Cricket is a sport where the batters of one team try to outnumber the opposition in terms of runs scored to win the match. A batting team is challenged by the fielding side by targeting to get the batters out by various means. If ten batters are dismissed by the fielding side, then the batting side’s innings terminates.
At any stage of an ongoing innings, a legal delivery by the bowler will see two batters positioned on either side of the pitch. When the bowler bowls, the remaining ten players position themselves to assist the bowler in getting the wickets. The ball becomes dead after any event takes place. These events can be a batter’s dismissal, a boundary, a dot ball, runs scored by running between wickets, etc.
Law 20.1.1.3 of the Marylebone Cricket Club’s Laws of Cricket states that, “The ball will be deemed to be dead from the instant of the incident causing the dismissal.”
This law makes it clear that on the same delivery it is not possible for two wickets or two batters to be dismissed. The batter who is the first victim of a dismissal is out and the other batter survives. But it is noteworthy to mention that this rule applies for a single legal delivery bowled by the bowler. Hence, there are only two scenarios wherein two wickets can fall in one ball.
Consider a scene where the bowler bowls a wide, but the wicket-keeper collects the ball and hits the stumps to run out or stump the batter. While the batter is out, the ball is not counted as it was a wide, and hence an illegal delivery. Now when the next batter walks out to bat and is out on the first ball which is a legitimate delivery, then in such a case the bowler and the team have claimed two wickets in one ball.
In the second scene, imagine that a batter is run-out but the ball is signaled as a no ball by the umpire. Now, since a run-out is allowed on a no ball, the batter is considered dismissed. If the next batter to fall is dismissed on the first legitimate delivery, then the fielding side technically claims two wickets in one ball.
Thus, depending on the legality of the delivery, a bowler or a team can claim two wickets in one ball.
