A batter strikes the ball with the bat to score runs in cricket. The ball striking is done while ensuring that the batter guards the stumps simultaneously, not allowing the ball to strike them.
A batter can be deemed out if the bat strikes the ball twice. The batter can also be called out if the ball strikes the pads first if at all the legs are positioned in front of the stumps (leg before wicket). Based on these rules, is it legal for the batter to kick the ball? Here is a breakdown to answer this question based on various scenarios.
Scene 1: Kicking a ball bowled by the bowler
If the ball released by the bowler is kicked by the striker, two things can take place. Firstly, if the batter does this while standing right in front of the stumps, then there is a high probability of the batter getting dismissed leg before wicket. Secondly, if the kick is executed without standing in line of the stumps, then the batter cannot add anything to the scoreboard. This is because based on the official regulations, it is not a “stroke” that the batter had played.
Scene 2: Kicking a ball thrown by the fielder
If the struck ball reaches the fielder who picks it up and throws it back to the fielder near the stumps, the batter cannot kick the ball. This is because it violates an important law that can lead to the batter being dismissed through “obstruction of field”.
Scene 3: Kicking a ball about to strike the stumps
In some cases, batters edge the ball with the bat, or the ball edges their pads and rolls back to the stumps. The batter can now use any part of their body except the “hand not holding the bat” to deflect the ball away from the stumps. However, in the process, the deflected hit cannot result in any runs. Moreover, the batter should also keep in mind that a second strike cannot be made if the fielder is about to catch the ball after the deflection.
Scene 4: Padded away
Padding away a ball is often seen when batters are facing spinners. When the spinning ball pitches outside the leg stump or is moving in a direction away from the stumps, the batter can move their front leg in line of the ball and pad it away. No run can be scored through this method.
Scene 5: Leg byes
If the batter attempts to hit the ball with the bat but misses it and deflects off the batter’s pads, the runs later scored will be counted as leg byes. These runs will be added to the team total but not to the batter’s individual score. Leg byes are signaled when runs off the batter’s legs are not deliberate.
Batters can thus kick the ball only under certain laws of the game. More importantly, kicking the ball for the sake of scoring runs is a null point.
