10 Ways to Get Out in Cricket

Cricket rules define 10 ways for batsmen to get out. The guardian of the rules, the London-based Marylebone Cricket Club, prefers to call them "laws" and outline 42 in all to cover the conduct of the game. Laws 30 to 39 outline the various "dismissal' methods in 10 laws that range from the conclusive "bowled" to the obscure timed-out.

  1. Bowled

    • "Bowled" is the most decisive dismissal and occurs when a delivery from the bowler hits the wicket, i.e. the set of three 28-inch stumps the batsman should be guarding. The evidence of a middle stump bent backward by the ball's impact is impossible to argue with. In reality, the ball needs to dislodge only one of the two four-and-a-half inch bails (on top of the stumps) to "put down" the wicket. A batsman is also out bowled if the ball comes off his bat or body and hits the stumps.

    Caught

    • The batsman is out "caught' when a fielder catches a ball he hits before it touches the ground.

    Run-Out

    • Run-outs occur when either batsman, when attempting a run between the two wickets, fails to make his safe ground before the a fielder puts the wicket down. His ground is the four-foot space between the batting area and the wicket. Fielders put the wicket down with the ball, either a direct hit or throwing it to a fielder attending the wicket who will put it down.

    Leg Before Wicket

    • Leg before wicket (lbw) is the most controversial, but relatively common, dismissal. If the ball, landing on the pitch in line with the wickets, hits the batsman and would have hit the wicket, the umpire standing behind the bowler's wicket will give him out. The umpire will only raise his index finger (the symbol for "out) if the ball hit the body first and not the bat.

    Stumped

    • If the batsman misses a delivery from the bowler and overbalances out of his batting area, the wicketkeeper can quickly "break" the wicket with the ball in his gloves and dismiss the batsman "stumped". Some 'keepers like to flick off just one bail as a gesture of supremacy.

    Hit wicket

    • A batsman is out "hit wicket" if the bat, body or any dislodged clothing ( like a cap or helmet) breaks the wicket while the ball is in play.

    Obstructing

    • Either batsman is out if, on appeal, the umpire decides he wilfully obstructed a fielder by word or action, including getting in the way of a catch or run-out play.

    Hit Ball Twice

    • If a batsman deliberately hits the ball after it has hit his bat or body once, he is out. An exception is when stopping the ball from rolling back onto his wicket.

    Handled Ball

    • A batsman handling the ball will be out on appeal. He may not use his hand to stop the ball rolling back onto the wicket.

    Timed Out

    • Probably the most obscure dismissal, "timed out" occurs when a batsman fails to take his stance at the batting area within three minutes of the last player being out.