lbw

Leg before wicket (lbw) is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It occurs when a bowled ball hits the batsman’s leg or body in a way that, if the bat had not made contact, would have forced the ball to hit the stumps. The lbw rule helps prevent batsmen from using their body to block legitimate deliveries.

To be given lbw, several criteria must be satisfied. The ball must strike the batsman in a way that would have hit the stumps, provided the ball had not touched the bat or glove first. It must not have pitched outside the leg stump; if the ball pitches outside leg stump, lbw cannot be awarded. The ball’s path at the moment of impact is relevant: it can strike in line with the stumps or, in some interpretations, outside the off side, but never outside leg stump. The batsman’s bat or glove involvement can prevent lbw if the ball touched the bat before hitting the leg.

Appeal and decision processes involve the umpire on the field, who can also be assisted by the third umpire in televised matches. Modern cricket commonly uses ball-tracking technology and other replay methods (under the Decision Review System, or DRS) to determine whether the ball would have hit the stumps and whether the pitch was valid. If the evidence supports lbw, the umpire can rule the batsman out; if not, the batsman remains not out.

LBW is a central, sometimes controversial, aspect of cricket strategy, balancing the bowler’s attacking delivery with the batsman’s protection against unfair dismissal.