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 runner is a team member who runs between the

wicket In cricket, the term wicket has several meanings: * It is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch. The fielding team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a batsman out. ...

s for an injured

batsman 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 ...

. This is covered by Law 25 of the

Laws of Cricket The ''Laws of Cricket'' is a code which specifies the rules of the game of cricket worldwide. The earliest known code was drafted in 1744 and, since 1788, it has been owned and maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Lond ...

. When a runner is used, the batsman stands in position and plays shots as normal, but does not attempt to run between the wickets: the runner runs for them. The runner occupies the injured batsman's

crease Crease may refer to: * A line (geometry) or mark made by folding or doubling any pliable substance * Crease (band), American hard rock band that formed in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1994 * Crease pattern, origami diagram type that consists of all ...

when they are on strike, but takes up a position away from the pitch at the umpire's discretion, typically on a pitch parallel to that being used for the game. When the injured batsman moves off strike, they then take up the position near the

square leg Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the striking batter, to limit the number of runs that the striker scores and/or to get a batter out by either catching a hit ball before ...

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

(not at the bowler's end), and the runner stands next to the bowler's wicket as in the normal course of play. *A runner can only be used if the umpires, together, are satisfied that the batsman has sustained an injury during the match that affects their ability to run. *The runner must be a member of the batting side, but not the twelfth man. The runner must also already have batted in the innings, if possible. *The runner must wear all the external protective equipment worn by the batsman and must carry a bat. If ''either'' the injured batsman or their runner is out of their ground, the batsman is liable to be

run out Run out is a method of dismissal in cricket, governed by Law 38 of the Laws of Cricket. A run out usually occurs when the batsmen are attempting to run between the wickets, and the fielding team succeed in getting the ball to one wicket befo ...

stumped Stumped is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket, which involves the wicket-keeper putting down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground. (The batsman leaves his ground when he has moved down the pitch beyond the popping crease ...

. The runner is also subject to other laws such as

obstructing the field Obstructing the field is one of the ten methods of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. Either batsman can be given out if he wilfully attempts to obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action. It is Law 37 of the Laws of c ...

. In June 2011, the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...

announced that, from 1 October 2011, runners could no longer be used in international cricket.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Runner (Cricket) Batting (cricket) Cricket laws and regulations Cricket terminology