A 'no-ball' is a penalty that can be imposed on the bowling side. A no-ball can be declared for several reasons, contrary to the popular belief that there are only three of four situations wherein the umpires can do so.

The most common cause is a 'foot fault' on the bowler's part. When he delivers the ball, it is necessary that atleast part of his front foot is behind the popping rease(the batting crease), and his back foot not touching the return crease (the line behind the stumps that is perpendicular to them) or it's forward extension (the line that joins the bowling crease and popping crease). However, both feet may land behind the bowling crease (in line with the stumps) or even between the popping and bowling creases, as is done by most spin bowlers.
 

Before a player comes on to bowl, he is supposed to inform the umpire about the 'approach' he intends to take - right arm over the wicket, left arm round the wicket, etc. The umpire then passes on the same information to the batsman before the over begins. What the bowler tells the umpire is a contract of sorts. The umpire will signal a no-ball if the bowler breaches this contract by doing something different, like bowling round the wicket when he is meant to bowl 'over'. Many a time, the bowler tells the umpire that he will be bowling over the wicket to the right-handed batsman and round to the left hander or vice versa. This too is a contract. A bowler may change his mode of delivery any number of times in an over, but he has to inform the umpire about the change every time. In fact, the bowler can deliver one ball with his left hand and the next with the right and vice versa after informing the umpire accordingly. Readers will be surprised to know that this 'contract' has been violated even at the highest level of the game. Don Anurasiri, the Sri Lankan left-arm spinner of the 1980s and early 1990s, once bowled a delivery to Dilip Vengsarkar with his right arm in a Test, and was promptly no-balled!

After the 'foot fault' and 'breach of contract' comes Chucking. A bowler whose action is 'suspicious' comes under scrutiny. Either of the two umpires can 'no-ball' him if they feel that he is releasing the ball in a manner that is not permissible under the laws. The menace of Chucking gave sleepless nights to cricket-lovers and administrators in the 1950s, and it resurfaced in a big way in the 1990s. It remains a problem even today. The ICC recently amended the concerned law and permitted the 'straightening of the bowling arm' upto '15 degrees'. But the fact is that it is virtually impossible for an on-field umpire to detect the extent of the straightening in terms of degrees with the naked eye. The only way out is the use of electronic gadgets. This is precisely why so many bowlers are being reported and referred to a Special Committee of the ICC for remedial treatment. Muttiah Muralitharan, Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee, Harbhajan Singh, Shabbir Ahmed and several others have undergone 'treatment'.

- By Piloo Reporter