How does an MCC Tie differ from a Draw, and when do agreed result rules take priority?

Equal totals make a default Tie only after all innings are complete

For a default Tie under Law 16.5.1, both conditions must hold: the scores are equal and all innings have been completed. A match with equal aggregate totals but an officially incomplete final innings does not meet the Tie test by equality alone.

Completion is determined under Law 13.3 and the match must reach a conclusion under Law 12.9. The guide’s examples stipulate those official statuses and correct scores; it does not decide what happened in an actual match.

Apply an agreed result criterion before calling the residual Draw

First identify whether the listed win, concession or award provisions already determine the result. If an agreement under Law 13.1.2 limits innings by overs or time and sets a result criterion for a case the ordinary win provisions do not settle, Law 16.4 uses that agreement. The default Tie-or-Draw rule comes after that agreement path.

For other matches, Draw is the residual result only when the match is not determined by the specified wins, award or agreement routes, a Tie, or the separate Law 42.6.2 no-result path. It is not a shortcut for every match without a winner. This guide does not prescribe tournament points, a Super Over or score corrections.

Official correctness and later required penalty awards remain separate qualifications. The examples stipulate correct official scores and no outstanding exceptional award; they do not replace Laws 16.8–16.10 or 41.17.2.

Three anonymous fictional result setups

In a fictional two-innings match using the MCC default result provisions, correct scores and officially completed innings are stipulated. Side A scores 145 and 155; Side B scores 120 and 180. All four innings are complete, and no different result agreement, concession, award, no-result case or other exceptional outcome applies. Both aggregate totals are 300, so the default result is a Tie. In a second fictional match, the aggregate totals are again 300 each, but Side B’s final innings is officially still incomplete when the match properly concludes. With the same exclusions, including no applicable no-result case, equality alone does not satisfy the Tie test and the residual result is a Draw. In a third setup, a valid Law 13.1.2 agreement supplies a different result criterion and none of Laws 16.1–16.3 determines the result; use the agreed criterion instead of inventing a default Super Over. These examples do not adjudicate a real competition.

Sources and further reading

• MCC, The Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, fourth edition 2026), checked 2026-10-15: Laws 12.9, 13.1.2 and 13.3, 16.1–16.10, 41.17.2, and 42.6.2; printed/physical pages 41–49 and 136–137 and 146. Score correctness and any exceptional result are stipulated, not inferred.