Last man stands explained
In normal cricket an innings ends when only one batter is left, because nobody can bat without a partner. Last man stands is the local rule that lets that last batter carry on alone. Here is how it works, the choices to agree on, and how to score it.
By the Manage Cricket team · Updated
Contents
The rule in one sentence
With last man stands, when every batter but one is out, the last batter keeps batting alone, and the innings ends only when that batter is out too or the overs run out.
In an 11-a-side match under the Laws, a side is all out after 10 wickets, because the eleventh batter has no partner. With last man stands it takes all 11 wickets. In an 8-a-side match, it takes 8 instead of 7.
Why short-format cricket uses it
In a short match with small sides, one batter is a big share of the team. Losing the last batter's innings because a partner was out means fewer runs, less drama and one player who never got a proper bat. Last man stands keeps every player in the game, gives the bowling side one more wicket to take, and produces some of the best finishes in tape ball and weekend cricket, when one batter is left needing a few runs off the last over.
It is not part of the Laws of Cricket. It is a playing condition that the teams or the tournament agree before the match, like a free hit or a limit on bouncers. Our tape ball rules guide lists the other local rules worth agreeing at the same time.
How batting alone works
- The last batter is always on strike. There is nobody at the other end, so the batter faces every ball, including the first ball of each new over.
- Runs are run alone. A single means running to the other end; the batter then walks back to the striker's end to face the next ball.
- Run outs still happen. With nobody at the other end, a throw to either set of stumps can run the batter out while a run is being taken.
- Extras are the same. Wides, no-balls and free hits work exactly as usual.
Variants to agree before the toss
Different grounds play last man stands in slightly different ways. Settle these questions in the rules sheet so nobody argues in the final over:
- Can the last batter take singles, or only score in twos and boundaries?
- Does the batter have to touch the far crease to complete a run, or is there a marker at a shorter distance?
- Is the last batter out if the ball hits the stumps at the non-striker's end while they are out of their ground?
- Does it apply in every match, or only in the knockouts?
How to score last man stands
On paper it is easy to get wrong, because scorebooks expect two batters. A few points keep the book straight:
- Leave the non-striker empty once the last batter is alone, and give every ball faced to that batter.
- Do not change the strike on odd runs or at the end of the over: there is nobody to change with.
- Write the final partnership as the last batter alone, and the fall of wickets up to the full side.
- For the points table, the side is only all out when every batter is out. That matters for net run rate, where an all-out side counts its full overs. See the net run rate guide.
The batting side is 52 for 7 after 6 overs. Normally the innings would be over.
With last man stands the eighth batter bats on alone and faces every ball of the last two overs.
Over 7: 1, 4, 0, 1, 2, 0. Over 8: 6, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0.
The innings ends at 68 for 7 in 8 overs, 16 runs that would never have been scored. Had the batter been out, it would have been all out with 8 wickets down.
Last man stands in the scoring app
In Manage Cricket you switch on last man stands for a match or a whole tournament. When the second-last batter is out, the scoring screen lets the last batter carry on alone: there is no non-striker to pick, a single keeps the strike, and the innings only counts as all out when every batter is out. The scorecard, the tournament points table and net run rate all follow the same rule, and the voice commentary announces the last batter standing.