Cricket

[Tyrion44]

Is it technically possible to bowl out a cricket team with 5 balls?

[sunny-dave]

Yes - if you mean five legitimate deliveries.

You can run out a batsman off a no-ball (or stump him off a wide) - therefore (in theory) you could actually dismiss a whole team without a single legitimate ball being bowled

[Buenchico]

If a wicket is taken from the first delivery of a match the subsequent nine wickets could fall without another ball being bowled if each batsman in turn fails to get to the crease within 3 minutes of the previous batsman being given out.

[Buenchico]

PS: If your question relates to, say, the idea of taking two wickets from a single ball (perhaps with a fielder taking a catch and then throwing the ball to the wicket-keeper to run the other batsman out), it's a non-starter because it simply can't happen. The ball automatically becomes dead upon the fall of a wicket, so another wicket can't be taken from the same delivery.

[Tyrion44]

I was thinking that the bowler could get two with one ball by catching one out and running the other out. Feasibly in that manner he could get the entire side in only five balls.

[Buenchico]

As I've explained, the moment the catch is taken the ball becomes dead, so no further runs can be scored, and no further wickets can be taken, until the next ball is delivered (other than where a batsman is timed out or run out at the non-striker's end through leaving his crease too early during the bowler's run up).

[jno]

they could all be out retired, but that doesn't involve actual bowling so may not answer your question.

[Tyrion44]

Thanks everybody. I think this is one to carry on with in the pub tonight.

[weecalf]

Yes if you have 5 balls you could bowl about 400overs