What is the LBW or Leg Before Wicket rule?
A batter can be out LBW if the ball would hit the stumps but is intercepted by their body (excluding hands holding the bat), under certain conditions.
The Leg Before Wicket (LBW) rule is one of cricket’s most debated and complex laws. Designed to prevent batsmen from unfairly blocking the ball with their pads. LBW decisions often hinge on split-second judgments. This blog breaks down the rule, its evolution, and its modern-day application.
Check out the official LBW rule wording here – LBW Rule by MCC
How bowler's frustration led to the formation of the LBW rule
Cricket originated in the 1550s and until 1774 there was no rule against batsman blocking the ball deliberately with their body to prevent the ball from hitting their stumps. In 1774, bowlers complained that this luxury of the batsman is making it almost impossible to dismiss the defensive batsman and slowing & killing the game in the process.
Who had raised this complaint against the batsman?
Records show that Edward “Lumpy” Stevens, one of the finest bowlers of the era, was particularly vocal about batsmen “standing before wicket with design to stop the ball.”
The 1974 Meeting in London which led to the birth of LBW
Edward’s frustrations — shared by other prominent players — were brought to the famous Star and Garter Tavern meeting in Pall Mall on 25 February 1774, where the MCC’s predecessor group revised the Laws and added the LBW clause —details documented in Wisden’s own Almanack history section.
The original wording of the law stated that:
“The striker is out if he puts his leg before the wicket with a design to stop the ball and actually prevent the ball from hitting his wicket.”
What are the required conditions for a batsman to given OUT LBW?
For a batsman to be given out LBW, all the following conditions must apply:
1. LEGAL DELIVERY
The first check done by the umpire when judging a LBW appeal is whether the ball is legal or not. A ball is legal, if it is not a No Ball.
A ball can be judged as a No-Ball by the umpire depending upon the position of his front or back foot.
The below diagram explains the illegal foot positions marked in Red, which will be declared a No-ball by the umprie, therefore the batsman cannot be given out LBW on any of these deliveries.
No-Ball Conditions
2. NO BAT INVOLVED
If the above condition is satisfied, then the second check is whether the ball touched the bat before hitting / touching the batter’s body. If the ball hits the batter’s bat BEFORE hitting his body then he CANNOT be judged out LBW.
If the ball hits the batter’s bat AFTER hitting his body then he CAN be judged out LBW, given other conditions are getting satisfied.
For example, in the below photograph of Virat Kohli snicking a ball before it hits his body / pad (scandalously!) should be ruled Not Out.
3. PITCHING
If the above 2 conditions are satisfied, then the third check is where did the the ball pitch. Pitching means the point of contact of the ball on the ground after the ball has been released by the bowler and just before hitting the batsman’s body / bat. The ball must pitch in line with the stumps (between batter side’s wickets and bowler side’s wickets) or on the off-side (never outside leg stump).
If half or more than half of the ball pitches outside the leg stump then the ball is considered PITCHING OUTSIDE LEG, therefore the batsman cannot be given out Leg Before Wicket, even if the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps.
If half or more than half of the ball pitches within the area between the batter’s and bowler’s stumps, then the ball is considered PITCHING INLINE WITHIN STUMPS, therefore the batsman CAN be given out Leg Before Wicket, given the other conditions for LBW dismissal are satisfied.
4. IMPACT:
If the above 3 conditions are satisfied, then the umpire goes on to check the fourth condition, which is point of impact of the ball on the batsman’s body.
If batter has deliberately played a shot and has missed the ball : The ball must hit the batter’s body in line with the stumps. If the ball hits the batsman outside the area in-line with the stumps, then he is judged Not Out.
If batter has deliberately NOT played a shot and the ball has hit a part of batter’s body : The impact can be in line or outside off stump, and the batter can be judged depending upon the further conditions.
5. TRAJECTORY:
If the above 4 conditions are satisfied, then the last check performed by the umpire is predicting the trajectory of the ball. In this the umpire simulates how the ball would have travelled if it had not hit the batsman’s body. Earlier this was done by the umpires manually, using their eyes and judgement of the ball.
Currently, it is done using a technology called as Hawkeye, which digitally simulates the trajectory and path of the ball assuming that the ball did not hit the batter’s body.
The ball trajectory should therefore be such that the ball should to be hitting the stumps, for the batter to be given OUT LBW.
Hawk-Eye graphic visually overlays three critical elements:
- The ball’s actual trajectory before impact.
- A projected path that estimates where the ball would have traveled post-impact.
- A visual indicator of whether the ball would have hit the wicket or missed—central to deciding LBW referrals under DRS.
6. UMPIRE’S CALL
This is where technology creeps into the decision of LBW for a batter. When an LBW decision is reviewed under DRS (Decision Review System), the third umpire uses ball-tracking technology (like Hawk-Eye) to assess three of the above factors—where the ball pitched, where it struck the batter, and whether it would hit the stumps.
If the technology indicates a marginal result—such as less than 50% of the ball projected to hit the stumps or the impact just barely in line—the original on-field decision stands. This is what’s known as “Umpire’s Call”.
In essence, rather than overturning a close call where there’s insufficient clarity, the system defers to the on-field umpire’s judgment.
Key points regarding Umpire’s call:
- Umpire’s Call means if ball-tracking shows only a marginal hit regarding any LBW criteria—like impact or projected path—the original on-field decision holds, ensuring the umpire’s judgment counts when evidence is inconclusive.
- If the umpire ruled “out”, and ball-tracking shows a marginal hit, the decision stays out.
- If the umpire ruled “not out”, and the projection only marginally hits the stumps, the decision also remains not out.
- Neither team loses a review when a decision results in Umpire’s Call
We hope this blog was able to provide you a deeper and complete understanding of the LBW dismissal rule. Please stay tuned for more such informative cricket blogs.
Go through our other posts using the links below! Thank you!
Hi, this is a comment.
To get started with moderating, editing, and deleting comments, please visit the Comments screen in the dashboard.
Commenter avatars come from Gravatar.