How many ways batsman can get out in cricket = 10. - Fast Cricket. How many ways batsman can get out in cricket = 10. Tag Cricket Rules & Laws Cricket is a batsman's game. or is it? a bowler can bowl the worst ball of his life, yet he gets another chance whereas one bad shot from a batsman might end the match for him. Often I wonder whether batsman (or bats they use) in world cricket have evolved lot more than the bowlers over the years. Even when there are 10 total ways in which a batsman can be dismissed in a cricket match, bowlers are failing to device methods to bring about a batsman's dismissal. Now that we've made a note of the fact, in following, I repeat & explain all the 10 modes of dismissals there are in a game of cricket. read carefully all you bowlers out there.. Caught Fielders can't get hold of (aka catch) the ball hit by batsman before it hits the ground. if it happens ~ batsman is out. The fielder can be anyone among the 11 players standing in playing area, including the wicket keeper.

Bowled When the ball, as it comes out of bowlers hand - strikes the stumps. This can also happen after an edge off a batsman's bat. Leg before wicket (lbw) batsman are not allowed to block a delivery off their pad or other body parts.. if they do, with no use of bat and umpire feels the ball was going on to hit the stumps - that LBW - leg before wicket = out. full explanation of lbw rule . Run out Both batsman have to be at opposite ends, within the marked crease. While a ball is in play, and fielders break the stumps with no batsman in that crease - that's a run out! Consider both batsman run to the same crease as fielders break stumps at opposite end.. which batsman is out? answer is the batsman who second reached the crease. Stumped Batsman have to play the ball while keeping some part of his body inside the batting crease. not that he can't go out to hit a ball - if the wicket-keeper gathers the ball & breaks the stumps - that's dismissal 'stumped'.

Handling the ball Batsman cannot touch a ball with this hand while it's in play. they can use their bat to deflect it, but not through hands.. otherwise they'll be out 'Handling the ball'. Timed out Once one batsman is dismissed, next batsman should come & take strike within 3 minutes. not a single batsman has been given out timed out in International cricket, ever! Double hit Once a batsman has played their shot - made some kind of contact with the ball - they can't hit it again! Hit Wicket Hit the ball, don't hit the wickets with your bat or any other body part! Obstructing the field Batsmen are not allowed to deliberately come in way of a fielder catching or fielding a ball. FastCricket welcomes your feedback : In cricket, there are 11 different ways in which a batsman can be dismissed and there are 11 batsmen per side - what is the greatest number of different means of dismissal ever recorded in one innings?

| Notes and Queries | guardian.co.uk In cricket, there are 11 different ways in which a batsman can be dismissed and there are 11 batsmen per side - what is the greatest number of different means of dismissal ever recorded in one innings? Tony Whyte, London In Test matches, six. There are six fairly common ways of being dismissed - caught, bowled, lbw, stumped, run out and hit wicket. On only seven occasions have batsman been otherwise dismissed in Tests (five "handled ball", one "obstructed field" and one "retired not hurt") - in two of those instances (West Indies v India, St John's, Antigua, 1982-83, and West Indies v India again, Bombay, 1983-84), the other batsman were variously dismissed in five other ways. Jeremy Gilling, Sydney, Australia Sadly, the symmetry is not as perfect as the question implies. There may be 11 batsmen, but no more than 10 are ever out.

Quentin Langley, Woking, UK In reference to Jeremy Gilling's answer, I have heard that 'timed-out' is also a method of dismissal (ie. if batsman takes more than 2 minutes to take his place at the crease). Has anyone in Test or first class cricket ever been dismissed this way? Paul Martin, Sydney, Australia Mr Gillings has got it slightly wrong on one of his instances. The batsman he says was "retired - not hurt" (Gordon Greenidge) was actually recorded as "retired - not out". Even if it was otherwise, no would count retired among the various forms of dismissal. Graham Bright, London Hemulal Yadav is the only batsman in first class cricket ever to have been timed out under Law 31. In 1997 in the match between Orissa and Tripura at Cuttack, India a drinks interval was called at the fall of the ninth wicket in Tripura''s first innings, during which the incoming batsman, Yadav, sat on the boundary. The umpires said that he made no attempt to come to the wicket after the break and he was given out following an appeal by Orissa.

