Cricket Umpire Decisions and Signals Explained: Out Signals, Extras, DRS Review Procedure

Cricket umpires use standardised arm signals to communicate decisions to the scorers, fielding team, batting team, and spectators. Unlike most sports where a referee or referee's assistant communicates with players verbally, cricket umpires rely primarily on physical signals — because the playing field is large (up to 160m across), the players may be far from the umpire, and crowd noise can prevent verbal communication from reaching the players. There are approximately 12 standard umpire signals used in international cricket.

Dismissal Signal: The Raised Finger

The out signal: (1) The signal: the umpire raises one index finger (typically of the right hand) upward — pointing skyward. This means the batsman is dismissed. The umpire does not announce the mode of dismissal in the signal; they simply signal out; (2) When it is given: after a fielding side's appeal ('Howzat!' or any verbal appeal — appealing is required; umpires do not give batsmen out without an appeal) and the umpire's consideration of whether the appeal is valid; (3) What the signal means: the batsman must leave the field. In DRS (Decision Review System) cricket, the batting team may review this decision (one review per innings, later expanded to 2 reviews per innings in some formats) within the time limit (typically 15 seconds of the delivery); (4) Not out: if the umpire does not raise the finger, the batsman remains in. The umpire may shake their head or simply remain stationary to indicate not out. There is no formal not-out signal — the absence of the out signal is the decision.

Extras Signals: Wides, No-Balls, Byes, Leg Byes

Umpire signals for extras: (1) Wide: the umpire extends both arms horizontally (outward) from the body — forming a T-shape. This signals that the delivery was too far from the batsman for them to play normally (or past the body in T20/ODI formats for down-leg wides). A wide delivery adds 1 run to the batting team and must be bowled again; (2) No-ball: the umpire extends one arm horizontally (typically the arm toward the bowler's side of the pitch). A no-ball adds 1 run (at minimum) to the batting team's total, and cannot be a wicket-taking delivery (except in run-outs). The delivery must be bowled again; (3) Byes: the umpire raises one arm above the head (open hand upward). Byes are runs scored when the ball does not touch the bat or body of the batsman — the batsman runs without hitting the ball; (4) Leg byes: the umpire raises one knee with the opposite hand touching the knee (forming a leg-raise gesture). Leg byes are runs scored off the batsman's body (pad, thigh) rather than the bat — not credited to the batsman but to the team's extras; (5) Boundary 4: the umpire waves one arm side to side (a sweeping motion) — indicating the ball reached the boundary and 4 runs are scored without the batsman running; (6) Boundary 6: the umpire raises both arms above the head — indicating the ball cleared the boundary without bouncing (6 runs).

The 3rd Umpire System: When It Is Used

The 3rd umpire in modern cricket: (1) Introduction: the 3rd umpire (off-field TV umpire) was introduced in 1992 (first used in a South Africa vs India Test) for run-out decisions — where the on-field umpire could not clearly determine whether the bat or pad grounded behind the crease before the ball hit the stumps; (2) Current role: the 3rd umpire reviews DRS referrals, makes independent decisions on close catches (whether the ball carried to the fielder cleanly, or bounced), determines boundary decisions (whether a fielder's foot was inside the boundary while taking a catch), and reviews run-outs; (3) The DRS: Decision Review System was introduced progressively — Tests from 2009, ODIs from 2011. It allows each team 2 unsuccessful reviews per innings in Tests and 2 in ODIs/T20Is. Successfully reviewed decisions (where the on-field decision is overturned) do not count against the team's allocation; (4) The third umpire's tools: HawkEye ball-tracking (used for LBW decisions), UltraEdge/Snickometer (audio-visual spike correlation for edges), Hotspot (infrared camera showing impact marks — used in some series but not all), and standard HD slow-motion video for catches and run-outs; (5) umpire's call zone: the 'umpire's call' in DRS LBW decisions means: if ball-tracking shows the ball hitting the stumps within a margin of error (approximately the 50% contact zone), the on-field decision stands — whether that was out or not out. This mechanism means the benefit of technology's uncertainty still goes to the on-field human decision.