Every Way to Get Out in Cricket, Explained

By Imdad Khan · October 12, 2026

There are ten ways to get out in cricket under the MCC Laws: bowled, caught, leg before wicket (lbw), run out, stumped, hit wicket, hit the ball twice, obstructing the field, timed out and retired out. The first six account for almost every dismissal you’ll ever see. The other four are rare enough that each one tends to make headlines when it happens.

Handled the ball used to be on the list, but it was folded into obstructing the field in 2017. The non-striker run-out, often called “Mankading”, moved into the run-out law in 2022. And a new edition of the Laws, in force from 1 October 2026, has tightened the rules on boundary catches and hit wicket. Here’s how every dismissal works, with the details that trip people up.

Key facts

There are ten recognised ways to get out in cricket, covered by Laws 25.4 and 32 to 40 of the MCC Laws.
Caught is by far the most common dismissal at every level, followed by bowled and lbw.
The bowler gets credit for bowled, caught, lbw, stumped and hit wicket. Run outs and the rarer dismissals don’t count towards the bowler’s tally.
Off a no-ball, a batter can only be run out, out hit the ball twice or out obstructing the field.
Off a wide, a batter can also be stumped or out hit wicket.
The fielding side must appeal (“How’s that?”) for the umpire to give most decisions, even obvious ones.

The ways to get out in cricket at a glance

Dismissal	Law	Credited to bowler?	Possible off a no-ball?	How common?
Bowled	32	Yes	No	Very common
Caught	33	Yes	No	Most common
Hit the ball twice	34	No	Yes	Extremely rare
Hit wicket	35	Yes	No	Uncommon
Leg before wicket	36	Yes	No	Very common
Obstructing the field	37	No	Yes	Rare
Run out	38	No	Yes	Common
Stumped	39	Yes	No	Fairly common against spin
Timed out	40	No	Not applicable	Extremely rare
Retired out	25.4	No	Not applicable	Rare

Bowled

The simplest dismissal. If the bowler delivers the ball and it hits the stumps and dislodges at least one bail, the batter is out bowled. It doesn’t matter if the ball has touched the bat or the batter’s body first. An inside edge onto the stumps, or a ball that deflects off the pads and rolls into the wicket, is still bowled.

The key detail is the bails. The wicket is only “broken” if a bail falls off (or a stump is struck out of the ground). There have been plenty of cases where the ball has clipped the stumps, lit up the LED bails and still not dislodged them, and the batter has survived.

The most famous bowled dismissal in cricket history might be Shane Warne’s first ball in Ashes cricket, at Old Trafford in 1993, which drifted, pitched outside Mike Gatting’s leg stump and spun across him to hit off stump. It became known as the “Ball of the Century”.

Caught

A batter is caught when the ball touches the bat, or a glove holding the bat, and a fielder catches it before it touches the ground. The catch has to be completed with the fielder in control of the ball and their own movement, and within the field of play.

The details that matter

The ball must not have bounced first. A “bump ball”, hit into the ground and then caught, is not out.
The glove counts as part of the bat only if it’s holding the bat. A ball off a hand that’s let go of the handle can’t be a catch.
Since 2017, a catch still stands if the ball rebounds off a fielder’s helmet and is then caught.
The fielder must have complete control of the ball and of their own movement. The 2026 Laws tighten the wording here.

Boundary catches

Boundary catching has become a skill of its own, with fielders juggling the ball, stepping over the rope and leaping back to complete the catch. The rules were tightened after a series of spectacular “bunny hop” catches, most notably one by Michael Neser in the Big Bash League. The ICC adopted the change in its playing conditions in 2025, and it’s now in the MCC Laws from October 2026.

Under the new wording, a fielder who jumps from outside the boundary can only touch the ball once while airborne, and after that touch they must land fully inside the field of play. They can’t keep tapping the ball up from outside the rope. A catch completed by a team-mate after a relay is fine, as long as each fielder obeys the rule.

Leg before wicket (lbw)

Lbw is the dismissal that causes the most arguments. In simple terms, a batter is out if the ball would have hit the stumps but was stopped by part of their body instead. The detail is in the conditions, and all of them have to be met.

