Cricket Toss Rules: Who Flips, Who Calls and What the Winner Chooses
In cricket the two captains toss a coin on the field between 30 and 15 minutes before the scheduled start, with an umpire present – in men's ODIs, under the supervision of the ICC match referee. The captain who wins the toss chooses whether to bat or to field first and must tell the other captain and the umpires straight away. Once that decision has been notified, it cannot be changed.
Try it: no coin for your gully cricket match? Use the rupee-style coin for a fair 50/50 toss.
Toss a coin onlineWhat do the Laws of Cricket say about the toss?
The toss is part of Law 13 (Innings) of the MCC Laws of Cricket:
- Law 13.4 – The toss. The captains toss a coin for the choice of innings, on the field of play and in the presence of one or both umpires, not earlier than 30 minutes and not later than 15 minutes before the scheduled or any rescheduled time for the start of play.
- Law 13.5 – Decision to be notified. As soon as the toss is completed, the captain of the side winning the toss decides whether to bat or to field and notifies the opposing captain and the umpires. Once notified, the decision cannot be changed.
Law 13.4 also refers to Law 1.3: if the captain is not available, a deputy can act for them, including at the toss. In the ICC's men's ODI playing conditions the same rule appears as clause 13.4, with the toss "under the supervision of the ICC Match Referee".
Who flips the coin and who calls?
Law 13 only says that the captains toss; it does not say which captain flips and which one calls. On TV you usually see one captain flip and the other call heads or tails while the coin is in the air. For a local match, simply agree beforehand who flips and who calls.
What does the toss winner choose?
Only one thing: bat first or field first. Captains weigh things such as:
- The pitch. A dry pitch that is expected to wear and help spinners later is one reason to bat first.
- The weather. Overcast conditions can help swing bowling early in the day.
- Dew in evening matches. In day-night games, dew can make the ball wet and harder for bowlers to grip later on, which is one reason captains often choose to chase.
- The format. When chasing, the batting side knows exactly what target it needs.
Does the toss happen again if play is delayed?
Law 13.4 allows the toss to take place before a rescheduled start time. Once the toss has been made and the decision notified, the decision cannot be changed (Law 13.5).
How do you do a fair toss in a local or gully match?
- Agree who flips and who calls before the coin goes up.
- The caller calls while the coin is in the air.
- Let the coin land on the ground or catch it cleanly; re-toss if it rolls away or nobody sees it land.
- The winner decides bat or bowl straight away – no changing minds.
Picking sides first? The random team generator splits players into fair teams and can mark a captain for each. For office IPL prediction games, spin the IPL team wheel.
Is a coin toss really fair?
Very nearly. A large study found flipped coins land on the side that started face up about 50.8% of the time, so the starting side should be hidden. We explain the research in is a coin flip really 50/50?