GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
How does declaring a cricket innings differ from forfeiting it?
A declaration closes an innings that has already started, and the ball must be dead. A forfeiture is different: it is made before that innings begins. Under the MCC Laws, neither action is available for the final innings of the match. Each declared or forfeited innings counts as completed, and the captain must notify the opposing captain and umpires; once notified, the decision cannot be changed. These are innings procedures, not synonyms for a batter retiring, abandoning a match or conceding defeat. 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 Cricket viewers reading an innings listed as declared or forfeited. · Updated
A declaration closes an innings already in progress
The captain of the batting side may declare an innings closed at any time during that innings when the ball is dead, except in the final innings of the match. The Law treats a declared innings as completed.
A forfeiture happens before an innings begins
A captain may forfeit either of the side’s innings before that innings commences, but not the match’s final innings. A forfeited innings is also treated as completed. This is a specific captain’s decision about an innings, not a batter retiring or a side conceding defeat.
Both decisions become final after notice
For either action, the captain notifies the opposing captain and the umpires. Once notified, the decision cannot be changed. The final-innings exception applies to both declaration and forfeiture, so a proposed example must specify that the innings is not the match’s final one.
Two fictional non-final innings
Assume a fictional two-innings match uses this MCC edition without a relevant Playing Condition change. In a non-final innings already under way, the batting captain waits until the ball is dead, declares the innings closed and notifies the opposing captain and umpires. In another hypothetical non-final innings, the captain forfeits before the innings begins and gives the required notice. Each innings is treated as completed, and neither decision can be reversed after notice. A proposed declaration or forfeiture of the final innings is excluded by the Law.
Related questions
Can a captain declare while the ball is in play?
No. A declaration must be made when the ball is dead.
Can a captain forfeit the final innings?
No. The final innings is excluded from both declaration and forfeiture under Law 15.