Fair and unfair play

Law 41 of the Laws of Cricket covers unfair play. This law has developed and expanded over time as various incidents of real life unfair play have been legislated against.

The first section of Law 41 makes clear that the captains of the two teams have the responsibility for ensuring that play is conducted according to the spirit and traditions of the game, as well as within its Laws. This leads to a statement that the umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play. It contains an override of the Laws of Cricket: if either umpire considers an action that is not covered by the laws to be unfair, he can intervene and call the ball dead.

Fair and unfair play can also refer simply to conventions of the game that are often seen to conform with the Spirit of Cricket.