overs to bowl in a set amount of time. Penalty runs may be given to the batting team if the necessary over rate is not maintained. The gravity of the infringement and the regulatory body’s regulations determine the precise penalty.
7. Unfair Play:
A wide range of behaviours that go against the spirit of the game are considered unfair play. This might involve behaviours like verbal abuse, intentional attempts to frighten or divert opponents, or a willful disregard for the umpire’s rulings. Umpires can punish players for this kind of behaviour by calling penalty runs or even pulling them off the pitch.