Under the new 2000 version of the laws the incoming batsman now has to be ready to take strike (or his partner does) three minutes after the fall of the last wicket as opposed to entering the field of play after two. I once read of a batsman who expired over night and was recorded as having "retired - dead", although I am unsure whether this was in a first class match. As he clearly could not resume his innings at the fall of the next wicket, is this the twelth way of being out? Could the bowler get the credit? Graham Ralph, Gravesend, England In reference to Graham Ralph's answer: one batsman has been recorded as 'Absent Dead'. I can't recall his name, but he was also the non-striking batsman when Hanif Mohammed was run out for 499 on the last ball of the match. In his final (as it turned out) game, the player was hit in the stomach by a delivery from a spin bowler that reared up unexpectedly. He was rushed to hospital but died a few hours later, leading to his unique scorebook entry in the second innings.

Andrew Losowsky, London Further to the previous answer the chap at the other end from Hanif was Abdul Aziz ? sounds like a hell of a ball though. The incident to which I referred in an earlier answer occurred when the batsman top edged a fast ball into his temple killing him instantly. The ball looped into a fielder?s hand and the batsman was given out as he fell. Later in the clubhouse someone mentioned that the doctor had recorded that death had been instantaneous, so the batsman was clearly dead before the catch was taken. Therefore how could he have been caught? After some debate the score-book recorded ?Retired Dead?. There have been two instances in Test cricket where the batsman was out twice to the same ball. In 1950 for England against New Zealand Gilbert Parkhouse was given out leg before only to see the ball trickle onto the stumps. The official verdict was bowled. In 1921 for England against Australia Andy Ducat had his bat broken by a fast ball and a splinter fell onto the wicket. At the same time he was caught in the slips. He was given out caught.

Graham Ralph, Gravesend, Kent This question reminds of a favourite quiz question of mine, viz. What is the minimum number of balls that needs to be bowled to get an entire side out? The answer is of course zero. There are a number of ways this can be achieved, including absences, but my favourite involves a combination of running out the non-strikers and incoming batsmen being timed out. The nice thing (for the purposes of this silly quiz anyway) about timing out is the likely domino effect of one batsman being timed out, and then next one not being ready to come to the crease, and so on. Harold Somers, Manchester The Ten Ways of Getting Out in Cricket The Ten Ways of Getting Out in Cricket By Barnaby Haszard Morris Updated March 31, 2016. In cricket, there are ten different ways a batsmen can be out. They are also known as methods of dismissal as in many cases, the bowling team have to appeal to the umpire to 'dismiss' the batsman by adjudging him out. I've listed the ways of getting out in order of prevalence, with the most common first and the least common last.

You'll rarely see the last five in a cricket match, but they're still worth knowing - just ask the Australian national cricket team! Visage/Stockbyte/Getty Images 1. Caught A batsman is out caught if he hits the ball in the air and a member of the fielding team catches it before it touches the ground. This is the most common way of getting out in cricket. Most catches are taken using the orthodox cup and reverse cup methods. Catches range in difficulty from the simplest pouch behind the wicket to stunning, one-handed, leaping efforts. See a video of some classic catches here . continue reading below our video The Fastest Miles Ever Run 2. Bowled If the bowler's delivery of the ball sends it travelling into the batsman's stumps AND at least one bail is dislodged, the batsman is out. Basically, a batsman is out bowled if he fails to protect his stumps from the bowler. It's important to note that one or both of the bails have to come off the stumps for a batsman to be dismissed bowled. There have been occasions when the ball has either hit the stumps or passed between them without the bails being dislodged.

