Playing Time (cricket) - Starting and Finishing Play

Starting and Finishing Play

A game or day starts when the umpire at the bowler's end calls ‘Play’. ‘Play’ is also called to restart the game after an interval or interruption. Before an interval in or interruption of play, and at the end of a match, the umpire at the bowler's end calls ‘Time’ and removes the bails from both of the wickets. The bowling side cannot make an appeal for a dismissal after ‘Time’ has been called.

The game finishes when the first of three things happens:

1. There is a result, so that one of the teams has won or the team batting last has lost all its wickets with both teams having the same score thereby giving a tie;
2. The later of the minimum number of overs for the last hour are completed and the agreed time for the end of the game has been reached (see notes below);
3. If the players leave the field, either for adverse conditions of ground, weather or light, or in exceptional circumstances, and no further play is possible.

Notes:

1. In one-day cricket the second of these is replaced by the requirement that the agreed number of overs has been reached.
2. The term last hour can be a misnomer. One hour before the scheduled end of the game, the last hour starts. An agreed minimum number of overs (usually 15 in Test match cricket and 20 in other first-class cricket games) is bowled. The last hour therefore lasts either for the longer of 60 minutes, or the time it takes to bowl the agreed minimum number of overs. This rule is there to prevent time wasting by a team that looks likely to lose a game.
3. Today, Test matches are played under a set of conditions agreed by the boards of the competing countries. These are highly standardised. Days are scheduled as six hours of playing time, but there is a requirement that a minimum of 90 six-ball overs are bowled, and the third session may run overtime if the over rate has been slower than this. If there is a change of innings, two overs are deducted from the requirement.
4. If there are interruptions to play for weather or light, the scheduled stumps time may be extended by up to one hour to compensate (light permitting). If more than an hour's play is lost, time may be added on subsequent days.