Cricket · Guide
LBW explained
Leg before wicket: the batter is out if the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps but was stopped by their body instead of the bat. Three things decide it: where it pitched, where it hit the batter, and whether it would have hit the stumps.
The three questions
- Where did it pitch? If the ball bounced outside the line of leg stump, it is not out. Pitching in line or outside off stump is fine.
- Where did it hit the batter? The impact must be in line with the stumps. The exception: if the batter made no genuine attempt to play the ball with the bat, they can be out even when hit outside the line of off stump.
- Would it have hit the stumps? The umpire judges whether the ball would have gone on to hit the wicket.
And one more condition: if the ball hit the bat first, or the bat and pad at the same moment, it is not out LBW.
Off side and leg side: for a right-handed batter, the off side is to the bowler's left and the leg side to the bowler's right. For a left-hander, flip it.
How DRS reviews LBW
In international cricket, either side can challenge an umpire's decision with the Decision Review System. For LBW, the TV umpire checks for an inside edge, then uses ball-tracking to show where the ball pitched, where it hit, and where it was going.
If the tracking shows the ball clearly hitting the stumps, in line, it is out. If it shows a clear miss, not out. In between, when the ball is only clipping the stumps, or the impact is marginal, it is umpire's call: the original on-field decision stands, and the reviewing side keeps its review.
Why batters get given out LBW so often
Straight balls that skid on, and balls that swing or seam back in to the right-hander, are the classic LBW deliveries. A batter who plays around their front pad, rather than getting the bat in front of it, is most at risk.
Quick answers
- What does LBW mean in cricket?
- Leg before wicket. A batter is out if the ball would have hit the stumps but was stopped by their body, usually the pad, rather than the bat.
- Can you be LBW if the ball pitches outside leg stump?
- No. If the ball bounces outside the line of leg stump, the batter cannot be out LBW, however it would have gone on.
- Can you be out LBW if hit outside off stump?
- Only if you did not try to play the ball with the bat. If you played a genuine shot and were hit outside the line of off stump, you are not out.
- What is umpire's call?
- In a DRS review, when ball-tracking shows the ball only clipping the stumps or the impact only just in line, the on-field umpire's original decision stands.