At other times, the bails have fallen at the slightest touch . 3. Leg before wicket (LBW) If the ball strikes the batsman and would have gone on to hit the stumps had its path not been interrupted by their body, the umpire can give the batsman out leg before wicket (LBW) if the fielding team appeals. It's a little more complicated than that, though. Here are the conditions that need to be upheld if the batsman is playing a shot: The ball must pitch (bounce) outside off stump or in line with the stumps The ball must strike the batsman in line with the stumps The ball must not pitch outside leg stump And if the batsman offers no shot: The ball must not pitch outside leg stump In any case, the ball must have hit the batsman's body before touching either his bat or glove. With so many factors to consider, it's understandable that umpires will sometimes get it wrong . 4. Run out If a batsman attempts a run, but fails to make his ground before the bails are dislodged by the fielding team, he is run out.

Usually, run outs involve the wicketkeeper or bowler receiving the ball from a fielding teammate and whipping the bails off with the ball in their hands. Sometimes, though, the fielder manages a direct hit on the stumps - which is often spectacular . 5. Stumped When the batsman attempts a shot, he may step outside of his batting crease. If he misses the ball, and the wicketkeeper removes the bails before the batsman returns to his ground, the batsman is out stumped. Stumpings usually occur off spin bowling, as the wicketkeeper needs to be standing up to the stumps in order to affect a stumping. On rare occasions, however, the 'keeper manages to stump a batsman out off a fast bowler . 6. Hit wicket We're into the rare stuff now. A batsman is out hit wicket when he dislodges the bails with his bat or body when taking a shot or beginning his first run. This can happen when the batsman accidentally steps back onto his stumps or strikes them with a wide swing of his bat. How many ways can a batsman be out in cricket? Cricket How many ways can a batsman be out in cricket?

Apart from five basic tricks to get a wicket, a batsman can also be dismissed in quite rare and almost unseen styles. by Renaissa Analysis 29 May 2016, 15:10 IST There is no denying that cricket is a batsman’s game. A majority of the time, bowlers are at the receiving end, playing second fiddle to the willow-wielders. With bats getting thicker and lighter, and the ever-increasing popularity of the shortest format, the role of bowlers in containing batsmen is becoming ever more difficult. The only option left for a bowler is to show the pavilion’s way to the batsman by taking his wicket. Even for that though, most of the times, a bowling side has to be dependent heavily on the decision of the umpire. Still, a bowler can take heart from the fact that he has several options to get the better of a batsman. Technically, there are 10 legal ways to dismiss a batsman. Five of these are very common in the gentleman’s game, but the remaining ones are quite rare. Let’s start with the most familiar ways – and bowlers, take note!

Caught: This is the most basic style of getting a wicket – when a batsman hits a legal delivery and it is caught by a fielder inside the rope. Bowled: This happens if a bowler's delivery hits the stumps and a bail is completely dislodged. It doesn’t really matter if the ball has hit the stumps directly or it’s been deflected off the bat or body of the batsman. LBW: While facing a delivery, if the ball hits any part of a batsman’s body and the umpire feels it would have hit the stumps, he will raise his finger to give him out. Run out: This is when a fielder removes a bail before the batsman makes it to the marked crease, while taking a run. Stumped: It's a wicket if a batsman steps out of the crease to play a ball and in the meantime the wicket-keeper gathers the ball and is able to remove the bails, with no part of the batsman behind the crease. Aside from these five basic tricks to get a wicket, a batsman can also be dismissed in quite rare and almost unseen styles.

