Law 19 BOUNDARIES
1. Before the toss the umpire shall agree the boundary of the field of play with both captains
2. Whenever possible the boundary shall be marked along the whole length by means of (a) a white line OR (b) a rope.
3.The boundary shall be agreed so that no part of any sightscreen is within the field of play.
4. An obstacle (inc animals, birds, trees) or person (inc spectator, member of the public etc) within the field of play shall not be regarded as a boundary unless agreed before the toss. In some cases a special regulation may cover this.
5. If a white line marks the boundary, the inside edge of the line shall be the boundary.
6. Any flags , posts or boards used to highlight the white line shall be placed outside the boundary.
7.If a solid object is used to mark the boundary, the edge or line of the object nearest the ground shall be the boundary.
8. Where there is no physical marker, an imaginary straight line joining the two nearest marked points shall constitute the boundary.
9. If a solid object used to mark the boundary becomes displaced, it must be replaced in its original position or removed from the field of play as soon as the ball is dead.
10.
A boundary is scored whenever
(i) the ball in play touches or is grounded beyond the boundary
(ii) a fielder in contact with the ball touches the boundary OR has some part of
his person grounded beyond the boundary.
Note : A valid catch is made if the fielder throws the ball in the air
before his momentum takes him beyond the boundary provided he can return
to the field of play to complete the catch before the ball hits the ground.
11. Before the toss the umpires shall agree with both captains the runs allowed for boundaries. They should be guided by prevailing customs.
12. Unless otherwise agreed the allowance for balls having been struck by the bat which pitch beyond the boundary shall be 6 runs. The allowance for other boundaries shall be 4 runs.
13. The penalty for No Ball or Wide Ball, if applicable, shall be added to the boundary allowance plus any penalties that apply before the ball crosses the boundary.
14. If the batsmen have crossed more than 4 times before the ball crosses the boundary, the boundary will be replaced by the number of times they have crossed (plus any penalties), providing none of the runs were short.
15.
If the boundary results from an overthrow or wilful act of a fielder, the runs
scored shall be :-
(i) the penalty for No Ball or Wide Ball, if applicable, plus any other penalty
awarded
(ii) the boundary allowance
(iii) the runs completed by the batsmen plus the run in progress if they have
crossed at the instant of the throw or act.