RulesOct 26, 20264 min read
Every Way a Batter Can Be Out in Cricket
The Laws of Cricket list nine ways to be dismissed, plus a retirement rule. Most dismissals fall into the first five below.
Bowled
The ball, delivered by the bowler, hits the stumps and removes a bail. It can come off the bat or the batter's body first.
Caught
A fielder catches the ball cleanly after it touches the bat or glove and before it touches the ground.
Leg before wicket (LBW)
The ball hits the batter's body or pads and would have gone on to hit the stumps, subject to where it pitched and where it hit.
Run out
A fielder breaks the stumps with the ball while the batter is out of their ground trying to run.
Stumped
The wicketkeeper breaks the stumps with the ball while the batter is out of their ground and not attempting a run.
The rarer ones
Hit wicket (the batter breaks their own stumps), timed out (the next batter is too slow to arrive), hit the ball twice, and obstructing the field.
Quick answers
How many ways can you be out in cricket?
Nine under the current Laws of Cricket, with retired out recorded separately.
What is the most common dismissal?
Caught is the most common in most formats.