Skip to content
Insporta Book
FootballCricketFutsalTriathlonScienceMethodologyTake a test

Cricket · Level 1: Beginner · Sub-level 1.2

Ways of Getting Out

6 tests · 60 facts · updated 6 September 2026 · markdown

This sub-level teaches the ways a batter can be dismissed — bowled and caught as the everyday ones, LBW explained as three plain questions, run out and stumped, hit wicket, and the rare modes; that the fielding side must appeal before an umpire can give anyone out, that the umpire decides, and what happens once a wicket has fallen.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1Bowled and caught

  1. Bowled means the delivery hits the wicket and dislodges a bail; a near miss or a take by the keeper is not it.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 32 · recall

  2. Bowled still counts when the ball deflects off the bat or body on its way to the stumps.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 32 · applied

  3. Only contact with the bat, or a glove on the hand holding it, allows a catch; the ball must not have hit the ground.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 33 · recall

  4. A fielder in contact with the ball must not touch the boundary; if he does, the hit is six, not a catch.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 19 · applied

  5. A catch by the keeper is still "caught" and still the bowler's wicket, noted as "caught behind".

    Source: General scoring convention · recall

  6. A fair catch needs the ball not to have touched the ground; a "bump ball" that bounces first is not out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 33 · applied

  7. Caught is the single commonest mode and bowled is close behind, so together they take the large majority.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  8. The one thing that matters on a low catch is "carry" — whether the ball reached the hands before the ground.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 33 · applied

  9. The Laws set an order among the modes, and bowled ranks first, so it is entered when several could apply.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 32 · recall

  10. Leaving the ball changes nothing; if the delivery removes a bail, the batter is bowled.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 32 · applied

Test 2LBW in plain terms

LBW and where the ball pitches: outside off, in line, outside legA cricket pitch seen from above, the bowler's end on the left and the striker's stumps on the right; the off side of the right-handed batter is at the top and the leg side at the bottom. A shaded band marks the line between the two wickets. Three balls pitch level with each other, one outside off stump, one in line and one outside leg stump, and each travels on toward the batter's pads. The outside-leg path is drawn in lime and marked never out.RHBOUTSIDE OFF STUMPIN LINE WITH THE STUMPSOUTSIDE LEG STUMPNEVER OUTOFF SIDELEG SIDE
LBW and where the ball pitches: outside off, in line, outside leg. A ball that pitches outside leg stump can never bring an LBW; one that pitches in line or outside off can, if it would go on to hit the stumps.SVG

  1. Leg before wicket: the batter's leg or body has stopped a ball that was going on to hit the stumps.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 36 · recall

  2. Pitching, the point of impact and the projected path to the stumps are the three things the umpire weighs.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 36 · recall

  3. A delivery that lands outside leg stump can never bring an LBW, wherever it then strikes the batter.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 36 · applied

  4. Impact outside off stump is out only when the batter offered no stroke; otherwise he is not out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 36 · applied

  5. If the ball touches the bat before the pad, LBW cannot be given, whatever the ball would have done next.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 36 · applied

  6. Even with legal pitching and impact, a ball shown to be clearing the stumps is not an LBW.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 36 · applied

  7. Pitched in line, struck in line, no shot offered, and hitting the stumps: a straightforward LBW.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 36 · applied

  8. Without LBW a batter could simply block every straight ball with the legs; the Law makes that a dismissal.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 36 · recall

  9. The further from the stumps the impact, the less certain the projection, so a well-forward strike is doubted.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 36 · applied

  10. Where the Decision Review System is in use, a player review lets ball-tracking check the projected path.

    Source: ICC Playing Conditions (Decision Review System) · applied

Test 3Run out and stumped

Making your ground: bat grounded behind the popping crease against bat on the lineClose-up of the striker's end of a cricket pitch, the stumps on the right and the popping crease drawn in lime 1.22 m in front of them; the batter's ground behind the crease is shaded. A throw comes in along the pitch as two batters slide their bats toward the line: the upper one has the bat grounded behind the line and is safe, the lower one has the bat only on the line and is out if the wicket is broken.THE BATTER'S GROUNDGROUNDED BEHIND THE LINE: SAFEON THE LINE: OUT
Making your ground: bat grounded behind the popping crease against bat on the line. The crease line is not part of the batter's ground: bat or body grounded behind it is safe when the wicket is broken; on the line is out.SVG

  1. A run out turns on the batter being out of his ground, that is not behind the crease line, when the wicket is put down.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 38 · recall

  2. The thrown ball may break the wicket on its own, so a direct hit is a valid run out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 38 · applied

  3. Run out is not credited to any bowler, so the bowler's figures do not change.

    Source: General scoring convention · recall

  4. Only one batter can be safe in a ground; whoever belongs to the broken, empty end is the one run out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 38 · applied

