Retired Out in Cricket Explained
What 'retired out' means in cricket, when a batter can voluntarily retire, and how it differs from the more common 'retired hurt'.
What Is Retired Out?
A batter retires out when they voluntarily leave the field during their innings without the opposing captain's consent to return. This is a rare and often controversial tactic — it is technically possible under the Laws of Cricket but is almost never used in conventional cricket. Retiring out is recorded as a dismissal in the scorecard: it counts against the team's wicket total and ends the batter's innings definitively.
Difference from Retired Hurt
Retired hurt requires injury or illness — the batter has no choice but to leave. Retired out is a deliberate, voluntary decision by the batter to end their innings while still physically capable of continuing. If a batter retires hurt and the opposing captain denies permission to return (which is rare), the innings then becomes 'retired out'.
When Is It Used?
In professional cricket, retired out has been used very occasionally in T20 and exhibition matches where teams need to maximise the number of batters getting practice time or warm-up exposure. It has been used in some franchise T20 practice games. In international cricket, voluntary retirement is extremely rare — the only notable case involves Virat Kohli in a 2012 CB Series ODI against Sri Lanka, though the circumstances were disputed.
Frequently asked questions
Is retired out a dismissal?
Yes — retired out counts as a dismissal. It is recorded in the scorecard with the batter marked as 'retired out' rather than a conventional dismissal mode, but it reduces the team's wicket count.
Can a batter retire out and return later?
Only if the opposing captain consents to the batter's return — which effectively converts it to retired hurt status. Without consent, the innings is over.
Has retired out ever been used in a Test match?
Retired out in Tests is extremely rare — almost unheard of. Tests have all day to bat, so there is rarely a strategic reason to voluntarily end a good innings. Retired hurt due to injury is far more common in Tests.