Hit wicket: This is when a batsman disturbs his own stumps either with his bat or body, while facing a delivery. One of the most comical hit wickets in the history of the sport was when the then Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq lost his balance while playing a sweep shot off England’s Monty Panesar and fell on to his stumps during a Test in 2006. A batsman can also be given out if any part of his batting gear hits the stumps. One such incident took place when West Indian bowler Dwayne Bravo’s bouncer hit Kevin Pietersen's helmet, which flew off and hit the stumps in 2007 during a Test match at Old Trafford. Handled the ball: If a batsman touches a ball with his hand while it's in play, without the approval of the fielder, it's out. This is a very unusual way of getting a wicket. As per the records, seven Test batsmen have been given out in such a unique way. Former players like Steve Waugh and Michael Vaughan are also included in that list.

Hit the ball twice or double hit: Once a batsman has hit his shot or has made some kind of contact with the ball, he can't hit it again, otherwise he could be given out! Having said that, a batsman can still touch the ball a second time, if his intention is just to stop the ball from hitting the stumps. As far as Test cricket is concerned, no batsman has been given out in such fashion. Obstructing the field: A batsmen can be given out if he deliberately comes in the fielder’s way or hits a ball which is being thrown back towards any side of the stumps, when he is out of the crease. The latest example of such a dismissal is of England’s Ben Stokes, who was given out at Lord's in 2015 when he was out of his crease after playing the ball back down the pitch, and used his hand to block bowler Mitchell Starc's return throw at the stumps. Timed out: Once a wicket falls, the next batsman has to take the strike within three minutes, otherwise he would become a victim of a ‘timed out’ dismissal.

For the record, not a single Test batsman has ever been given out in such a way. However, if we talk about first-class cricket, Andrew Jordaan, Hemulal Yadav, V.C. Drakes and A.J. Harris are a few names who have been given out for such an offence. Though a few might disregard this, even retired hurt should technically be included in the list. For the purposes of calculating a batting average, retired hurt is considered as a dismissal. 11 ways of Dismissal - Getting out in Cricket 11 ways of Dismissal – Getting out in Cricket Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world. Cricket has been in existence since the 16th Century and according to some reports cricket got its start in Surrey, England in 1550. First Official International Test Match was played on 15th March 1877 between England and Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia, where Australia beat England by 45 runs. Cricket matches are played between two teams having 11 players each. There are several modes of cricket matches but Tests, One Days and Twenty-Twenty are played officially.

Several mega events like World Cup and Champions Trophy occurs after a specific time period. In cricket, dismissal is a term used for the batsman getting out. Normally there are 3 or 4 ways of getting dismissed which are most popular but in fact there are 11 methods of getting dismissed. Yes….there are 11 ways in which the batsman can get dismissed! Let us have a look at all 11 ways of getting out in Cricket. 1: Bowled: When a bowler’s delivery hits the stumps directly or indirectly ( first touched bat or body of the batsman) and one or both bails removes completely from the stumps, the batsman is called Bowled here. It is one of the most common ways of being dismissed. 2: Stumped: A batsman is stumped out when he tries to play the ball while he or his bat is not in crease and the wicket-keeper removes the bails from the stumps with the ball. 3: Run Out: If any one of the batsmen on the pitch are away from the crease while taking a run and the fielder remove the bails with the help of ball, the batsman will be Run out.

4: LBW: One of the interesting ways of getting out where some rules are also in favor of batsman. LBW stands for Leg Before Wicket. As the name indicates, if the ball strike any port of the batsman’s body, other than hand and arm, and in umpire’s judgment the ball would have struck the stumps, in this case, the Umpire can declare batsman as out. 5: Hit Wicket: If the batsman knocks the stumps either with the bat or his body accidentally while trying to drive the ball or a very beginning of his first run, then he is declared out and the wickets awarded to the bowler. 6: Timed Out: A very interesting way of a dismissal. If a new batsman fails to take his position in the field to replace a dismissed batsman within three minutes then he is out. This happens several times in county and first class cricket matches. In 1997-98, in a cricket match between Tripura and Orissa in India, H. Yadav was given timed out because he was in conversation with his team manager and did not reach the crease on time.

