Cricket Caught Behind Explained
What is caught behind in cricket? Understand how the dismissal works, the role of UltraEdge in DRS, and the most common scenarios.
What Is Caught Behind?
Caught behind is when the ball nicks off the batter's edge — usually the outside edge — and carries through to the wicketkeeper, who takes the catch cleanly before the ball touches the ground. It is one of the most common forms of dismissal at all levels of cricket.
The Outside Edge
The outside edge occurs when a batter plays at a delivery moving away from them — outswing or off-spin — and the ball clips the far edge of the bat and flies through to the keeper. Thick edges go in the air; thin edges (feathers or snicks) are harder to detect but still dismissals if caught.
Gloves and Bat Handle Catches
If the ball strikes the batter's glove while the glove is in contact with the bat handle, it counts as part of the bat — and the catch is valid. If the ball strikes the glove while the hand is off the handle, the ball is considered to have hit the body, not the bat, and is not out caught.
UltraEdge in DRS Reviews
UltraEdge (or Snickometer) uses high-sensitivity stump microphones to detect the faintest spike in sound at the moment of potential contact between ball and bat. When a caught-behind appeal is reviewed via DRS, UltraEdge footage is examined alongside ball-tracking to confirm whether contact occurred and whether the sound coincided precisely with the bat's position.
Common Scenarios Leading to Caught Behind
- Outswing: batter plays away from the body, outside edge flies to keeper
- Back-foot drive: batter pushes hard on the back foot, ball takes the edge
- Leaving the ball: batter tries to leave but ball curves late and takes a feather
- Playing across the line: cross-bat shot on a full delivery — edge to keeper
Frequently asked questions
Is caught off the pad the same as caught behind?
No. Caught off the pad is when the ball rebounds from the batter's leg pad to a fielder — this is not a dismissal unless the ball first hit the bat. Caught behind specifically requires the ball to have touched the bat (or glove in contact with the bat handle).
Can a batter be out caught behind on a no-ball?
No. Caught dismissals are not valid on a no-ball. The batter is given not out, a no-ball penalty is added, and the delivery must be re-bowled.
What if the keeper drops the catch but another fielder catches the rebound?
If the ball bounces off a fielder (including the keeper) and another fielder catches it before it hits the ground, the batter is still out caught — this is called a catch off a rebound or a relay catch, which is legal in cricket.