Law 20 (LOST BALL) is applicable when a ball 'in play' gets lost or cannot be recovered WITHIN THE FIELD OF PLAY, and not after it crosses the boundary. The fielding side has the option of continuing the search or calling 'Lost ball'. Any member of the fielding side can make the call.

Obviously, this is something that cannot practically occur at the higher levels of the sport, where the grounds and outfields are decent and well-maintained. However, the ball does get lost quite regularly in matches played on unconventional grounds like village greens or our very own 'maidans'. This law was necessitated due to some bizarre incidents in 'village green' or 'maidan' matches that forced the authorities to take desperate measures.
 

There was an incident in a village game in England in the 1920s when the ball was hit into the outfield and it entered a hole created by either a rat or snake. The mouth of the hole was roughly the same size as the ball. The ball was very much visible, but the fielder just could not pluck it out as it had got tightly embedded in the hole! Frantic shouts to his fellow fielders for help did not quite help. The players then rushed to the umpire and explained what had happened. But as there was no provision in the laws at that time that addressed such situations, the umpires were helpless. They ultimately stopped the batsmen from running between the wickets. The only problem (for the fielding side) was that the batsmen had run fourteen runs by then! The umpires had no option but to grant them to the batting team!

On another occasion, the ball was hit in the deep and a stray dog picked it up, obviously with his mouth. The fielders tried their best to catch the dog and retrieve the ball, but in vain! The animal kept running round and round the ground and the fielders kept chasing it frantically! Finally, it got bored, dropped the ball and ran away. The spectators and batting team of course laughed their guts out, but the fielding team wasn't amused. By the time the ball was returned to the wicketkeeper, the batsmen had completed eleven runs.

A lofted shot once got stuck in a tree-branch that was hovering within the playing area. The branch, although bending downwards, was still about ten feet high. So one fielder lifted another on his shoulders to retrieve the ball! But here again, the batsmen ran and completed a good number of runs.

All those who were at the receiving end in these incidents would have been delighted when this particular law was introduced. Accordingly, the fielding side was given the option to either search or call 'Lost ball' if they feel that the ball is untraceable. As per the law, six runs are straightaway awarded to the batsmen if struck with the bat, or in the form of byes or leg byes if otherwise. But if the batsmen run and complete more than six runs before the 'Lost ball' call, then they are awarded whatever number of runs they complete.

A 'lost ball' is not an unusual occurrence in the Kanga league that is played during the monsoon season in Mumbai, on slushy grounds where the grass is often ankle-high.

A unique feature of this law is that even if the batsmen have completed one, three or five runs before the 'Lost ball' call, they cannot change ends and return to their original positions although the penalty is an 'even' number of runs - six. This is in addition to the no-ball or wide-ball penalties as applicable.

I remember a Kanga League match between Dadar Union and National Cricket Club at the latter's home ground at Cross Maidan. The ball disappeared into the overgrown grass and Dadar Union openers Sunil Gavaskar and Ramnath Parkar ran five before the fielding side made the 'Lost ball' call. DU got six runs as a result. The batsmen were bewildered when I told them not to return to their original ends, despite getting an even number of runs. I had to explain that this law was an exception.

As this incident illustrates, several cricketers including Test Players are unaware of the exceptional nature of this law.

Like most laws, this one has a loophole. There have been instances wherein streetsmart fielders have been unable to locate the ball, but have called 'Lost ball' only after the batsmen have 'run' and completed five or six runs. Their rationale was quite simple - The batting team is going to get six runs irrespective of whether the call is made after they complete one run or after they complete six. So, let's not give them six runs on a platter. Let them sweat and 'earn' those six runs!

If the ball is not found, the umpires will call for a replacement that resembles the original in wear and tear and continue the game. But if the original is found a little later, it will be brought back into use.

The umpires are supposed to inform the batsmen and let them take a look at the replacement ball whenever the original is no longer in use. However, the batsmen do not have a say in the choice of the replacement ball. The same procedure is followed when a ball is lost after crossing the boundary and replaced.

- By Piloo Reporter