Separate the two umpiring decisions
Law 21.12 gives the no-ball call precedence over a wide, and Law 22 requires the wide call to be revoked when a no-ball is called. A viewer should therefore follow the final umpire signals and official scoring rather than adding both ordinary one-run call penalties to the same delivery. Other runs or independently applicable penalties require their own assessment.
This is a rule about the relationship between those calls, rather than a promise that an early television graphic already shows the final score. A replay may identify a front-foot issue after the ball has passed the striker. The scorer’s eventual entry can consequently differ from the first on-screen description.
The no-ball does not freeze play
Law 21.13 explicitly separates the no-ball call from dead-ball status. Batters can continue running while the ball remains in play. Fielding after the delivery can therefore change the runs credited or support a dismissal that the no-ball law still permits. Do not stop an incident review at the instant the bowler oversteps.
Law 21.17 limits dismissals from a no-ball to hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field and run out. That list is more precise than saying nobody can be dismissed. It also does not mean every run-out-looking incident is out: the relevant dismissal law and its exceptions still apply.
Count the over and identify the competition
Under Law 17, neither a wide nor a no-ball counts as one of the six valid balls of an over. The same over can therefore contain more than six physical deliveries. Retain the extra, the running and the valid-ball count as separate pieces of the scoring explanation.
This guide uses the MCC 2026 code, read on 4 November 2026. The actual competition’s playing conditions can add provisions such as a free hit; those should be checked for that event rather than inferred from the MCC no-ball rule alone. Save the full delivery and final score entry when comparing an archive decision.