7: Retired: If the batsman leaves the ground without informing umpire while he is not injured. The batsman may continue his innings after the permission of opposing captain. Only two batsman have been given out in this way in the history of cricket. Mahela Jayawardene and Marvan Atapattu of Srilanka against Bangladesh in September 2001. 8: Caught: It is the second most common way of getting dismissed. When the batsman hits the ball with the bat or with glove and the ball is caught by the fielder, wicket keeper or the bowler, the batsman is out. 9: Handled the Ball: When the batsman touches the ball without the permission of fielders, he is given an out. No player of the fielding side is awarded with his wicket. Seven batsmen in Tests and two batsmen in one-day cricket have been given out in this manner up till now. No one of the fielding side is awarded with his wicket. 10: Obstructing the field: When a batsman deliberately obstruct a fielder physically or verbally then he is out. This rule is to make sure that the batsman must not interfere in the fielding.

Once Inzamam-ul-Haq blocked a fielder’s throw with his bat against a match with India in 2006 and was given an out by umpire. 11: Hit the Ball Twice: The batsman is given out when he hits the ball a second time after playing a shot either with his bat or body. No player is awarded with his wicket. A video showing Steve Waugh of Australia given out as “Handled the Ball” Was this information interesting for you? Now power on your social and share it with your friends and you can give us your feedback in comments. BBC Sport - Cricket - Ten ways of getting out Ten ways of getting out The fielding side must appeal for the batsman to be given out There are ten ways a batsman can be out - five are very common and five very rare. More often than not a batsman will be caught, bowled, given leg before wicket (lbw), run out or stumped. The five other ways to lose your wicket range from the uncommon to the almost unseen.

The uncommon methods, but not unheard of, are hit wicket - when a batsman removes his or her own bails, usually accidentally - and handled the ball - when he handles the ball without permission from the fielding side. The almost unseen are hit the ball twice (also known as 'double hit') - as it suggests, deliberately hitting the ball twice; obstructing the field - when the batsman prevents fielders from executing a run out or a catch; and timed out, which is when a new batsman takes too long to appear on the field. It's worth knowing however that for the batsman to be given out, the fielding team have to appeal to the umpire by asking "how's that?" Bookmark with: WAYS OF BATSMAN CAN GET OUT( DISMISSAL) IN CRICKET Cricket Word Fixtures, Schedule And Top Ten WAYS OF BATSMAN CAN GET OUT( DISMISSAL) IN CRICKET There are 10 ways of batsman dismissal according to law in cricket. But, there is one more way a batsman can get out, many cricket viewer have seen but, only few have noticed.

The most common way of batsman dismissal in cricket is caught out followed by l.b.w out, bowled out etc. I will reveal the 11th way a batsman can dismissed in this post along with 10 ways a batsman can get out in cricket. Caught out: Caught out is the most common way of batsman dismissal. While a batsman is batting when ball is in contact with bat ( or glove ) and is caught by fielder or wicket keeper before it touches the ground, then batsman is out in cricket and such type of batsman dismissal is caught out. Caught Out Bowled out: If the balls hits the stump while batsman is batting, then the batsman is said to be out by bowled out. But, if the ball be in the contact of wicket and the bail is not completely removed from the stump, then the batsman is not considered out. Bowled out is considered as the impressive way to get a wicket of batsman. So, no batsman wants getting out by bowled out. Bowled Out L.B.W out: L.B.W refers to the leg before wicket.

If the ball hits batsman body (especially leg) without touching bat or glove, then the batsman is said to be out by l.b.w out if and only if ball is going to hit wicket after hitting batman body. The law of Leg before wicket (LBW ) is very complicated. There are many controversial cases of batsman dismissal by lbw out. LBW Out Run out : Run out is another common way of getting out of cricket. If ball hits stump while batsman is taking run before batsman reaches crease , then the batsman is considered out. And such type of dismissal in cricket is called run out. Run Out Stumped out: If the batsman steps out side the crease to play the ball, leaving no part of bat or leg inside the crease, and wicket keeper is able to remove bail with a ball in his glove, then the batsman is out. And such type of batsman dismissal in cricket is known as stumped out. Generally, batsman are stumped out in spin ball and some time in the medium-pace ball .

