Retired Out in Cricket: The Voluntary Retirement Dismissal
Retiring out is a rarely used but legitimate way for a batter to end their innings voluntarily — it counts as a dismissal and requires the opposing captain's consent to reverse.
Retired out is a form of dismissal in cricket where a batter voluntarily ends their innings. It is governed by Law 25 and differs fundamentally from retiring hurt — a retired-out batter's innings is over as a dismissal, whereas a retired-hurt batter's innings is suspended and potentially resumable.
How Retired Out Works
A batter may voluntarily retire at any time with the consent of the umpire. If the retirement is for any reason other than injury or illness — often a tactical decision — it is recorded as 'retired out.' The key distinction is consent: unlike retiring hurt, retiring out requires the permission of the opposing captain for the batter to resume their innings.
Tactical Uses of Retired Out
In limited-overs cricket, retired out has occasionally been used by a set batter to allow a specialist hitter to come in at a key moment. For example, a team may sacrifice a batter who is on 60 from 70 balls to bring in a fresh power hitter in the final overs. The retired-out batter can still return later if wickets fall and the captain agrees — making it a flexible tactical tool.
Retired Out vs Retired Hurt
The scorecard distinguishes the two clearly: 'retired out' appears when a batter voluntarily ended their innings for non-injury reasons, and it is counted in the wickets column. 'Retired hurt' appears when injury or illness caused the retirement and is not counted as a wicket. In practice, retired out is extremely rare in international cricket.
Frequently asked questions
Is retired out counted as a wicket?
Yes. Retired out counts as a dismissal and is recorded in the wickets column of the scorecard.
Can a batter resume after being retired out?
Only with the opposing captain's consent and only if a wicket has fallen. Retired out does not guarantee the right to return.