Dismissal (cricket)

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In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out (also known as the fielding side taking a wicket and/or the batting side losing a wicket). At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings. A batsman can only be given out by the umpire after an appeal has been made by the fielding side, unless the batsman gives himself out by walking.

If the umpire believes he has incorrectly dismissed a batsman, he may recall him to the crease if he has not already left the field of play. A recent example of this was in the Lord's test match between England and India when Kevin Pietersen was initially given out caught behind, but was recalled when television replays showed that the ball had bounced before being taken by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.^[1]

1 Role
2 Ways of getting out
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Role

Once dismissed, a batsman cannot score any more runs. Thus dismissal is the best way to control the runs scored in an innings, and prevent the batting side from either achieving their target score or posting a large total for the fielding side to follow in the next innings.

Additionally, in Test cricket it is necessary for a side fielding last to have dismissed ten players of the opposing team in their final innings to achieve victory.

[edit] Ways of getting out

A batsman can be dismissed in a number of ways, the most common being bowled, caught, leg before wicket (LBW), stumped and run out. Much rarer are hit wicket, hit the ball twice, handled the ball, obstructing the field and timed out.

The bowler only "gets credit" for a wicket if the batsman is out bowled, LBW, caught, stumped, or hit wicket. If the ball is a no ball then the batsman cannot be out in any of these ways. The batsman can, however, be run out, handled the ball, hit the ball twice, obstructing the field, or timed out on any ball.

[edit] Law 2.9(b) : Retired

If any batsman leaves the field of play without the Umpire's consent for any reason other than injury or incapacity, he may resume the innings only with the consent of the opposing captain. If he fails to resume his innings, he is recorded as being Retired - out.

Only two players in Test history have ever been given out in this manner, Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene - both in the same innings of the same match playing for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in September 2001.

[edit] Law 30 : Bowled

If a bowler's delivery hits the stumps and dislodges a bail, the striker (the batsman facing the bowler) is out. The ball can either have struck the stumps directly, or have been deflected off the bat or body of the batsman. However, the batsman is not out bowled if the ball is touched by a fielder before hitting the stumps.

[edit] Law 31 : Timed out

If a new player takes more than three minutes to enter the field of play after the previous batsman was ruled out, then the new player is out. In the case of extremely long delays, the umpires may forfeit the match to either team. This method of taking a wicket has never been employed in the history of Test cricket. However how long a delay is allowed before calling the game a forfeit, is still not known.

There have been only four occasions in all forms of First-Class cricket where a batsman has been given out Timed Out. These are: A Jordaan - Eastern Province v Transvaal at Port Elizabeth in 1987-88, H Yadav - Tripura v Orissa at Cuttack in 1997-98, VC Drakes - Border v Free State at East London in 2002 and AJ Harris - Nottinghamshire v Durham UCCE at Nottingham in 2003.

[edit] Law 32 : Caught

If the striker strikes the ball with the bat (or with the glove when the glove is in contact with the bat) and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground, then the striker is out. The batsman can not be given out caught if the ball strikes a helmet worn by a member of the fielding side prior to being caught, regardless of whether it touches the ground or not.

"Caught behind" (an unofficial term) indicates that a player was caught by the wicket-keeper or slips. "Caught and bowled" indicates the player who bowled the ball also took the catch.

[edit] Law 33 : Handled the ball

If the batsman touches the ball with his hand for any purpose other than, with the approval of the fielders, to return the ball to the bowler, he is out.

Only seven batsman have been out handled the ball in the history of Test cricket (Russell Endean, Andrew Hilditch, Mohsin Khan, Desmond Haynes, Graham Gooch, Steve Waugh and Michael Vaughan).

[edit] Law 34 : Hit the ball twice

If the batsman hits the ball twice, he is out. But the second hit must be an actual hit: the batsman may stop the ball a second time with his bat; this action is often performed to stop the ball from hitting the stumps.

No batsman has been out hit the ball twice in Test cricket.

[edit] Law 35 : Hit wicket

If the batsman dislodges his own stumps with his body or bat, he is out.

This law does not apply if he was avoiding a ball thrown back to the wicket by a fielder, or broke the wicket in avoiding a run out.

Being out Hit-wicket is often seen as a comedic method of dismissal. Jonathan Agnew and Brian Johnston, commentators on BBC Radio's Test Match Special got themselves into difficulty^[2] when Ian Botham dislodged the bails trying to step over the stumps playing a hook shot.

A more recent example of hit wicket being a comedic dismissal was when the Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was given out hit wicket when he fell over the stumps during the Headingley test match in the 2006 test series between England and Pakistan.

[edit] Law 36 : Leg before wicket (LBW)

If the ball strikes any part of the batsman's person (not necessarily the leg), and, in the umpire's judgement, the ball would have hit the batsman's stumps but for this interception, then the batsman is out. The point of impact must be within line with the batsman's stumps and the bowler's stumps if the batsman is playing a stroke. The batsman can be given out if the ball strikes him outside the off stump, if the ball would have hit the stumps and if the batsman is playing no stroke. The ball must not pitch outside the line of leg stump. Also, the ball cannot have made contact with the bat or glove before hitting the batsman.

[edit] Law 37 : Obstructing the field

If the batsman, by action or by words, obstructs a fielder, then he is out. However, a batsman is allowed to obstruct the view of a fielder by standing in front of him. He may also stand in between the fielder and the stumps. The rule intends to prevent batsman from interfering with a fielder by, for instance, pushing him. Also, a player may be given out if they deliberately hit a ball being thrown back to the keeper whilst being out of their crease, as happened to Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Only one individual has ever been out obstructing the field in a Test match, when England's Len Hutton in 1951, playing against South Africa at The Oval in London, prevented the South African wicket-keeper Russell Endean from catching him whilst knocking the ball away from his stumps. By coincidence, Russell Endean was one of the few people to be given out handled the ball in a Test match (see above).

In one day cricket however three people have been given out obstructing the field. The first was Pakistan's Rameez Raja and the latest one has been Inzamam-ul-Haq against India in February 2006.

[edit] Law 38 : Run out

If a fielder uses the ball to remove the bails from either set of stumps whilst the batsmen are running between the wickets (or otherwise away from the crease during the course of play), then the batsman (striker or non-striker) is out. The batsman nearest the set of stumps from which the bails were removed, but not actually in safe territory, is given out. If the batsman has any part of his body or his bat (if he's holding it) on the ground behind the line of the crease, then he cannot be run out (except if both batsmen are on the same side of a crease); frequently it is a close call whether or not a batsman gained his ground in this way before the bails were removed. (The difference between stumped and run out is that the wicketkeeper may stump a batsman who goes too far forward to play the ball, while any fielder, including the keeper, may run out a batsman who goes too far for any other purpose, including for taking a run.)

A special form of run-out is when the batsman at the non-striker's end attempts to gain an advantage by leaving the crease before the next ball has been bowled. The bowler may then dislodge the bails at his/her end without completing the run-up and dismiss the batsman. This form of run-out is called the Mankad, in memory of the first bowler to dismiss a batsman in this way.

[edit] Law 39 : Stumped

If the striker steps in front of the crease to play the ball, leaving no part of his anatomy or the bat on the ground behind the crease, and the wicket-keeper is able to remove the bails from the wicket with the ball, then the striker is out.

See stump for more information.