Crease in Cricket

The white lines marked on the pitch that define where batters and bowlers must operate.

What is a Crease?

Four creases are painted at each end of the pitch: the popping crease, the bowling crease, and two return creases. The popping crease matters most for batters — it's the line you need to be behind, or your bat grounded past, to be safe from being run out or stumped. The bowling crease marks where the stumps sit, and the return creases box in where the bowler's back foot must land to avoid a no-ball.

In play

Batter dives full stretch, bat outstretched — replays show the very tip crossed the popping crease a fraction before the bails came off. Not out.

More laws terms

• Striker / Non-StrikerThe two batters at the crease — the striker faces the bowling, the non-striker waits at the other end.
• OverA set of six legal deliveries bowled from one end, after which a different bowler takes over from the other end.
• BoundaryThe rope marking the edge of the playing field — and the four or six runs scored when the ball reaches or crosses it.
• Run OutA dismissal where a batter fails to reach a crease before the fielding side breaks the stumps at that end.
• StumpedA dismissal where the wicketkeeper breaks the stumps while the batter is out of their crease, without a run being attempted.
• CaughtA dismissal where a fielder catches the ball on the full after it comes off the bat, before it touches the ground.