Stumped Out Hit wicket out: The batsman is out Hit wicket out if, while the ball is in play, his wicket is put down either by the striker's bat or cricketer himself. This law is not applied if batsman hits wicket while trying to take run. Kevin Pietersen hit wicket dismissal against West Indies in the very uncommon and interesting way of getting out(batsman dismissal) by hit wicket. Hit Wicket Out Time out : The incoming batsman must be in position to take guard for his partner to be ready to receive the next ball within 3 minutes (1 minute in T20 game). If batsman fails to reach crease in 3 minute and the opposing team appeal for the out, then the batsman is given out and such type of dismissal in cricket is called time out. No one has been out by time out in international cricket as marked by ICC( International Cricket Council) but, in first class cricket 4 batsmen : A. Jordan, H. Yadhav, V.C Drakes and A.J. Harris has been out by time out.

Handed the ball out : If the batsman touches the ball with his hand for any purpose other than, with the approval of the fielders, to return the ball to the bowler , batsman is out on appeal. It is considered etiquette for the fielding team not to appeal if the handling of the ball does not affect the play of the game, although there are occasions when this etiquette has been ignored. Only seven batsman ( Russell Endean, Andrew Hilditch, Moshin Khan, Desmond Haynes, Graham Gooch, Steve Waugh & Micheal Vaughan)has been out handed the ball out . Hit the ball twice out: The batsman is out hit the ball twice if, while the ball is in play, it strikes any part of batsman or is struck by his bat and before the ball has been touched by a fielder, he willfully strikes it again with his bat or batsman himself, other than a hand not holding the bat, except for the sole purpose of guarding his wicket. Getting out by hit the ball twice is very unusual.

Among 10 ways of getting out(batsman dismissal) in cricket, it is most rare.And, no batsman has been out in test cricket hitting the ball twice. Obstructing the field out: If a batsman by action or by words obstructs fielder, then he is given out obstructing the field. However, batsman is allowed to obstruct fielder by standing in front of him. There are only four occasion batsman getting out by obstructing the filed, 1 time in test match cricket and three time in ODI cricket. Ramiz Raja - for Pakisthan Vs Australia in 1987 ( In ODI ) Mohinder Amarnath - for India Vs Srilanka in 1989 ( In ODI ) Inzaman ul Haq - for Pakisthan Vs India in February 2006 ( In ODI ) Len Hettun - for England Vs South Africa in 1951 ( In Test) "How many ways batsman can get out?" Many would answer 10 to this question but, how about 11th way a batsman can get out in cricket.

Yes, though 11th way of getting out is not explained by cricket law but, it is considered to be one of the way to get out in cricket. 11th way of getting out ( Retired hurt out) : Though it have been said that, there are 10 ways of batsman dismissal in cricket but, a batsman can get out by retired hurt out aswell. Retired hurt out is not kept in the cricket law of getting out in cricket but, it is considered as 11th way of batsman dismissal.If the batsman is retired hurt and cannot continue his batting, then he is considered out and such type of dismissal is called retired hurt out.

Reactions: Blogs: The vexed question of 'not outs' in Test cricket | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo The vexed question of 'not outs' in Test cricket The statistical measurement of a player's batting average is one that has survived unaltered for 130 years of Test cricket - but it suffers from a fundamental flaw in the way 'not outs' are handled 99 Among batsmen with 4000-plus runs, Saeed Anwar is the only one to have an Extended Batting average greater than his Test average Paul McGregor / © ESPNcricinfo Ltd Due to technical issues, Ananth has not been able to view and respond to the comments. We are working on the issue and hope to have it resolved as soon as possible. This article addresses the often-debated question of 'not outs' in Test cricket. 'Batting average' is an archaic statistical measure with a glaring weakness. While other statistical measures have seen many changes over 130 years of Test cricket, this measure with a fundamental flaw has survived unaltered. Let's begin by understanding the flaw and then look at the methods to address it. So what exactly is the problem?

