Fairplay explains the fair play rule after a catch: crossed runs, original ends and who faces the next ball under Laws 18.11 and 33.4.
Direct answer: after a completed catch, the new batter takes the striker’s original end
If the striker is dismissed Caught, crossing while the ball is in the air does not decide who faces next. MCC Law 33.4 says the non-striker returns to the original end, and Law 18.11 lists Caught among the dismissals for which the not-out batter returns to that original end. The incoming batter therefore takes the vacant striker’s original end. On a ball that is not the end of the over, the incoming batter faces the next delivery.
The same provision removes the common scorekeeping shortcut: runs completed by the batters from that delivery before the catch is completed do not score. Penalty runs awarded to either side still stand. The current MCC Caught Law is the controlling text for those points; the current MCC scoring-runs Law supplies the related original-end rule.
This is a narrow answer for a valid Caught dismissal. It does not decide a particular television clip or every kind of wicket. First establish that the delivery was not a No ball and that a fair catch was completed. Law 33.1–33.3 requires those elements, including complete control of the ball and the fielder’s own movement before the catch is complete.
- Valid Caught dismissal: the not-out batter returns to the end occupied before the delivery began.
- Incoming batter: enters at the dismissed striker’s original end.
- Mid-over: the incoming batter faces the next delivery.
- Runs completed from the caught delivery: not scored; any applicable penalty runs stand.
Use this decision order before deciding who is on strike
Start with the dismissal, not the crossing. Under Law 33.1, the striker can be out Caught only if a ball delivered by the bowler is not a No ball, touches the striker’s bat without prior fielder contact, and is held as a fair catch before touching the ground. Law 33.3 fixes the completion point: the act ends when a fielder has complete control of both the ball and their own movement. An apparent grab, celebration or score graphic is not by itself the legal completion test.
Once Caught is established, apply Law 33.4 and Law 18.11. Do not count the running completed before the catch was completed, and reset the not-out batter to the original end. The word original is important: it is the end the batter occupied before this delivery, not an end temporarily reached during an attempted run. MCC’s 2022 explanation states the reader-facing consequence: a new batter comes in at the striker’s end to face the next ball, unless the wicket fell at the end of an over.
Finally, check whether the delivery completed the over. Law 17.1 and 17.4 provide for six valid balls and the umpire’s call of Over after the ball becomes dead. That over question affects the next striker, but it does not revive crossed runs or alter the original-end reset created by a completed caught dismissal.
- Was it legally capable of being Caught, including no No ball?
- Was the catch fair and completed under Law 33?
- If yes, return the not-out batter to the original end and place the new batter at the striker’s original end.
- Then ask whether the completed catch was on the final valid ball of the over.
Labelled hypothetical: a catch completed mid-over
Fictional educational example — not a real match or ruling: Before a delivery, Batter A is the striker at the south end and Batter B is the non-striker at the north end. A lofts the ball, and A and B cross while it is in the air. A fielder completes a fair catch. Assume this was only the third valid ball of the over and no penalty runs were awarded.
The decisive fact in this example is that A is dismissed Caught. Under Law 33.4, any runs A and B completed from that delivery before the catch was completed are not scored. B returns to B’s original north end under Law 18.11, even though the pair crossed in the attempted run. Incoming Batter C takes the vacant south end, which was A’s original striker’s end.
Because the over is continuing in the example, C faces the next delivery. The answer does not depend on whether A and B crossed once, crossed more than once, or looked settled at opposite ends before the catch was completed. Those movements may matter in other dismissal or scoring questions, but they do not override the specific Caught rule here.
This is why a simple phrase such as “they crossed, so B keeps strike” is unsafe for a caught dismissal. The independent BBC explanation and Reuters report both describe the 2022 change in the same practical terms, while the current MCC Law text remains the source for the operative rule.
- Original positions: A striker, B non-striker.
- Completed fair catch: A is out Caught.
- Runs from that delivery: no completed running runs are scored.
- Next ball in the same over: C, the incoming batter, faces.
Labelled hypothetical: what changes when the catch ends the over?
Fictional educational example — not a real match or ruling: Use the same A-and-B positions and a completed fair catch, but assume it was the sixth valid ball and the ball becomes dead. The original-end rule still applies first: B returns to the original non-striker’s end, and incoming C comes in at A’s original striker’s end. Crossed runs from the caught delivery still do not score.
The difference is the over change. MCC’s 2022 explanation says the new batter faces the next ball unless it is the end of an over (MCC); the BBC’s independent report gives the same caveat. Accordingly, B faces the first delivery of the next over, while C is at the other end. This is an end-of-over consequence, not an exception that rewards the earlier crossing.
Do not assume that any sixth attempted delivery ends the over. A No ball or Wide is not a valid ball under Law 17.3, and a No ball is expressly not counted in Law 21.16. In a real incident, the umpire’s calls and the actual ball count must be known before stating that the over had ended.
- A completed catch on the final valid ball does not make crossed runs count.
- The new batter still enters at the dismissed striker’s original end.
- Because the over ends, the previous non-striker faces the first ball of the next over.
- A delivery called No ball or Wide cannot be assumed to be the final valid ball.
Do not apply this answer to a No ball, an incomplete catch or every other dismissal
A No ball is the first important boundary. Law 33.1 excludes a No ball from the definition of out Caught, and Law 21.17 says neither batter may be out from a called No ball except under the listed Laws, which do not include Caught. The ball does not automatically become dead on the call of No ball under Law 21.13; running or another lawful event can still matter. But there is no Caught dismissal to trigger Law 33.4’s no-runs and original-end outcome.
