MasterstrokeMatch play and rules
Free hit
The delivery after a no-ball in limited-overs cricket, on which the batter cannot be out to the bowler. A free swing, and a strong reason not to overstep.
A free hit is the delivery that follows a no-ball in limited-overs cricket, during which the batter cannot be dismissed by the bowler.
On a free hit the batter can still be run out, or out for obstructing the field or hitting the ball twice, but not bowled, caught, lbw or stumped. The fielding side may not change its field unless the batter on strike has changed. If the free-hit delivery is itself a wide or a no-ball, the free hit carries over to the next ball. The rule applies to every kind of no-ball in T20 and ODI cricket; it does not exist in Tests.
The cost of a no-ball is therefore far more than the single run it adds to the extras. At the death, a bowler who oversteps hands over the run, an extra ball, and a delivery the batter can swing at without fear. It is the main reason death bowlers practise the yorker from behind the line: the margin between a perfect yorker and a full toss is small, and the margin between a legal delivery and a free hit is smaller.
In Masterstroke: the commentary tells you when a no-ball has handed the batter a free swing, and the plan you pick for the next ball should assume he will take it.