Batter out of his ground (Law 30)
Index


LAW 30 CHANGES

This Law defines when a batter is in or out of his ground, for use in conjunction with Laws 38 (Run out) and Law 39 (Stumped)

Since 2013, the Law has provided protection to a batter from being Run out if his foot has been grounded beyond the popping crease, he has continued forward momentum and the wicket is put down at an instant where both feet are off the ground. However, this protection has not extended to any other part of the body or to the bat

With current technology able to assess line judgements frame by frame, and for consistency and fairness, it was felt that a batter needs further protection. Consequently, if the batter grounds the bat (held by the hand) or another part of his person within his ground (the elbow when diving, for example), and provided that the batter has continued forward momentum and subsequently inadvertently loses this contact with the ground when the wicket is put down, the batter will be protected from being Run out in the same way as under the previous Law

In addition, the same protection will apply to a striker diving back into his ground to avoid being Stumped

The most common instances when this will be needed are when a batter has dived for his ground or when the bat hits a bump while ‘running it in’ and becomes airborne. It was felt that, once the batter has gained his ground, and has continued forward momentum, he should be protected. Furthermore, it will be easier for umpires to interpret this Law. The Law requires that the batter is ‘running or diving’ to ensure that a batter’s foot being raised in a typical stumping scenario is not protected