The delivery must not be a no-ball.
The ball must not pitch outside the line of leg stump.
The ball must not touch the bat (or a glove holding the bat) first.
The ball must hit the batter in line with the stumps. If the batter is genuinely trying to play a shot, the impact must be in line. If they’re not offering a shot, they can be out even if hit outside the line of off stump.
The ball must have been going on to hit the stumps.

The “no shot” rule is there to stop batters simply kicking the ball away with their pads. Spinners in particular love trapping a batter who padded up without playing.

Lbw and DRS

In international cricket, the Decision Review System uses ball-tracking to show where the ball pitched, where it hit the pad and whether it would have hit the stumps. If the tracking shows the ball clipping the stumps only marginally, the on-field decision stands, which is known as “umpire’s call”. That’s why the same projection can produce “out” in one match and “not out” in another: it depends what the umpire originally said. Full details are in the ICC’s playing conditions on icc-cricket.com.

Run out

A batter is run out when they’re out of their ground (no part of their bat or body grounded behind the popping crease) and the fielding side breaks the wicket at their end with the ball. It can happen while running between the wickets, while turning for a second run, or when a batter wanders out of the crease and a throw hits the stumps.

Which batter is out depends on which end the wicket is broken and where each batter is. If they’ve crossed, the one heading to the broken wicket is out. If they haven’t, the one nearer that end is out.

Run outs have decided some of the greatest matches ever played. Allan Donald’s mix-up with Lance Klusener in the 1999 World Cup semi-final tie at Edgbaston knocked South Africa out of the tournament; our Australia vs South Africa 1999 semi-final page has the full story. Twenty years later, Martin Guptill’s run out going for a second on the last ball of the super over ended the 2019 World Cup final, which you can watch on our 2019 World Cup final highlights page.

The non-striker run out

If the non-striker leaves their crease before the bowler would normally be expected to release the ball, the bowler can run them out. For years this sat under the “unfair play” section of the Laws and carried a stigma, partly because of its nickname, taken from India’s Vinoo Mankad, who ran out Australia’s Bill Brown this way in 1947. In 2022 the MCC moved it into Law 38, making clear it’s simply a run out.

It still divides opinion. R Ashwin’s dismissal of Jos Buttler in the IPL in 2019 caused a huge row, and so did Deepti Sharma’s run out of Charlie Dean in a women’s ODI at Lord’s in 2022. Both were within the Laws.

Overthrows and the 2026 change

The 2026 edition of the Laws also clarifies what counts as an overthrow: an attempt by a fielder to hit the stumps to prevent runs or effect a run out. A misfield near the boundary is no longer treated as an overthrow. It doesn’t change how a run out works, but it does change how runs are scored when things go wrong in the field.

Stumped

A batter is stumped when they’ve left their ground, usually by charging down the pitch or overbalancing after missing the ball, and the wicketkeeper breaks the wicket. Three conditions apply: the delivery isn’t a no-ball, the batter isn’t attempting a run, and the keeper breaks the wicket without another fielder touching the ball first.

If the batter is attempting a run, it’s a run out instead. If the ball bounces off the keeper’s pads onto the stumps, it still counts as a stumping. Stumpings are most common against spinners, when batters use their feet and get beaten in the flight. MS Dhoni’s lightning-fast glovework produced some of the quickest stumpings ever seen.

A batter can be stumped off a wide, which surprises some fans. They can’t be stumped off a no-ball.

Hit wicket

A batter is out hit wicket if they break their own stumps with the bat or body while preparing to receive the ball, playing a shot or setting off for a first run immediately after playing at the ball. It often happens when a batter goes deep in the crease to a short ball and clips the stumps with the back foot or the bat on the backswing.

The 2026 Laws clarify an edge case. A batter who loses their balance after playing a shot and falls onto the stumps is still out. But if the batter is knocked onto the stumps by a fielder, while falling away from them, they’re not out. Their own momentum isn’t an excuse; a collision with a fielder is.

Equipment counts too. If a batter’s helmet falls off and hits the stumps while they’re playing the shot, they’re out hit wicket.

