Cricket Coin Toss

How the toss works in cricket

Before a match, the two captains meet and toss a coin. One captain calls heads or tails while it is in the air. The captain who wins the toss chooses whether their side will bat or bowl first. In most matches the home captain tosses and the visiting captain calls, but local rules and the playing conditions of your competition can differ, so check them for a formal match.

How to use this cricket coin toss

1. One captain picks heads or tails.
2. Press Toss the coin or tap the coin.
3. If the call matches, that captain wins the toss and chooses to bat or bowl.

Bat or bowl? What captains think about

• The pitch: a green pitch with some grass often helps bowlers early, so many captains bowl first. A dry, flat pitch often favours batting first.
• The weather: cloud cover can help swing bowlers. Rain forecasts change the plan in shorter formats.
• The format: in limited-overs cricket, some teams like to chase a target because they know exactly what is needed.
• Dew and light: in evening matches, dew can make the ball harder to grip, which can help the side batting second.
• Your team: a strong batting line-up may want to set a big score. A strong attack may want first use of a fresh pitch.

Is an online toss as fair as a real one?

Yes. This toss uses your browser's cryptographic random number generator, so heads and tails each have an equal chance, with no starting side that could tip the odds. For a deeper look, read is a coin flip really 50/50.

Casual, club and park cricket

For a backyard, school or park game, this is a quick way to start without arguments. To split a group into two sides first, use the random team generator.

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