Leg before wicket, or LBW, is the most debated way of getting out in cricket. Fans argue about it in every match, but the rule itself becomes simple once you know the questions the umpire is asking.
The basic idea
A batter can be given out LBW if the ball would have hit the stumps but was stopped by the batter’s body (usually the pad) instead of the bat. The rule exists so that batters cannot simply block the ball with their legs.
The three key questions
1. Where did the ball pitch?
If the ball bounces outside the line of the leg stump, the batter cannot be out LBW, no matter what happens next. If it pitches in line or outside off stump, the umpire moves to the next question.
2. Where did the ball hit the batter?
The point of impact must be in line with the stumps. There is one important exception: if the batter is not playing a shot, they can be out even if the impact is outside off stump.
3. Would the ball have hit the stumps?
Finally, the umpire must judge that the ball would have gone on to hit the wicket. Bounce, spin and swing all matter here, which is why this part is so hard to call with the naked eye.
Other conditions
- If the ball hits the bat first and then the pad, it is not LBW.
- A no-ball cannot produce an LBW dismissal.
- The fielding side must appeal; the umpire does not give a batter out without an appeal.
How DRS reviews an LBW
With the Decision Review System, ball-tracking technology projects the path of the ball. If the on-field decision is challenged, the third umpire checks the same three questions: pitching, impact and whether the ball would hit the stumps.
When the projection shows the ball only clipping the stumps, the result is shown as umpire’s call, and the original decision stands. This is why the same delivery can be out in one match and not out in another, depending on what the on-field umpire first decided.
A simple checklist for fans
- Did it pitch outside leg? If yes, not out.
- Was impact in line (or no shot offered)? If no, not out.
- Was it going on to hit the stumps? If yes, out.
Keep this checklist in mind during the next close appeal and you will understand the umpire’s decision far better than most commentators’ first reaction.
