Stumping, Run Out, and Hit Wicket: Cricket's Most Unusual Dismissals

Cricket has ten methods of dismissal — but caught, bowled, LBW, and run out account for over 90% of wickets in professional cricket. The remaining dismissals — stumped, hit wicket, handled the ball, obstructed the field, timed out, and hit the ball twice — appear rarely enough that even experienced fans can be unfamiliar with their exact rules. Each has its own dramatic history and specific conditions.

Stumping

Stumping occurs when the batsman steps out of their crease (usually moving down the pitch to a spin bowler) and misses the ball, which the wicketkeeper catches and breaks the stumps before the batsman can return. The batsman must be out of their crease at the moment the wicketkeeper breaks the stumps — their back foot must be behind the crease for safety. Stumpings are most common against spin bowling; pace bowlers rarely create stumping opportunities. MS Dhoni's lightning-quick stumpings made him the world's most feared keeper against spin.

Run Out

A run out occurs when the batsman fails to make their ground (behind the crease) when the stumps are broken by the fielding team while a run is in progress. Both batsmen can be run out — the wicket falls at the end where the run has not been completed. Run outs require the fielding team to hit the stumps directly (without the ball touching the wicketkeeper's gloves) or the wicketkeeper/fielder to catch the ball and break the stumps before the batsman grounds their bat. Direct hits from the outfield are called 'direct hits.'

Hit Wicket

Hit wicket occurs when a batsman, in the act of playing a shot or setting off for a run, dislodges the bails with their bat, body, or equipment. It's one of cricket's rarest dismissals — a batsman must be sufficiently off-balance or unaware of their stumps for their equipment to disturb the bails. Kevin O'Brien's historic hit wicket for Ireland against West Indies in the 2015 World Cup is a memorable modern example. Shane Warne was famously dismissed hit wicket in unusual circumstances.

Rare Dismissals

Handled the ball (renamed 'obstructing the field' in 2017) occurs when a batsman deliberately touches the ball with a hand not on the bat. Obstructing the field can also occur if a batsman blocks a fielder attempting to field the ball. Timed out dismisses a batsman who takes more than three minutes to appear at the crease after a wicket falls — Angelo Mathews' 2023 World Cup timed out dismissal against Bangladesh was the first in international history. Hit the ball twice is theoretically possible but practically never happens.