How Cricket Replaces a Lost or Damaged Ball Explainer
When a cricket ball cannot be found, cannot be recovered, or becomes unfit for play through normal use, the umpires replace it. Play does not continue with a brand-new ball chosen for convenience. The replacement should have wear comparable to the ball at the moment it disappeared or became unusable.
The umpires make that judgment by considering overs bowled, surface condition, seam, shine, and general wear. They normally choose from a prepared collection of used balls. The aim is to preserve the match's existing balance between swing, seam movement, spin, and batting difficulty.
After selecting the replacement, an umpire informs the batters and the fielding captain. The scoring record notes the change, but the innings and over continue from the point at which the original ball became dead. No team receives runs merely because the ball itself was lost.
This procedure is different from deliberate alteration. If the ball's condition was unfairly changed by a player, the unfair-play provisions can require replacement and penalty runs. Ordinary deterioration, a split seam, or a ball genuinely lost outside the field follows the neutral comparable-wear process.
Not normally. Umpires choose a ball with wear comparable to the one being replaced.
The umpires select it and inform the batters and fielding captain.
No. A routine lost or unfit ball is replaced without an automatic run award.
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