Intervals, playing time and the last hour

Law 11 — Scheduled breaks

An innings interval normally lasts 10 minutes. Meal durations are agreed before play; they may absorb the innings break in the circumstances specified by the Law. An innings ending within 10 minutes of the day’s close means no more play that day. Captains may agree to skip tea or drinks, with umpires informed. Drinks breaks last no more than 5 minutes and are not taken during the Last hour.

An innings ending within 10 minutes before lunch brings lunch forward; the corresponding window for tea is 30 minutes. Weather stoppages and breaks already underway have additional timing provisions. If 9 wickets are down within the specified 3-minute window before a meal, or the ninth falls by the end of the over in progress at meal time, play may continue until the end of the over underway 30 minutes after the planned interval, unless the innings or play ends sooner.

Law 12 — Starting and stopping

The bowler’s-end umpire calls Play to begin or resume, and Time when the ball is dead for an interval or interruption. Normally an over in progress at interval time is completed. With less than 3 minutes before an interval, a dismissal, retirement or departure from the field can bring the break forward; at the end of a day, a dismissal or retirement instead requires the over to be completed. A partly completed over is resumed unless the innings has ended.

Law 12 — The Last hour in timed play

When one hour of playing time remains, finish the current over; then a minimum of 20 overs begins, unless a result, interval or interruption changes matters. This legal Last hour may take longer than 60 minutes. Once the minimum is delivered, further overs can begin only before the agreed closing time.

For an interruption, deduct one over for every complete 3 minutes lost, calculating separate interruptions separately. If an innings ends after the Last hour has begun, compare two calculations for the next innings: remaining minimum overs rounded up minus 3; and remaining scheduled playing minutes minus the 10-minute interval, divided by 3 and rounded up. Use the larger number. Competition rules may impose a different format; these are the supplied MCC framework provisions.