A spectacular catch near the rope is only a catch if the fielder meets the boundary rules. Keeping the ball off the ground is not enough.
Watch the landing
Imagine a fielder jumping for a high shot near the sightscreen. They catch the ball but land with a heel touching the boundary rope while still holding it. That is not a fair catch. The umpires must instead decide the boundary award. A different result may apply if the fielder releases the ball before touching the rope and the catch is completed fairly by a teammate.
What the umpires award
The umpire decides whether the catch was fair and, if not, signals the relevant boundary. Scorers award the batter the correct runs rather than recording a caught dismissal.
The airborne fielder rule
The 2026 changes limit certain airborne contacts by fielders who came from beyond the boundary. This is an area where a short slogan about “one touch” can be misleading; check the full Law 19 wording.
These examples explain the general MCC Laws. International matches and local competitions can use different playing conditions. For an official decision, check the full law and the rules for your match.
Check the official law
MCC reference: Law 19 · Law 33, 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026). Read the official MCC Laws of Cricket.
Open the interactive Cricket Laws Centre →Cricstars independent learning resource · Source edition: MCC 2026 · Prepared 21 October 2026. Not an official MCC or ICC ruling.