Well, it lies in the manner of handling not outs. Lara played an epic, scoring 400 runs over 13 hours but this innings, as far as determining the batting average is concerned, does not exist. On the other hand, his three first-ball ducks against Australia, England and New Zealand are considered as three innings. While it is true that he was dismissed in the later three innings, it is also a fact that he played long enough to have played four complete innings. Basically 'batting average' should not exclude such innings. As Milind puts it quite effectively, the batting average computation violates a basic mathematical dictum. Runs are added to the numerator and nothing to the denominator. Absolutely perfect description of the anomaly that exists. Let us compare the figures of two modern great batsmen.

Batsman Team T I No SNo No % Runs Avge RpI Kallis J.H Saf 162 274 40 5 14.6 13128 56.10 47.91 Lara B.C Win 131 232 6 2 2.6 11953 52.89 51.52 Kallis has played 31 more Tests to score additional 1150 runs but averages just over three runs more. That is because Kallis has 40 not outs compared with Lara's four. It might be due to the way Lara played, his batting positions or more declarations for Kallis who is a part of a stronger team and so on. Let us see how we can address the anomaly which is somewhat unfair to the top-order batsmen. It should be noted that this problem is more pronounced in ODI matches because of the limited number of overs available and absence of declarations. It is also a fact that two batsmen remain not out in most ODI innings.

However ODI batting is measured by the batting average and strike-rate, thus lowering the singular importance of batting averages. I have selected 34 batsmen, who have scored over 2000 Test runs and averaged over 50, for this analysis. Virender Sehwag is just hanging on by the skin of his teeth and a failure in Chennai may very well plunge him below 50. And a reasonable Test at Centurion would push de Villiers past the 50 mark. However the data for all batsmen who have crossed 2000 runs is available for downloading and the link is provided later. The data is current up to match 2073, the Cape Town Test which finished just now. Batsman 8559 50.05 Most cricket followers are au fait with the above table. The one data element not shown normally is the "Not out %". This shows the % of not outs out of the total innings played. Among this elite collection of 34 batsmen, who account for 13% of runs scored in Test cricket, the highest % of not outs has been achieved by Steve Waugh, the middle-order giant from Australia.

He has been unbeaten one in six innings. Andy Flower, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Allan Border have similar numbers. In Flower's case, it has been more a question of a top drawer batsman in a weak team remaining unbeaten as his compatriots were dismissed. The lowest figure has been achieved by Lara with 2.6%: that means once in 40 innings. Sehwag, with his attacking instincts is the only other batsman who clocks in fewer than 5%. Out of interest, let me share with the readers some facts related to not outs across the 135 years of Test cricket. Of the 72865 innings played, there have been 9502 not outs, accounting for about 13%. Out of these 9502, 4253 not outs - nearly half - have been at scores below 10 runs. A simple alternative is to use the Runs per Innings (RpI) instead of the batting average. Unfortunately it is a drastic step taking the other extreme. It affects the middle-order batsmen considerably. Many of their low-score not outs would be considered as completed innings and players like Kallis would be penalised.

The graph below illustrates the two extreme situations - batting averages and RpI. © Anantha Narayanan We need something between Batting average and RpI. I am proposing two alternatives to fill this space. The first method seeks to redefine the not out innings. A dismissal is a dismissal and nothing needs to be done about those. But let us accept that even an Icelander with scant knowledge of cricket would accept that a 13-hour innings should not suddenly cease to exist just because of a declaration. Let us classify not out innings as "real not out" innings and the "Completed (or fulfilled) not out" innings. The key is to determine a cut-off point beyond which the innings is considered as completed or fulfilled. I considered various values. A fixed figure, say, 25 or 50, would be unfair to weaker batsmen with low averages which means the figure has to be dynamically determined. The batting average itself is a good cut-off but a little stiff. Also we are questioning the very methodology of batting average. So I have zeroed in on a sensible dynamic value - a cut-off point at 50% of the "Average for dismissed innings". Here are couple of examples.

