cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

, a team's

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...

ends in one of the following ways. In cases 1 and 2, the team are said to be ''all out'', because they do not have two players available to bat. # All but one of the batsmen are out. # The batting side only has one not-out batsman who is still able to bat (the others are incapacitated through injury, illness or absence; see

retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

). # The team batting last scores the required number of runs to win. # The game runs out of time for either side to win, and so finishes as a

draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...

. # The set number of overs (sets of 6 deliveries) have been bowled (in

limited overs cricket Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket or white ball cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day. There are a number of formats, including List A cricket (8-hour games), Twenty ...

). # The team's captain declares the innings closed. # The Match Referee decides that one team has forfeited the game. Law 13 covers the end of the innings.

Taking wickets

When the bowling team has dismissed all but one of the

batsmen In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the ball with a bat to score runs and prevent the loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since September 2021, officially referred to as a batter (historically, the ...

the innings is said to be over. The batting team is said to be 'all out' or '

bowled out This is a general glossary of the terminology used in the sport of cricket. Where words in a sentence are also defined elsewhere in this article, they appear in italics. Certain aspects of cricket terminology are explained in more detail in c ...

'. For example, in most games, each side has 11 players, so 10 wickets need to be taken to bowl a side out. There is an exception to this rule if one or more batsmen are injured and/or ill and cannot bat. In such cases, when only one batsman remains not out and capable of batting, the innings is over. In the case of a Super Over innings, only two batsmen must be dismissed for the innings to be over.

Overs bowled

In some games, each team is allocated a set number of overs and its innings is closed once they have been bowled (subject to the innings not ending by another method beforehand). A restriction can be imposed in a one-innings game, or in the first innings of a two innings game. Where such a restriction is imposed in a one-innings game, it is said to be a

limited overs Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket or white ball cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day. There are a number of formats, including List A cricket (8-hour games), Twenty ...

match. An example of this is an ODI match, where each team can bat for only 50 consecutive overs. Once the 50 overs are up, and the team has not been bowled out, the innings is closed. If rain intervenes so that all the allocated overs cannot be bowled in the time available for the game, the overs restriction may be modified so that the game may be completed in the time that remains.

Declaration

If the captain of the batting team feels that his team has amassed a sufficiently large score, he, or the batsmen at the crease deputising for him, may end his team's innings voluntarily by ''declaring''. This option does not apply to limited overs matches. Declarations allow the declaring side to use all the remaining time to attempt to gain the wickets necessary for victory. The strategic consideration is to gamble a certain draw for a possible victory, while risking defeat if the target is achieved by the incoming batting side.

Achieving the target

If one team has completed all of their scheduled innings, while the other team has not, then the initial team is said to have set a "target", which is the number of runs they have scored plus one, that the other team must "chase". If the chasing team manages to achieve the target, their innings is ended and they win. In rain-affected matches in which the Duckworth-Lewis method applies, the target to be reached may be less than the actual target set by the first batting side. In a

two-innings match First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

where the

follow-on In the game of cricket, a team who batted second and scored significantly fewer runs than the team who batted first may be forced to follow-on: to take their second innings immediately after their first. The follow-on can be enforced by the team ...

has been enforced, the initial batting team may have to chase the target set by the other team.

Forfeiture

In the event of the match being disrupted by unruly fans of the host team, the Match Referee may cede the match to the visiting team, if they are in a vantage position.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:End Of An Innings Cricket terminology Cricket laws and regulations