Bowl-out

A bowl-out (sometimes termed a bowl-off) is used in various forms of limited overs cricket to decide a match that ends in a tie. The procedure is similar to a penalty shootout in association football, however the result is recorded as a tie, not counting as a win or a loss for either team. Five bowlers from each side deliver one or two balls each at an unguarded wicket (three stumps). If each team has hit the same number of wickets after the first five bowlers per side, the bowling continues and is decided by sudden death.

History

First match decided by bowl-out

A bowl-out was first used in the NatWest Trophy in June 1991 in a match between Derbyshire and Minor County side Hertfordshire at Bishops Stortford. Derbyshire bowled first and Steve Goldsmith managed one hit from his two deliveries. Ole Mortensen, Alan Warner, Frank Griffiths and Simon Base all missed with both of theirs. Hertfordshire's first bowler, Andy Needham, hit with his first ball but missed with his second. John Carr, missed with both his, Bill Merry, struck middle with his second attempt to win the match.