LBW For Dummies

LBW is one of the most complex cricketing dismissals to understand. This article tries to explain the basics of LBW; the rules and the exceptions. The article is written for those who like cricket, but are confused about some aspects of LBW. LBW, a short for Leg Before Wicket, is to cricket what offside rule is to football -- most people think they know it, but many can't explain it. I have met many a cricket fans who do not understand the exact rules for judging an LBW dismissal. The casual viewers are badly confused. It is very common to hear shouts like "that was plumb!", or "why the hell didn't he give that out" and so on, while watching cricket matches with crowds. Many people intuitively decide whether or not a batsman was out, or whether or not umpire's call was a right one. Now with slow motion replays and the other visual aids, a television viewer has lot more at his disposal to decide for oneself, provided that they know the basic rules. Let's start with a minimal definition, and then add exceptions and finer details. A batsman is adjudicated out LBW, when the ball hits his pads and the umpire thinks that the delivery would have gone on to hit the stumps. Of course, if it were that simple, there would have been no confusion at all, about this dismissal. There are a few exceptions, a few preconditions. What are they? First, let us clarify how the umpire decides whether the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps or not. There are two things to consider: the line of the ball, and the height of the ball when it hit the batsman. Umpires extend the perceived line in their mind (calculating any lateral swing/seam movement), till the stumps. They also, consider the height at which it hit the pads, and decide whether the ball would have gone over the stumps or not. There is an unwritten rule: If there is any doubt in the umpires mind, the benefit of doubt must go to the batsmen (which holds true in general for cricket). So if the ball is spinning/swinging too much, it would be very unlikely for the umpires to give the batsmen out LBW, unless the batsmen is way back in his crease. Provided that they think it would have hit the stumps, there are other preconditions that umpires need to exclude. A batsman is judged "not out" if: a) There was a prior contact of the ball with the bat b) The ball was pitched outside the line of leg stump c) The ball had hit the batsman outside the line of off-stump Let us consider them one by one. If there is any edge prior to ball hitting pads, the batsmen cannot be given out LBW. Remember that the edge has to be before the ball hits the pad, and not after. In the latter case the edge does not matter. If the ball is pitched outside the line of leg stump, then there is just no way that a batsman can be given out LBW. Some people are puzzled by this rule, and I am not sure I know the official reason why it was conceived. But I think it is very logical. Consider the fact that when the ball is pitched outside the line of leg stump, the pads naturally come first, obstructing the shot at times, whereas in other cases, the ball hits the pad only when it misses the bat. So there is a need to exclude cases where ball is pitched outside the leg stump. When the ball hits the batsmen outside the line of off-stump, the batsmen cannot be given out LBW either, provided that he was attempting to play a shot (or, in cricketing terminology, offering a shot). This is also confusing for some, but again very logical. First of all, when ball is pitched outside the off stump, then the batsman may have to take a stride to reach the ball, which means his pad might again come in the way of the shot. It's deliberate padding, i.e. not offering a shot, and just taking a stride to take the ball on the pads, that's unfair. So a clear distinction is made there, between batsman offering and not-offering a shot. In the former case, the batsmen is given not out, whereas in the latter, he is given out, even if the ball hits him outside the line of off stump. This covers the LBW dismissal's complexities. To recap, a batsman is out LBW if the ball hits the pad with: 1) No prior contact with the bat

2) Ball pitched in-line with the stumps OR outside the off-stump 3) Ball hitting the pads in-line with the stumps OR hitting outside the line of off-stump with batsmen offering no shot 4) Ball would have gone on and hit the stumps The above conditions must be met before a batsman can be given out LBW. And the final twist in the tale: although it's leg-before-wicket, it's applicable for anypart of batsman's body or cricketing gear except gloves. For instance, if a batsman is ducking under the ball, to avoid being hit, and it hits him on his shoulder (for instance, Sachin Tendulkar's famous dismissal in Australia, although controversial) he can be given out LBW, if the above conditions are satisfied. By Amit Phansalkar