End of an innings

In cricket, a team's innings ends in one of the following ways. In cases 1 and 2, the team are said to be all out.

1. All but one of the batsmen are out (dismissed).
2. The batting side only has one not-out batsman who is still able to bat (the others are incapacitated through injury, illness or absence).
3. The team batting last scores the required number of runs to win.
4. The game runs out of time and so finishes as a draw.
5. The set number of overs have been bowled (in limited overs cricket).
6. The team's captain declares the innings closed.
7. The Match Referee decides that one team has forfeited the game.

Taking wickets

When the bowling team has dismissed all but one of the batsmen the innings is said to be over. The batting team is said to be 'all out'.

For example, in most games, each side has 11 players, so 10 wickets need to be taken to bowl a side out.

There is an exception to this rule if one or more batsmen are injured and/or ill and are unable to bat. In such cases, when only one batsman remains not out and capable of batting, the innings is over.

Overs bowled

In some games, each team is allocated a set number of overs and its innings is closed once they have been bowled (subject to the innings not ending by another method beforehand).

A restriction can be imposed in a one-innings game, or in the first innings of a two innings game.

Where such a restriction is imposed in a one-innings game, it is said to be a limited overs match. An example of this is an ODI match, where each team can bat for only 50 consecutive overs. Once the 50 overs are up, and the team has not been bowled out, the innings is closed. If rain intervenes so that all the allocated overs cannot be bowled in the time available for the game, the overs restriction may be modified so that the game may be completed in the time that remains.

Declaration

If the captain of the batting team feels that his team has amassed a sufficiently large score, he, or the batsmen at the crease deputising for him, may end his team's innings voluntarily by declaring. This option does not apply to limited overs matches. Declarations allow the declaring side to use all the remaining time to attempt to gain the wickets necessary for victory. The strategic consideration is to gamble a certain draw for a possible victory, while risking defeat if the target is achieved by the incoming batting side.

Further information: Declaration and forfeiture

Achieving the target

If the initial batting team has set a target –and the team which bats last manages to achieve the target, the innings is ended with a win for the team chasing. In rain-affected matches in which the Duckworth-Lewis method applies, the target to be reached may be less than the actual target set by the first batting side.

Forfeiture

In the event of the match being disrupted by unruly fans of the host team, the Match Referee may cede the match to the visiting team, if they are in a vantage position.