LBW rules in cricket: when is a batter out?

A batter is out LBW when a fair ball hits their body before the bat, in line with the stumps, and would have gone on to hit the wicket.

Published 1 November 2026

What LBW means

LBW, short for leg before wicket, is a way of being out under Law 36 of the Laws of Cricket. A batter is out LBW when a fair delivery hits their body before the bat, in line with the stumps, and would have gone on to hit the wicket. Every part of that must be true.

The rule exists because, without it, a batter could stand in front of the stumps and let the ball thud into their pads all day. LBW first appeared in the Laws in 1774, and it has been reworded several times since. Today it is the dismissal that causes more arguments than any other, because the umpire has to judge where the ball would have gone, not just where it went.

The five conditions in Law 36

Law 36.1 lists five conditions. The batter is out only if all five apply, and only if the fielding side appeals: under Law 31.1 an umpire never gives a batter out without an appeal.

1. The ball is not a no-ball (36.1.1). A batter can't be out LBW off a no-ball, and in one-day and T20 internationals that also means no LBW off a free hit.
2. It pitches in line or outside off stump (36.1.2). If the ball bounces before it reaches the batter, it must land between wicket and wicket or on the off side. A ball that pitches outside leg stump can never give an LBW, however straight it goes on. A full toss never lands, so this test doesn't apply to it.
3. It hits the body before the bat (36.1.3). The ball must strike any part of the batter's person without touching the bat first. Law 5.6 counts the hand or glove holding the bat as part of the bat, so a ball that clips the glove first is not LBW. If ball hits bat and pad at the same instant, the Law treats it as hitting the bat first (36.2.2).
4. The impact is in line (36.1.4). The point where the ball first hits the batter must be between wicket and wicket, even if it is above the height of the bails. The one exception is in the next section.
5. It would have hit the wicket (36.1.5). The umpire must judge that, but for the batter, the ball would have hit the stumps.

Only the first interception counts (36.2.1). If the ball hits the pad, then the bat, then the pad again, the umpire looks only at that first contact with the pad.

Pitching outside leg and impact outside off

These two lines trip up more fans than anything else.

Outside leg stump is a hard stop. If the ball lands outside the line of leg stump, the batter is not out LBW, full stop. The Law is written this way so that bowlers can't aim at the pads from wide on the leg side and win LBWs that way.

Outside off stump depends on the shot. If the ball hits the batter outside the line of off stump and the batter made a genuine attempt to play it with the bat, they are not out. If the batter made no genuine attempt, for example by padding the ball away with the bat tucked behind the pad, they can be out even though the impact was outside off. This stops batters from using their pads as a second bat against balls that would turn or swing back into the stumps.

Which side is off?

The off side is the half of the field the batter faces in their stance, and the leg side is the half behind their legs. Law 36.3 fixes it at the moment the ball comes into play, which under Law 20.5 is when the bowler starts their run-up. So if a right-hander switches to bat left-handed after the bowler has started running in, the off side stays where it was for that ball.

How the umpire judges where the ball was going

The fifth condition is a prediction. Law 36.2.3 tells the umpire to assume the ball would have carried on along its path after hitting the batter, whether or not it would have bounced again on the way to the stumps.

That is where the umpire has to weigh up the things a good LBW call rests on:

• Height. A ball hitting high on the thigh may well have gone over the stumps.
• Distance. The further down the pitch the batter is hit, the more the ball could have turned, swung or bounced before reaching the stumps.
• Movement. Spin and seam after pitching change where the ball would have gone.
• The edge. Any touch of bat or glove first, and the appeal fails.

There is no rule that a batter is safe because they were hit a long way down the pitch. It only makes the umpire's prediction harder, so umpires tend to be cautious.

LBW and ball tracking

In international cricket, either side can ask for a review under the Decision Review System. For an LBW, the third umpire first checks the delivery was fair and that the ball didn't touch the bat. Then ball tracking answers three questions in order: where the ball landed, where it hit the batter, and whether it would have hit the wicket.

If ball tracking shows a very close call on impact or on the stumps, the on-field decision stands. That is called umpire's call, and it is why the same delivery can stay out or stay not out depending on what the umpire first said. Our guide to umpire's call and DRS walks through each step.

Quick checks for your next appeal

When a ball hits the pad, run through the Law in this order:

1. Was it a fair ball?
2. Did it pitch outside leg? If so, not out.
3. Did it hit bat or glove first? If so, not out.
4. Was the impact in line, or outside off with no shot played?
5. Would it have gone on to hit the stumps?

Five yeses, and an appeal, and the finger goes up. Think you can call it? Try a few LBW appeals yourself and see if your verdicts match.

Sources

• MCC Laws of Cricket, Law 36: Leg before wicket
• MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 Code, 4th edition (2026), Laws 5.6, 20.5 and 31.1
• ICC Men's Test Match Playing Conditions, October 2026, Appendix D
• ICC: Early cricket, before 1799

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