Action Cricket Rules

Action cricket is the South African form of indoor cricket, which began in Australia in the 1970s. It retains the original format of eight-player teams, with each player bowling two overs (spells of six fair deliveries) for a 16-over per side match. It retains the dimensions of the completely netted court, which is about the width of a doubles tennis court and 10 yards longer. The standard 22-yard cricket pitch remains as well. Like all other forms of cricket, the team with the most runs wins.

  1. Batting

    • Each pair of batsmen must last four overs, regardless of how many times they are "out." They score one run by hitting the ball into the side netting near them. They score two if they hit the net farther down the ground, four if they hit the back netting on the bounce and six if they hit the back net on the full. Batsmen also score runs by changing ends when the ball is in play and before the fielding side can break their wicket (run them out).

      Batsmen can be outbowled (when the bowler hits the wicket they are defending), caught, run-out and "interfering". The other cricket dismissals of "stumped", "leg before wicket" (lbw) and "hit wicket" also apply. Action cricket has "mankad", another way a batsman can be out when the bowler catches the non-striker backing up too far. This "out" is rare in real cricket but common in the indoor version. In baseball parlance it's like being "picked off." Being out is not the end of a batsman's innings but the batting side loses three runs every time it happens.

    Bowling

    • Each player must bowl two overs. The rules make allowances for women to bowl underarm and generally the rules governing bowlers engender the spirit of fair play in competitions of mixed gender and ability. The umpire, who sits outside and above the court and behind the wicket, will call a "no-ball" if the bowler over-steps, if the bowling is too wide or if it is intimidatory. "Wides" incur extra runs against the bowling side.

      The bowler must have half his field behind a line that is halfway down the pitch and marks the difference between scoring one run into the side net and two.

    Social

    • The lively social game lasts about 70 minutes and several rules apply only to mixed team matches. For example, a player is out caught off the back-netting in mixed matches. Mixed teams must be four male and four female and all batting pairs shall be one of each. The bowling will alternate boy, girl. Male members of the bowling side may not crowd a female on strike.

    Equipment

    • Action cricket venues supply bats and balls and thin batting gloves, which help sweaty palms keep a grip on the handle rather than protect knuckles. The ball is much lighter than, though the same shape as, a regular cricket ball. The wicketkeeper will wear gloves but nobody else will wear them. Women may, at the management's discretion, wear one or more batting gloves to field.