Dead ball is a phenomenon in many sports in which the ball is deemed temporarily not playable, and no movement may be made with it or the players from their respective positions of significance. Depending on the sport, this event may be quite routine, and often occurs between individual plays of the game.
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In Gridiron football, a dead ball is a condition that occurs between football plays, after the player with the ball has run out of bounds or after he is legally downed. During the time in which a ball is dead, a team may not attempt to advance it and no change of possession can take place.
The clock may or may not be stopped during this time, depending on the circumstances.
In baseball, when the ball is dead, no runners may advance beyond the respective bases they are entitled to, and no runners may be put out. The ball becomes dead when:[1]
In general, the ball does not automatically become dead after playing action ends.
After a dead ball, the ball becomes alive again when the pitcher stands on the pitcher's plate ready to pitch, the batter, catcher and umpire are ready, and the umpire calls or signals "Play."
Players and coaches may ask an umpire for "time," but they themselves may not call "time" and cause the ball to become dead. Nevertheless, "time" is usually granted by the umpire when asked, and thus, colloquially, it is often said that players or coaches indeed can "call time." Unlike other U.S. sports, the phrase "time out" is not used in baseball.
In cricket, a dead ball is a particular state of play in which the players may not perform any of the active aspects of the game.[2] In other words, batsmen may not score runs and fielders may not attempt to get batsmen out.
The ball, referring to the cricket ball, becomes live when the bowler begins his run up in preparation to bowling at the batsman. In the live state, play occurs with the batsmen able to score runs and get out.
The ball then becomes dead when any of the following situations occur:
Umpires may also call dead ball at their discretion, in the case of a series for events for which there is no provision in either the Laws of Cricket or agreements made prior to the match. This happened on 9 October 2005, when Australian batsman Michael Hussey hit the retracted roof at the Telstra Dome. What would have been six in an open stadium was ruled a dead ball, and no runs were awarded.
Note that the ball becomes dead as soon as a batsman is out, so it is not possible to dismiss the other batsman immediately. Thus the baseball concept of a double play cannot occur in cricket.
If necessary to make it clear to the players that the umpire considers the ball to be dead, the umpire signals dead ball by crossing and uncrossing his arms in front of his body.
In association football, the term "dead ball" refers to a situation when the ball is not in play, e.g. when play has not been restarted after the ball has gone out of bounds or a foul has been committed. It also applies before each kick-off, either at the start of each half or after a goal has been scored. In a dead ball situation, players can position the ball with their hands prior to restarting play. Furthermore, even though the ball is not in play, the referee may still award a foul for any incident that occurs off the ball.
In the National Basketball Association (NBA) in North America, most or any time play is stopped the ball is considered dead. Player substitutions may then be made. See section IV of the NBA rule book,[3] See also[4] or[5].
Other sports in which the ball may be deemed a "dead ball" include rugby football.