  5. A stumping is the keeper putting the wicket down with the striker out of his ground and not running.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 39 · recall

  6. Beaten and out of his ground with no run attempted, and the keeper doing it: that is a stumping.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 39 · applied

  7. Once the batter is trying to run, the same act is a run out rather than a stumping, and any fielder may do it.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 39 · applied

  8. A stumping counts as the bowler's wicket; a run out is credited to no bowler.

    Source: General scoring convention · recall

  9. Once bat or body has been grounded behind the line, a moment of lifting it to turn does not put the batter out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 30 · applied

  10. Both need the batter out of his ground when the wicket is put down; every other detail differs.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 38 and 39 · recall

Test 4Hit wicket, and the rare ways out

  1. Hit wicket covers the striker dislodging a bail with bat, pad, body or kit while playing or starting to run.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 35 · recall

  2. Breaking the wicket with the bat while playing the shot is hit wicket; the path of the ball is beside the point.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 35 · applied

  3. Obstructing the field is a deliberate act by the batter, in word or action, to hinder the fielding side.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · recall

  4. Deliberately getting in the way of a fielder's attempt to run him out is obstructing the field.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

  5. An incoming batter must be ready to take strike within the set time, or he can be given timed out.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 40 · recall

  6. A deliberate second strike is permitted solely to protect the wicket, never to make runs.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 34 · recall

  7. Interfering with the fielding side's attempt to field the ball is obstructing the field, however desperate.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 37 · applied

  8. Caught is far and away the commonest; timed out and hit the ball twice are extreme rarities.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  9. Timed out is a genuine mode of dismissal that is simply applied very seldom.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · applied

  10. Bowled, caught and LBW arise from everyday play; the rare modes need an unusual act or a long delay.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

Test 5The appeal

  1. "No appeal, no wicket": the umpire rules on a dismissal only when the fielding side asks.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 31 · recall

  2. "How's that?", often shortened to "Howzat", is the recognised form of an appeal to the umpire.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 31 · recall

  3. With no bail removed there is no bowled dismissal, and with no appeal the umpire would not give one anyway.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 31 · applied

  4. The appeal must come before the next delivery's run-up, or before "time" if it is the last ball.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 31 · recall

  5. Umpires may confer with each other before reaching a decision on an appeal.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 31 · applied

  6. A batter who is genuinely dismissed may leave the field without an appeal or an umpire's decision.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 31 · applied

  7. An appeal can be withdrawn with the umpire's permission, provided the batter has not yet left the wicket.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 31 · recall

  8. One appeal invites the umpire to rule on any mode of dismissal that might apply to that delivery.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 31 · applied

  9. The Decision Review System lets each side refer a set number of decisions to the television umpire.

    Source: ICC Playing Conditions (Decision Review System) · recall

  10. DRS is an ICC playing-conditions feature for top-level cricket; the Laws themselves do not include it.

    Source: ICC Playing Conditions (Decision Review System) · recall

Test 6When a wicket falls

  1. The ball becomes dead as soon as a batter is dismissed, so nothing else can happen on that delivery.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 20 · recall

  2. A run out is not the bowler's wicket, so his figures record the runs but no dismissal.

    Source: General scoring convention · applied

  3. The time allowed is short, and failing to be ready in it can bring a timed-out dismissal.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 40 · recall

  4. A wicket does not reset the over; the same bowler completes the remaining balls once play resumes.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 17 · applied

  5. If the batters crossed before the catch was completed they have changed ends; if not, they have not.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 25 · applied

  6. Catches account for the largest share of dismissals in every format of the game.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

  7. A no-ball rules out bowled, caught, LBW, stumped and hit wicket; run out and a few others remain possible.

    Source: MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 21 · applied

  8. A dismissed batter keeps every run he made; the card records his score, how he was out, and off which bowler.

    Source: General scoring convention · recall

  9. Run outs and similar modes take wickets without ever showing up in a bowler's figures.

    Source: General scoring convention · applied

  10. Timed out, obstructing the field and hit the ball twice each require something out of the ordinary to happen.

    Source: ESPNcricinfo · recall

Sources

MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022) for the mechanics of play; ICC Playing Conditions for international format and officiating detail, which override the Laws where they differ; ESPNcricinfo and Wisden for history, records and governance. Questions are authored from these sources, not reproduced from them.

  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 369
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 318
  • General scoring convention6
  • ESPNcricinfo6
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 324
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 333
  • ICC Playing Conditions (Decision Review System)3
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 383
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 393
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 373
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 352
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 402
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 191
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 301
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Laws 38 and 391
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 341
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 201
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 171
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 251
  • MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 code (3rd edition 2022), Law 211