Leg Before Wicket

Leg before wicket, or lbw, is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an appeal by the fielding side, the umpire will rule a batsman out lbw if the ball would have struck the wicket but was intercepted by any part of the batsman except his bat, or the hand in which his bat is held.

However, the laws of cricket only allow a batsman to be given out leg before wicket in a certain set of conditions; as a result the leg before wicket law is often described as the most complicated law in cricket, and the one which the general public find the most difficult to understand. It has also proved controversial among cricket spectators, administrators and commentators, and the wording of the law has changed frequently since its first appearance in 1774. In his survey of cricket laws, Gerald Brodribb states: "No dismissal has produced so much argument as lbw; it has caused trouble from its earliest days". The law arose when batsmen began to use their legs to prevent the ball hitting their wicket. This practice increased from the latter part of the 19th century until batsmen became expert at using their pads to protect the stumps. Subsequent alterations to the law have aimed to make it more difficult for batsmen to do so, as this tactic was viewed as being negative and unfair to the bowler. Since the first introduction of the lbw law, the proportion of dismissals to be lbw has steadily increased. The increasing availability of television replays to assist umpires in making lbw decisions has increased the percentage of lbws in major matches.