Why Does a Rope Mark the Boundary in Cricket?

A good cricket pitch needs to be hard and flat to have a playing surface that is beneficial to both the batters and bowlers. However, some cricket managers often fail to meet the ICC set standard guidelines about the general appearance of the pitch. For instance, most people have different ways of marking the boundaries in the pitch. But why are ropes used in marking the boundaries in cricket?

A rope marks the boundary in cricket because it lets the fielders run hard at the ball. They then throw themselves over to the ball without fear of getting injured. Fielders sometimes hurt themselves by sliding towards the ball hitting hard fences at the boundaries. 

This article contains a lot of unheard information about cricket boundaries. Make sure you read ahead to find out more about this.

How Far Is the Boundary Rope In Cricket?

The boundary rope in cricket is 64m to the minimum and has a maximum of 82.29m from the center of the pitch. In addition to this, cricket pitches are usually oval, although most people believe circular pitches are more ideal.

Depending on the immediate cricket match you are playing, you may have tougher or less stringent rules about the safety zones. These rules further vary based on the game format and age groups. So before gameplay, you should not be shocked to be guided about the infields, close infields, and outfield markings. 

When marking cricket pitch borders, you also have to consider buffer distances between the cricket pitch and other close infrastructure. Whether car parks, buildings, roadways, or other grounds, you need to leave 20 to 40m from the boundaries. It will be handy in reducing the probability of damages of property or the players getting hurt.

However, based on the kind of cricket pitch you are constructing, the first-class cricket grounds may need more ground. This is if you are also considering setting a seating point for spectators around the pitch. 

So following the ICC Standard Test Match Playing Condition:

“The playing area shall be a minimum of 150 yards (137.16 meters) from boundary to boundary square of the pitch, with the shorter of the two square boundaries being a minimum 65 yards (59.43 meters). The straight boundary at both ends of the pitch shall be a minimum of 70 yards (64.00 meters), measured from the center of the pitch to be used. In all cases, the aim shall be to provide the largest playing area, subject to no boundary exceeding 90 yards (82.29 meters) from the center of the pitch to be used.”

Is It a 6 If the Cricket Ball Hits the Boundary Rope?

When a cricket ball hits a boundary rope the batter who hit the ball will have scored 6 runs. If the ball does not bounce before passing over the rope and touches the ground beyond it, the batter scores six runs.

One of the primary reasons for using a rope to mark a cricket playing ground is to avoid the common injuries witnessed when fielders dive for the balls near the boundaries. These cricket boundary ropes always come in 220 meters coils and go around a standard cricket pitch. 

So while playing, when the ball is within the rope, the ball is said to be still alive. However, the ball will be dead if:

It is touching the boundary or grounded beyond the boundary.

If the ball is touched by a fielder who is grounded outside the boundary; or a fielder touching the boundary rope.  

On the other hand, the batting side can score either 4 or 6 runs from hitting the ball over the boundary. Fielders can, however, flick such balls back; but they must be careful not to throw their bodies over the rope. He will be caught if he touches the ground with his hand or any part of his body.

This is why you will often see the fielders trying as much as possible not to have their bodies flipping over the boundaries.

However, in case the ball that just hit the rope( boundary) did not touch a batter’s bat and instead happened to hit his hand holding the bat. The batter will receive four extra points. An extra score is a score that goes to a batting team without putting it under a specific batter. 

It is because the ball did not touch any bat on its way out. Additionally, once the ball is off the boundary rope, it becomes dead. So the fielders throw it at the center for bowling.

As a result, the batters can score a 4 or a 6 depending on whether the ball bounced before or after it touched or crossed the boundary.

The score is a 4 when:

When the ball rolls or bounces on the ground before touching or going over the boundary rope. If the ball happens not to touch the rope, it must touch the ground beyond the rope.

It is a 6 when;

When it does not bounce, but instead touches the ground beyond the boundary rope.

Which Cricket Court Has the Biggest Boundaries?

The cricket ground with the biggest boundary is the Melbourne Cricket Grounds in Australia. Its straight boundary measures 83.43m. While the square boundary is 86.235m. This cricket ground hosted its first test match in 1877. The test match was between Australia and England.

Globally, cricket is becoming more and more popular, and teams such as England and India, which are known for their huge fan bases, are building amazing cricket grounds. 

So some of the largest cricket grounds are:

Cricket Ground	Country	Straight Boundary	Square Boundary
Melbourne Cricket Ground	Australia	83.43m	86.235m
Sydney Cricket Ground	Australia	93.72m	72.825m
Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground	Colombo, Sri Lanka	86.095m	77.02m
Hagley Oval	Christchurch, New Zealand	83.575m	77.455m
Basin Reserve in Wellington	New Zealand	81.7m	72.48m
Lords Cricket Ground	London, United Kingdom	88.865m	65.21m
Imperial Wanderers Stadium	Johannesburg, South Africa	86.755m	64.135m
Kensington Oval	Bridgetown, Barbados	76.645m	69.03m
Eden Gardens	Kolkata, India	76.23m	66.26m
Eden Park	Auckland, New Zealand	64.89m	68.535m