Dismissal (cricket)

In cricket, there are several ways in which a batter can be dismissed and some are so unusual that only a few instances of them exist in the whole history of the sport. The most common forms of dismissal are "bowled", "caught", "leg before wicket" (lbw), "run out", "stumped" and "hit wicket". The unusual methods are "hit the ball twice", "obstructed the field", and "timed out".

Before the umpire will award a dismissal and declare the batter to be out, a member of the fielding side (generally the bowler) must appeal. This is invariably done by asking (or shouting) the term " Owzat?" which means, simply enough, "how's that?" If the umpire agrees with the appeal, he will raise a forefinger and say: "Out!" Otherwise he will shake his head and say: "Not out". Appeals are particularly loud when the circumstances of the claimed dismissal are unclear, as is always the case with lbw and often with run outs and stumpings. It is usually the striker who is out when a dismissal occurs but the non-striker can be dismissed by being run out. Refer to Law 31 – Appeals.

1. Bowled – the bowler has hit the wicket with the ball and the wicket has "broken" with at least one bail being dislodged (if the ball hits the wicket without dislodging a bail, the batter is not out). Refer to Law 32 – Bowled.

2. Caught – the batter has hit the ball with his bat or with his hand holding the bat and the ball has been caught on the full by a member of the fielding side. Refer to Law 33 – Caught.

3. Leg before wicket (lbw) – is complex but basically means that the batter would have been bowled if the ball had not hit his leg first. Refer to Law 36 – leg before wicket (lbw).

4. Run out – a fielder has broken the wicket with the ball while a batter was out of his ground; this usually occurs by means of an accurate throw at the wicket while the batters are attempting a run. A fielder can also break the wicket with the ball in his hand. Refer to Law 38 – Run out.

5. Stumped – the wicket-keeper has broken the wicket with the ball in his hand after the batter has stepped out of his ground without attempting a run. Refer to Law 39 – Stumped.

6. Hit wicket – means simply that a batter did just that, often by hitting the wicket with his bat or by falling onto it. Refer to Law 35 – Hit wicket.

7. Hit the ball twice – is very unusual and was introduced as a safety measure to counter dangerous play and protect the fielders. Refer to Law 34 – Hit the ball twice.

8. Obstructing the field – another unusual dismissal which tends to involve a batter deliberately getting in the way of a fielder; this has now been revised to include the former offence of "handled the ball". Refer to Law 37 – Obstructing the field.

9. Timed out – usually means that the next batter did not arrive at the wicket within two minutes of the previous one being dismissed. Refer to Law 40 – Timed out.

Primary source

• The Laws. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) (1 October 2022).