Leg before wicket (lbw) is one of the ways in which a batter can be dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an appeal by the fielding side, the umpire may rule a batter out lbw if the ball would have struck the wicket but was instead intercepted by any part of the batsman's body. The umpire's decision will depend on a number of criteria, including where the ball pitched, whether the ball hit in line with the wickets, the ball's expected future trajectory after hitting the batsman, and whether the batsman was attempting to hit the ball.
A 1904 illustration from the Badminton Library's Cricket, showing a batsman who is leg before wicket. The original caption was "A clear case" [of lbw].
Arthur Shrewsbury, one of the first batters to use his pads to prevent the ball hitting his wicket
Bob Wyatt opposed the revision of the lbw law in 1935 and campaigned against it until his death.
Hemu Adhikari is given out lbw to Bill Johnston, India v. Australia, 1947–48
In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the ball with a bat to score runs and prevent the loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since September 2021, officially referred to as a batter —regardless of whether batting is their particular area of expertise. Batters have to adapt to various conditions when playing on different cricket pitches, especially in different countries; therefore, as well as having outstanding physical batting skills, top-level batters will have quick reflexes, excellent decision-making skills, and be good strategists. Although batsman is still widely used.
Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run scorer in men's international cricket
Jack Hobbs is the highest run scorer in first-class cricket
Bill Woodfull's stance.
A right-handed batter lifts his bat in preparation for hitting the ball.