What Is LBW In Cricket?

In cricket, there are several methods by which a batter can be dismissed. One of them is the Leg Before Wicket (LBW) rule, which allows batters to be given out if the ball hits any part of their body before hitting the bat. However, there are conditions attached to it, and that's why we've created this blog to show you everything you need to know about the Leg Before Wicket rule. Keep reading!

LBW Full Form - Leg Before Wicket Explained

Known as Leg Before Wicket, the LBW rule is one of the rules that protects both bowlers and batters. It stops batters from using their body, pad or leg to prevent the ball from hitting the stumps. Likewise, bowlers are prevented from targeting a batter’s body and getting an unfair advantage every time they bowl.

The LBW rule has been around for over two and a half centuries. It dates back to 1774 to prevent batters from intentionally using their legs to block balls. However, the rule has had to be modified several times as the officials identified flaws. The rule was last modified in 1980 when the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) rewrote the laws and added it to the 1980 code of the laws of cricket. 

With the introduction of the Decision Review System (DRS) in 2008, the application of the rule changed. Before 2008, umpires gave batters the benefit of doubts. However, with DRS, umpires and fans can see exactly where the ball was going. Thanks to this technology, more LBW dismissals have been recorded in the modern game. 

The DRS technology was first used in a Test Match between India and Sri Lanka in July 2008 to eliminate obvious mistakes, such as umpires missing a ball that clearly misses the stumps or a massive inside edge. 

LBW Meaning in Cricket

So, what is Leg Before Wicket meaning? A batter will be dismissed if the ball hits any part of their body (usually the leg) before it hits the bat, provided the umpire believes that the ball was going to hit the wickets. It's one of the methods of dismissals in cricket, and a betting site like 1xBet has also listed it among other dismissal methods. Therefore, bettors can bet on LBW, bowled, run out, stumped, caught, hit wicket, timed out, or obstructing the field as a wicket type.

To determine if a batter will be dismissed LBW, the umpires will check the following using DRS technology.

1. Pitching point

2. Impact point

3. Predicted path of the ball

Once the system predicts that over 50% of the ball will hit any path of the stumps, the batter is out. If less than 50% of the ball hits the stumps, the batsman is not out. However, if the system predicts that the ball will only partially hit the stumps with exactly around a 50% chance, the decision is left to the on-field umpire. This is known as “Umpire's Call.”

5 Conditions for LBW Decision

Although LBW was introduced to solve a problem, it had to be modified over the years to adapt to the modern game. Therefore, batters don't get dismissed by LBW until certain conditions are met. Here are the 5 conditions guiding LBW decisions.

1. The ball hits the body first. No LBW given if the ball hits the bat or glove before hitting the body (leg or pad).

2. The ball must be legally pitched. Balls pitched “outside leg stump” don't count because it means bowlers can target the batter's pad every time they bowl to get cheap LBWs. Outside leg stump is the stump on the side of the batter's leg.

3. The bowler must not bowl a “No Ball." This means the bowler or fielding team has broken a specific rule, including front foot, back foot, or fielding breach.

4. Where was the point of impact?. If the batter is hit outside off stump, LBW will only be given if the batter didn't try to play a genuine shot. However, if the ball hits the body before the bat in line with the stumps, LBW can be given whether the batter plays a shot or not.  

5. The ball would hit the stumps. The umpire must believe that the ball would've gone to hit the wicket to give LBW.

How LBW Works 

As already explained, the Leg Before Wicket rule is one way to get out from the several dismissal methods in cricket. Although it was introduced to improve the fairness of the game, it was always controversial because umpires had to make judgments. However, the advent of technology has made things easier.

To put it simply, the LBW rule prevents the batter from deliberately using their body to hit the ball. Therefore, a batter is out LBW if the ball hits their body (usually their leg or pad) before hitting the bat or glove, and the umpire believes that the ball would've gone on to hit the stumps if it hadn't hit the batter's body first.

As already revealed, there are 5 key conditions that must all be true before a batter is dismissed LBW. You can check the section above for more explanation.

In order to come to a decision, the umpire considers where the ball was pitched, the point of impact on the batter, and whether the ball would have hit the stumps. 

