Top Ten Weird Dismissals In World Cricket

Cricket is one of the most popular sport in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, England and West Indies. There are three variants of the game in international cricket that is being played today. They are Test matches, One Dayer and the latest version Twenty20 or in short T20.

Although considered as a gentleman's game cricket has its share of controversies like betting, sledging, tampering the ball, accusations of racism etc., apart from umpiring errors and dismissals of batsmen. Of course it has its own funny moments too.

In the game of cricket, a batsman can get out in ten different ways and it is worthwhile to know what these ways are:

• OUT/ CAUGHT: When the batsman hits the ball and one of the eleven fielders catches the ball, the batsman is deemed out. But the ball should not have hit the ground prior to the catch. If the fielder steps on the boundary ropes or beyond the boundary line while catching the ball, the batsman is not out and instead the batsman is rewarded with six runs. Again, if the fielder makes a catch off a no-ball, the batsman cannot be ruled out.

• OUT/ BOWLED: If the ball hits the stumps because the batsman misses the ball or if the batsman deflects the ball either with his body or bat to hit the stumps, the batsman is out. Again this rule is not applicable if it is a no-ball

• OUT/ STUMPED: The wicket-keeper catches the balls and knocks the bails off when the batsman is out of the crease attempting to strike a ball and misses it. Again, this rule will not apply if it is a no-ball.

• OUT/ HIT WICKET: The batsman hits the wicket either with his bat or with any accessories he is wearing or with any other part of his body, the batsman can be declared out. This rule is inapplicable if the ball is either a wide ball or a no-ball.

• OUT/ LEG BEFORE WICKET (LBW): When the batsman misses to hit ball, but obstructs the passage of the ball to the stumps with his legs, he could be given out – but only if the fielding side appeals to the umpire. Quite often the LBW decision by the umpire becomes controversial. The surmise is the ball would have hit the wicket had not the legs come in the way. The batsman is not out if it is a no-ball or the ball hit the bat prior to obstruction by the batsman’s legs.

• OUT/ RUN OUT: When the batsman is attempting to score a run and the fielder hits the wicket before the batsman could reach the crease or at least the tip of his bat gets grounded inside the crease, he is declared. Again, if the batsman at the non-striker’s end leaves the crease before the bowler lets go the ball. In this instance, the bowler may simply lift the bails off and the batsman at the non-striker end is run-out. But this is seldom done as many players consider this way of getting out unfair.

• OUT/ BALL HANDLING: The batsman cannot handle the ball without the permission of the fielding team. The batsman is out if he otherwise handles the ball or uses his hands to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket. But if the ball accidentally hits the hand of the batsman, he cannot be held responsible and thus he is not out.

• OUT/ HITTING BALL MORE THAN ONCE: If the batsman forcefully hits the ball more than once, with the obvious intent of scoring a run he will be declared out. The batsman can however hit the ball a second time to prevent it from hitting the stumps.

• OUT/ TIMED OUT: When a particular batsman is out, if the next in line batsman fails to come out to bat within two minutes, he can be declared out even without batting.

• OUT/ CREATING OBSTRUCTION IN THE FIELD: When the batsman willfully obstructs a fielder from getting to the ball to facilitate taking a run, he is out. The batsman, however, may run in between the fielder and the wicket as long as there is no deliberate intent to deflect the ball or distract the fielder.

As a disciplinary measure, a batsman can be given out if he expresses or even gestures dissent to an umpire's decision and also for any offensive action in the field. But this type of giving out is rare.

Finally, the reader should know what is meant by the term ‘no ball’. The rule is a bowler must have his foot behind the popping crease when releasing the ball. If he oversteps the line, the ball bowled is declared a no-ball.