The rare ways to get out

Hit the ball twice

A batter is out if they deliberately strike the ball a second time, other than to protect their wicket, before a fielder has touched it. Batters are allowed to knock the ball away from the stumps after defending it, as long as they use the bat or body and don’t use a hand that isn’t holding the bat. What they can’t do is hit it again to score runs. This dismissal is almost unheard of at international level.

Obstructing the field

A batter is out if they wilfully obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action. Since 2017, this also covers deliberately handling the ball with a hand not holding the bat, which used to be a separate dismissal called “handled the ball”.

There have been a handful of international examples. Inzamam-ul-Haq was given out obstructing the field against India in 2006, after using his bat to stop a throw. England’s Ben Stokes was given out the same way in an ODI against Australia at Lord’s in 2015, after putting his hand out to stop a throw at the stumps.

Timed out

When a wicket falls, the incoming batter must be ready to face the next ball within three minutes under the MCC Laws. International playing conditions set a shorter limit of two minutes. If they’re not ready and the fielding side appeals, they’re out timed out.

For decades this was a curiosity. Then, at the 2023 World Cup in Delhi, Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews became the first batter given out timed out in international cricket. His helmet strap broke as he arrived at the crease, and by the time he’d asked for a replacement, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan had appealed. The umpires had no choice under the playing conditions, and the decision split opinion around the world.

Retired out

A batter who leaves the field without the umpire’s permission, for any reason other than illness, injury or another unavoidable cause, and doesn’t come back, is recorded as retired out. Unlike “retired hurt”, which isn’t a dismissal, retired out counts as a wicket for the team.

Sri Lanka’s Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene both retired out during a Test against Bangladesh in 2001, to give other batters time at the crease, which was criticised at the time. In T20 cricket, teams now use it tactically. R Ashwin retired out in the IPL in 2022 so a bigger hitter could come in, and the move has been copied since.

Dismissals on no-balls, wides and free hits

A no-ball protects the batter from most dismissals. Off a no-ball, they can only be run out, out hit the ball twice or out obstructing the field. That’s why free hits in limited-overs cricket, which follow a front-foot no-ball, are so valuable: the batter can swing freely knowing they can only be out in those ways.

A wide is different. The batter can be stumped or out hit wicket off a wide, as well as run out or out obstructing the field. They can’t be bowled, caught or lbw, because the ball wasn’t within reach of a normal shot in the first place.

Common misunderstandings

“The batter has to walk if they know they’ve edged it”

There’s no rule that a batter must walk. The Laws say a batter is out only when the umpire gives them out after an appeal, or if they’re bowled and leave without waiting. Walking is a personal choice, and opinion has always been divided.

“You can’t be out if the umpire doesn’t hear an appeal”

This one is true. Without an appeal, the umpire can’t give a batter out, even if it’s obvious. That’s why you hear fielders appeal for everything, including clean bowled dismissals in some club games.

“Lbw can’t happen if the ball hits outside the line”

It can, if the batter isn’t offering a shot. The impact rule only protects batters who are genuinely trying to play the ball.

“A run out off a no-ball doesn’t count”

It does. A no-ball protects a batter from being bowled, caught, lbw, stumped or hit wicket, but a run out off a no-ball stands.

Frequently asked questions

How many ways are there to get out in cricket?

There are ten under the MCC Laws: bowled, caught, lbw, run out, stumped, hit wicket, hit the ball twice, obstructing the field, timed out and retired out.

What is the most common way to get out in cricket?

Caught, at every level of the game. Bowled and lbw are the next most common, though the balance varies by format and conditions.

Is handled the ball still a way to get out?

Not as a separate dismissal. Since 2017, deliberately handling the ball is treated as obstructing the field.

Can you be out off a free hit?

Only in the ways you can be out off a no-ball: run out, hit the ball twice or obstructing the field. You can’t be bowled, caught, lbw, stumped or out hit wicket.

Who was the first player timed out in international cricket?

Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka, against Bangladesh at the 2023 World Cup in Delhi.

Is Mankading legal?

Yes. Running out a non-striker who leaves the crease too early is a legal run out under Law 38, and has been part of that law since 2022.

For more on the big tournaments where these dismissals have decided matches, see our Cricket World Cup winners list, or head to the cricket hub for the latest fixtures and results.