LBW Rules Explained with Examples

We have to admit that the Leg Before Wicket rule can be quite complicated, especially for those looking to play cricket betting pre-match or live for the first time. That's why 5 key conditions were introduced to guide LBW decisions. We've already outlined them above. However, in this section, we provide a few of these rules, with examples of whether a batter will be out, to give our readers an overview.

• If the bowler pitches “outside leg stump” - NOT OUT. This rule helps prevent negative bowling tactics by a bowler targeting the batter's pad.

• If the ball hits the bat or glove first before hitting the pad - NOT OUT. 

• If the ball is in line and hits the pad but will hit the stumps - OUT

• The ball is pitched outside off stump - Only OUT if the batter didn't try to play a genuine shot. If they tried to play a shot - NOT OUT

• Ball is a full toss and hits the pad in line with the stumps - OUT

• Ball pitched in line and hit the pad “on leg stump line” - OUT

• The ball pitched outside off stump, and the batsman attempted a shot but missed because the ball straightened and eventually hit the pad in line. If it would hit stumps = OUT

DRS & LBW - Ball Tracking Technology

Thanks to technology, the LBW rule has become simpler. Before the DRS technology, umpires had to judge where the ball would have gone. As you would guess, they were prone to error. However, after the Decision Review System (DRS) was introduced in 2008, umpires found it easier to make these decisions. While the margin for errors still remains, it's the bare minimum.

The DRS technology uses UltraEdge or Snickometer to detect the ball's sound as it passes and Hawkeye ball-tracking to show pitching point, impact, and hitting point. Despite the advantage of using technology, there is still a margin for error. Therefore, the ICC introduced Umpire's Call to protect the authority of the on-field umpire in situations where the technology isn't 100% certain.

Famous LBW Dismissals in Cricket History

Before the introduction of DRS technology, the Leg Before Wicket rule was always at the centre of controversies. The reason wasn't far-fetched; umpires had to guess many things, including reading the batter’s mind and whether the ball was going to hit the stumps. Therefore, there have been many famous LBW dismissals in cricket history. Belle are a few of them.

• Sachin Tendulkar vs. Glenn McGrath (India vs Australia 1999)

It was a Test match between India and Australia in Adelaide in 1999, when Sachin Tendulkar was controversially dismissed by LBW after ducking a bouncer from Glenn McGrath. Unfortunately, the ball didn't bounce as high as expected and hit Tendulkar on the shoulder. It was a major controversy because the rule says “Leg Before Wicket", not “Shoulder Before Wicket." To this day, it's known as the Shoulder Before Wicket dismissal.

• Sachin Tendulkar vs. Steve Bucknor (Gabba, 2003)

It was Sachin Tendulkar again in a Test match of the India tour of Australia in 2003. This one was big because umpire Steve Bucknor eventually admitted in a radio interview years later that he had made a mistake. He dismissed Tendulkar after Jason Gillespie bowled a ball that struck Tendulkar in the pad. He was LBW out, only for Bucknor to admit later that the ball was going over the stumps.

• Ben Stokes vs. Nathan Lyon (Headingley, 2019)

This was probably the most famous non-dismissal in history, as Ben Stokes went on to win the Ashes Test match between England and Australia. Stokes was struck on the pad by Nathan Lyon, who spun the ball. While umpire Joel Wilson waived NOT OUT, Australia appealed, but had already used all reviews. If Australia had a review, they would've won because Stoke would've been OUT.

LBW Statistics & Records

The LBW rule has been around since 1774, and the statistics run deep. In this section, we'll outline a few statistics and records below. Here is the list of the batters with the most times out from LBW.

Here is a list of bowlers with the record of the most LBW victims in Test cricket history.

Here are some interesting statistics about the LBW rule. 

• Hashim Amla became the 10,000th player in Test history to be dismissed LBW in December 2016. 

• Teams from the Asian subcontinent, like India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, both take and concede more LBWs than other regions due to lower-bouncing pitches and more spin bowling in this region.

• In T20 internationals, Rashid Khan has over 35% of his wickets via LBW, the highest ratio in this format.