GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
When can a cricket dismissal appeal be made or withdrawn under the MCC Laws?
For an on-field appeal, the fielding side must appeal before the bowler starts the next run-up—or, if there is no run-up, begins the next delivery action—and before Time is called. Calling Over alone does not close that window. Withdrawal is separate: the fielding captain needs consent from the umpire with jurisdiction and must act before the next ball comes into play, or, after the innings is complete, before the umpires leave the field. A reasonable mistaken departure has its own recall rule and deadline. This describes the MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, fourth edition (2026), effective 1 October 2026. That date does not establish that every clause is new or that a particular competition has adopted it; check the competition’s Playing Conditions.
For Players, new umpires and viewers interpreting an appeal after a delivery. · Updated
The appeal window follows the next delivery
A valid appeal must arrive before the bowler starts the run-up for the next ball, or starts the delivery action if there is no run-up. It must also be before Time is called. An Over call by itself does not invalidate an appeal made before that next run-up or action.
The striker’s-end umpire answers appeals arising under Hit wicket, Stumped or Run out when the event is at the wicket-keeper’s end; the bowler’s-end umpire answers all other appeals. Each umpire also answers matters within their jurisdiction. After a batter is given Not out, either umpire may answer a timely further appeal under 31.3 if it concerns another matter within that umpire’s jurisdiction. If an umpire is doubtful about a fact the other may have seen better, they consult; if doubt remains after consultation, the decision is Not out.
Withdrawing an appeal needs the right umpire’s consent
The fielding captain may withdraw an appeal only after obtaining consent from the umpire within whose jurisdiction the appeal falls. If consent is given, that umpire shall, if applicable, revoke the decision and recall the batter. The captain cannot reverse a decision alone.
The withdrawal deadline is the instant the next ball comes into play. If the innings has been completed, the deadline instead runs until the umpires leave the field.
A mistaken departure is a different recall
If a batter has not been given out but leaves the wicket under a reasonable misapprehension of being out, either umpire calls Dead ball and recalls the batter. That is not the same step as withdrawing an appeal. A recall can occur until the next ball comes into play; after the final wicket, it can occur until the umpires leave the field.
Three separate moments in a fictional innings
Assume a fictional competition uses this MCC edition without a relevant Playing Condition change. After Over is called, the fielding side appeals before the bowler begins the next run-up and before Time; the appeal is within the stated window. The fielding captain then asks to withdraw it before the next ball comes into play, and the umpire with jurisdiction consents. In a separate hypothetical final-wicket situation, an umpire is satisfied that a batter who was not given out has left under a reasonable misapprehension of being out; the umpire calls and signals Dead ball and recalls the batter before the umpires leave the field, which is the final-wicket recall deadline. These stipulated events do not decide any real dismissal.
Related questions
Does calling Over by itself make an appeal late?
No. The appeal window remains open until the bowler starts the next run-up or delivery action, provided Time has not been called.
Can the fielding captain withdraw without consent?
No. Withdrawal requires consent from the umpire whose jurisdiction covers the appeal, and it has a separate deadline from making the appeal.