Cricket Umpire Rules: Duties, Signals, Reviews and Match Control

Cricket umpires apply the MCC Laws, competition playing conditions and match-safety procedures. Their core duties are to judge fair deliveries and dismissals, answer appeals, control dead-ball and time events, signal the scorer, manage reviews and report conduct. They are not the scorer, match referee or a substitute for the Laws.

For practical reference, see cricket umpire signals, Umpire’s Call in DRS, how many wickets are in cricket and how to become a cricket umpire.

What are the main duties of a cricket umpire?

The main duty is to control the match fairly under the Laws and the competition’s published conditions. Readers considering the role as a career can follow the how to become a cricket umpire pathway, while the greatest cricket umpires comparison explains how elite careers are assessed.

Before play, umpires inspect the pitch, wickets, boundary and equipment, meet captains, check the toss and confirm match timing. During play, they judge deliveries, dismissals, appeals, boundaries, extras, interruptions and player conduct. After play, they confirm the result and complete required reports.

The two on-field umpires share responsibilities but do not operate as isolated decision-makers. They communicate about appeals, batsmen’s ends, light, weather, safety and unusual incidents.

What does an umpire judge on each delivery?

On each delivery, the umpire checks whether the ball is fair, where the batters are, what happened to the ball and whether a Law-based event occurred.

The decision may involve a legal delivery, no-ball, wide, dead ball, boundary, bye, leg-bye, wicket or completed run. An appeal is needed for most dismissals, but the umpire still knows the applicable Law before responding with out or not out.

The signal then tells the scorer what to record. A no-ball hit for six is both a no-ball and six runs; a wide that reaches the boundary carries the wide extra plus the boundary allowance under the playing conditions.

How do umpires handle appeals and dismissals?

The umpire listens for the appeal, checks the relevant Law and gives a clear decision.

The index-finger out signal is not a replacement for reasoning. Caught, bowled, LBW, run out, stumped, hit wicket, timed out and obstructing-the-field decisions have different legal tests. A run out, for example, is not credited to the bowler, while a bowled dismissal is.

When the decision is unclear, the umpire may consult the other on-field umpire or refer an eligible matter to the third umpire under the playing conditions.

How do umpires use DRS?

Umpires use DRS to refer decisions or respond to player reviews under the competition’s protocol.

The third umpire checks replay, audio, ball-tracking or other approved technology and communicates a recommendation. The on-field umpire then announces the final result. In an LBW review, a marginal ball-tracking result may be Umpire’s Call, which retains the original out or not-out decision.

The review request window, number of reviews and review-retention rules depend on the match’s playing conditions. A domestic T20 league is not automatically governed by an ICC Test appendix.

What signals must umpires use?

Umpires use standard signals for boundaries, extras, dismissals, stoppages and administrative events.

The scorer needs a visible signal for out, four, six, no-ball, wide, bye, leg-bye, dead ball, new ball and other calls. A good umpire also repeats or confirms a signal when the scorer or partner umpire cannot see it clearly.

Our cricket umpire signals reference gives the plain-English gesture and the scoring meaning. The current MCC Laws and the match conditions remain the authoritative sources.

Can umpires stop or suspend play?

Yes. Umpires can stop play for weather, bad light, unsafe ground, dangerous equipment, player injury, misconduct or another dead-ball event allowed by the Laws.

They should consult captains and ground staff where required, but safety is not a vote. A match referee may later review the conduct or playing conditions, while the on-field umpires control the immediate decision to suspend or resume play.

The restart also matters: umpires confirm the ball is ready, players are in position, the correct batter is facing and the scorer understands the status before calling Play.

How do umpire and scorer roles differ?

The umpire decides and signals what happened; the scorer records the legal runs, wickets, overs and result.

The roles must agree, but they are not interchangeable. A scorer may ask an umpire to clarify a signal, and an umpire may check the score or number of reviews, but the Laws give the on-field official the decision on play.

The match referee is separate again: that official reviews conduct, pitch reports and tournament administration rather than calling each ball.

How should a new umpire learn the rules?

A new umpire should study the MCC Laws, the competition’s playing conditions, signals and practical case studies.

1. Read the current Laws, especially the over, dead ball, appeals and dismissal sections.
2. Learn the signal set and scorer communication.
3. Take a local association or board course.
4. Practise positioning and pre-delivery routines.
5. Review decisions with an assessor after matches.

The ECB and national associations provide pathways, while MCC’s education resources explain the global Law foundation. Local conditions still need separate study.

Frequently asked questions

What does a cricket umpire do?

Applies the Laws and playing conditions, judges play, answers appeals, signals the scorer and manages safety and reviews.

Can umpires change decisions?

They may correct a decision promptly when the Laws allow and the match state has not made the decision final.

Who controls the score?

The scorer records it, while the umpire signals and confirms what happened on the field.

Can umpires stop a match?

Yes, for weather, light, safety, injury, conduct or other Law-based reasons.

What is the third umpire’s job?

To review eligible incidents with approved technology and advise the on-field umpire.

Where should officials start learning?

With the current MCC Laws, competition playing conditions and an assessed local umpire course.

Bottom line

Cricket umpire rules are the working system behind every ball, signal and result. Umpires apply the MCC Laws, follow the competition’s conditions, communicate with scorers and use DRS only through the permitted protocol. A reliable guide distinguishes those roles instead of treating every official, signal or review as the same thing. The wider match-official team is explained in what the fourth umpire does in cricket. The institution that maintains the Laws is explained in what MCC means in cricket.