Cricket Dismissals: All 10 Ways to Get Out, From Caught to Obstructing the Field
There are 10 ways to be dismissed in cricket: caught, bowled, LBW (leg before wicket), run out, stumped, hit wicket, handled the ball (now merged with obstructing the field), obstructing the field, timed out, and hit the ball twice. Caught and bowled are the most common; timed out and hit ball twice are extremely rare. Each dismissal type is governed by the Laws of Cricket (MCC Laws). A dismissed batter has 'lost their wicket' — 1 of the 10 wickets in an innings.
Cricket has 10 methods of dismissal — more than any other major sport. The Laws of Cricket (MCC) specify exact conditions for each. Most dismissals in a typical Test innings are caught (approximately 45%) or bowled (approximately 30%). LBW accounts for approximately 18%. The other 7 dismissal types combine for the remaining 7%.
The Common Dismissals
- Caught: the ball is hit by the bat (or glove holding the bat) and a fielder catches it before it touches the ground. The catcher must not step outside the boundary. This is the most common dismissal in all formats.
- Bowled: the ball strikes the stumps and dislodges at least one bail — whether it hit the bat first or not, if it ultimately hits the stumps, the batter is bowled (unless the ball was a no-ball).
- LBW (Leg Before Wicket): the ball strikes the batter's body (not the bat) and would have gone on to hit the stumps (see separate LBW article for full criteria).
- Run Out: a fielder (including the wicketkeeper) breaks the wicket with the ball while neither batsman is behind the crease. Either batsman can be dismissed.
- Stumped: the wicketkeeper receives the ball and breaks the wicket with it while the batsman is outside the crease (and not in the act of running — which would be run out). Only off a legal delivery (not a no-ball).
- Hit Wicket: the batsman accidentally dislodges a bail with their bat or body in the act of playing a shot or setting off for a run. Rare but it does occur.
The Rare Dismissals
- Obstructing the Field: the batsman deliberately prevents a fielder from fielding, running out, or catching the ball. A famous example: Len Hutton (England, 1951) was given out obstructing the field against South Africa.
- Handled the Ball: previously a separate dismissal — absorbed into 'obstructing the field' by ICC in 2017. Example: Steve Waugh handled the ball vs India 1995 to prevent a run out.
- Timed Out: an incoming batsman must be ready to face within 3 minutes of the previous wicket falling. Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka) was controversially timed out vs Bangladesh in the 2023 World Cup.
- Hit the Ball Twice: if a batsman intentionally hits the ball twice (other than to stop the ball hitting the wicket), they are dismissed. Extremely rare at international level.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Laws of Cricket, who maintains them, and how often are they updated?
Laws of Cricket: governance, maintenance, and updates. The Laws of Cricket are maintained by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) — the cricket club based at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. Despite its private club status, the MCC has been the sole custodian of the Laws of Cricket since 1788 and is accepted by all ICC members as the authoritative body for Law interpretation. The MCC Laws are currently in their 6th edition (revised 2017). They contain 42 Laws plus associated appendices, covering: playing conditions, the pitch, equipment (bat specifications, ball specifications), player conduct, umpiring, scoring, and all 10 dismissal methods. How they are updated: the MCC Laws Committee meets regularly. Significant changes require consultation with the ICC, the 12 Test-playing nations, and the Associate member nations. A change to the Laws takes effect at the international level only after ICC formalises it in the Playing Conditions (which may differ slightly from the MCC Laws). Recent significant changes: 2017: 'Handled the Ball' merged into 'Obstructing the Field'. Ball-tampering clarified. Batsman's bat no longer needs to be in the crease — just the body. 2022: Non-striking batsman can be run out by a bowler (Mankad dismissal) — previously controversial, now formally legal and classified as a standard run out. The Mankad change was among the most debated recent Laws updates; it aligned the Laws with modern practice. The ICC may impose additional Playing Conditions on top of the Laws (e.g., powerplay rules, DRS protocols, over-rate penalties) that apply to international matches but not to club cricket where only the raw Laws apply.