An uncompleted or unfair catch is another boundary. If the ball touches the ground, a boundary condition fails, or complete control and movement are not established, it is not safe to state that the striker was out Caught. The current Law 33.2–33.3 text is the check. A scorecard alone may record an outcome but normally will not show every contact, ground point, review finding or No-ball call needed to analyse a disputed incident.
Nor is Caught a stand-in for Run out. Law 18.12 treats a Run out differently: whether batters had crossed at the incident can affect the not-out batter’s return, subject to its wording. That contrast is precisely why the Caught rule should not be carried over by memory. For the separate wicket-breaking and dismissal tests, see Fairplay’s run-out and stumping control guide.
If the dismissal is shown as Bowled, LBW, Stumped or another method, identify that method and read its own Law before announcing the next striker. Some are also named in Law 18.11, but this guide does not replace their full dismissal tests or the competition’s playing conditions.
- No ball: not out Caught; do not apply the Caught reset.
- Catch not completed or not fair: Caught has not been established from those facts.
- Run out: use its separate Law 18.12 crossing rule and the relevant dismissal conditions.
- Named-match decision: check the officials’ ruling and the applicable event document.
Check the current document and be careful with real-match records
MCC’s Laws are the baseline for this guide. Its current Laws page links the Laws of Cricket 2017 Code 4th Edition 2026 and explains that playing regulations can create differences (MCC). For international series starting on or after 1 October 2026, ICC says its updated Playing Conditions apply; ongoing series continue under the previous regulations (ICC update).
The ICC index lists a distinct Men’s Test Match Playing Conditions — October 2026 document. Its clauses 18.11 and 33.4 reproduce the practical structure used here: Caught is an original-end dismissal and runs completed before catch completion do not score. That verifies this explanation for the identified ICC Test document; it is not evidence that every domestic, franchise, school or historical competition uses identical conditions. The ICC Playing Conditions index lists separate format and competition documents.
For a named match, retain the dismissal decision, the delivery’s No-ball or Wide status, the valid-ball count, an available full replay, and the organiser’s effective conditions. A scorecard can be useful for the recorded dismissal and innings context; use Fairplay’s scorecard guide for that reading. It cannot usually prove whether the catch was fair or completed, whether a delivery was a No ball, or every running position in a contested sequence.
- Use current MCC wording for the Law, then identify the competition and its effective conditions.
- For ICC international series beginning on or after 1 October 2026, check the relevant current ICC format or event document.
- Do not reconstruct a contested catch or allocation from a short clip or scorecard alone.
Questions, answered
If batters crossed before a catch, do the runs count?
No, if the striker is dismissed Caught. MCC Law 33.4 says runs completed by the batters from that delivery before the catch is completed shall not be scored; penalty runs awarded to either side stand. Crossing does not preserve the completed running runs.
Who faces the next ball after a catch in the middle of an over?
The incoming batter faces. The non-striker returns to the original end under Law 33.4 and Law 18.11, leaving the incoming batter at the dismissed striker’s original end. This assumes a valid Caught dismissal and that the over has not ended.
Who faces next if the catch is on the last ball of the over?
The previous non-striker faces the first ball of the next over. The original-end reset still applies after the caught dismissal, but MCC explains that the incoming batter does not face next when the wicket falls at the end of an over (MCC). The delivery must actually have been the final valid ball.
Can a batter be out Caught from a No ball?
No. Law 33.1 requires a delivery that is not a No ball, and Law 21.17 does not include Caught among the dismissals available after a called No ball. Other events may still matter because a No ball does not itself make the ball dead.
Does this rule apply to a Run out after the batters have crossed?
Do not assume so. Law 18.12 has a separate return rule for Run out that considers whether the batters had crossed at the incident, subject to its full wording. A caught dismissal uses the Law 33.4 and Law 18.11 original-end rule explained here.
Sources and evidence
- Marylebone Cricket Club — Law 33: Caught
Primary current Law page retrieved 19 October 2026 IST. Supports the Caught definition, fair-catch/completion test, no-runs rule and non-striker’s original-end return.
- Marylebone Cricket Club — Law 18: Scoring Runs
Primary current Law page retrieved 19 October 2026 IST. Supports Law 18.11 original ends and the distinct Law 18.12 Run out treatment.
- Marylebone Cricket Club — Law 17: The Over
Primary current Law page retrieved 19 October 2026 IST. Supports six valid balls and the call of Over after the ball is dead.
- Marylebone Cricket Club — Law 21: No ball
Primary current Law page retrieved 19 October 2026 IST. Supports that a No ball is not dead merely on the call, does not count as a valid ball and cannot result in Caught.
- Marylebone Cricket Club — 2022 Code of Laws announcement
Primary historical announcement posted 1 October 2022 and retrieved 19 October 2026 IST. Gives the reader-facing consequence: a new batter at the striker’s end, unless the over has ended.
- International Cricket Council — Men’s Test Match Playing Conditions, October 2026
Primary format-specific PDF retrieved and text-checked 19 October 2026 IST. Clauses 18.11 and 33.4 corroborate the current structure for the specified ICC Test document.
- International Cricket Council — October 2026 Playing Conditions update
Primary ICC update dated 1 October 2026 and retrieved 19 October 2026 IST. Establishes application to international series starting on or after 1 October 2026 and the ongoing-series caveat.
- BBC Sport — new batter on strike even if batters cross
Independent report published 8 March 2022 and retrieved 19 October 2026 IST. Reader-facing corroboration of the 2022 change and end-of-over caveat.
- Reuters — new batter on strike even if players cross during catch
Independent report published 20 September 2022 and retrieved 19 October 2026 IST. Corroborates ICC’s then-announced practical outcome; current operative claims rely on MCC and current ICC documents.
Scheduled facts and sourced history are separate from live match data. Source attribution does not imply affiliation with IPL, BCCI, ICC or players.