Retired Hurt Explained: When a Batter Leaves the Field Injured
What retired hurt means in cricket — when a batter leaves the field due to injury or illness, whether they can return, and how retired hurt differs from retired out.
A batter who is retired hurt has left the field during their innings due to injury, illness, or other physical cause — and can return to bat later in the same innings if medically cleared. Retired hurt is one of cricket's most complex batting situations: unlike a dismissal (where the innings is over for that batter), a retired-hurt batter retains their right to return and resume their innings, subject to the opposing captain's consent when they want to come back.
Retired Hurt vs Retired Out
There are two types of retirement: retired hurt (injury/illness) and retired out (voluntary, without injury). Retired hurt batters can return to bat later in the innings if medically fit and with the opposing captain's permission. Retired-out batters cannot return — their innings is effectively ended voluntarily. In practice, retired-out is extremely rare in international cricket; retired hurt is relatively common (in Test cricket, where injuries from fast bowling, fielding, or sudden illness do occur during long innings).
When Can a Retired-Hurt Batter Return?
A retired-hurt batter can return to bat only after the fall of a wicket — they cannot interrupt the current batting partnership. They must be medically cleared to bat, and the opposing captain must consent to their return (in practice, this consent is essentially always given, as refusing it would be seen as deeply unsportsmanlike). The returning batter resumes their innings at the same score they had when they retired — they do not start a new innings from zero.
Statistical Impact
A retired-hurt innings is recorded with an asterisk (*) or 'ret.hurt' in scorecards — the batter's score at the time of retirement is shown, but the innings is not marked as 'not out' in the conventional sense. A batter who retires hurt for 50 and does not return is statistically credited with 50 ret.hurt — this score does not count toward their batting average calculation in the same way a standard dismissal or not-out innings would. The statistical treatment reflects the incomplete nature of the innings.
Match Strategy
The ability to retire hurt and return creates specific strategic situations in Test cricket: a team's best batter might retire hurt in the first innings, allowing them to rest and potentially return in the second innings for the most important batting moment. In practice, teams manage this conservatively — sending the batter back when they are medically cleared, not holding them in reserve strategically. But the Law allows for this flexibility, and it is part of why Test cricket's batting situation can change rapidly in ways that limited-overs cricket's fixed batting order cannot.
Frequently asked questions
What is retired hurt in cricket?
When a batter leaves the field during their innings due to injury or illness — they can return to bat later in the same innings once medically cleared and with the opposing captain's consent (usually always given). They resume their innings at the score they had when they left.
What is the difference between retired hurt and retired out?
Retired hurt (due to injury/illness): the batter can return to bat later in the innings. Retired out (voluntary, no injury): the batter cannot return. Retired out is extremely rare in international cricket; retiring out is essentially ending your innings voluntarily.
Can a retired hurt batter return any time they want?
No — they can only return after the fall of a wicket, not during an ongoing partnership. They must be medically cleared, and the opposing captain must consent (consent is essentially always given in practice). They resume at the score they had when they retired.