Don Bradman's average for dismissed innings is 83.83 and any not out innings below 42 will be considered as a "real not out". Ken Barrington's average for dismissed innings is 50.37 and any not out innings below 25 will be considered as a "real not out". Any other not out innings would be considered as a fulfilled innings. Let us examine the impact of this method. The table below lists the same 34 batsmen with their RpI and RpFI values, ordered by RpFI. Batsman 42.98 15.0% It is obvious that the RpFI figures for batsmen with a high % of not outs would be much below the Batting average than those with low % of not outs. Bradman drops 10.3% & Kallis drops by 13.1%. Readers can note that the four middle-order batsmen who have already been discussed earlier possessing high % of not outs, viz., Andy Flower, Chanderpaul, Steve Waugh and Border have had the highest drops and occupy the bottom four positions in this table.

The lowest drop has been for Lara and Sehwag, with 1.7%. In fact Sehwag, who was 34th in the batting average table moves up to 18th here. Even the high batting average of Kallis drops to below 50. This is a simple and easy-to-understand method. Anyone can incorporate these figures by inspecting the not out innings of a batsman. I also have to accept that while this addresses the "not out" problem somewhat, the fundamental weakness of having an innings represented in the numerator in the form of runs and being ignored in the denominator exists. Albeit small innings only. At least the 400s and 365s have been taken care of. However a more intuitive and stronger method is the one that tackles the "Runs" side of the formula to equate every batsman on a fair basis. In this method I will "extend" the not out innings to its natural conclusion or in other words - get the batsmen "out". Clearly this is a case of an extrapolation combining actual runs scored with virtual ones. Does it matter? Let us venture outside the normal realm of things and scrutinise what is in store.

The key question is "by how many runs" to extend these not out innings. When I started working on this idea a few years back, along with Dr.Ashwin Mahesh, we picked out the Batting average. In view of our own fundamental objection to this value we moved on to the RpI and subsequently to the "Average for dismissed innings". This is relatively easy to handle. Just multiply the number of not out innings by the "Average for dismissed innings", get the new total runs and divide by the total innings to derive the Extended Batting average (EBA). This can be added on to any existing table in a jiffy. A few years back I noticed a flaw in this approach. Sehwag is batting these days like a village team slogger who has forgotten the basics. If, by any chance, he remains not out, however much it is unlikely, should we add nearly 50 runs to his innings? With all due respects to the great Tendulkar, a similar situation exists in his case too. That brings us to Michael Clarke and his purple patch. In the last 10 innings he has averaged over 80. It would be unfair to add only 45 runs or thereabouts.

Hence I decided that, despite the risk of adding complexity, I would add the Runs per innings for the last 10 innings played by the batsman. This is complex since this value has to be determined dynamically for each and every not out innings played by the batsman during his career. It requires tricky computer algorithms. Also note that I have used Runs per innings because we are considering only 10 innings and a couple of not out innings would distort the entire process. Why 10 innings instead of 10 Test matches? Well there have been times when a player played 3-5 Tests a year and it would have taken a few years to play 10 Tests. That is too long a period for a recent form connotation. In general, 10 innings is one long or two short series and would reflect the recent form quite accurately. Let us peruse the revised figures. The table below lists the same 34 batsmen ordered by EBAvge. Batsman 46.78 7.5% Bradman's EBA is 97% of his Batting average, a drop of 3%. Headley drops 6.5%. Sobers drops by 5%.

All the middle order stalwarts have drops exceeding 6%. Sehwag has the lowest drop: only 0.1%, virtually no change. Similarly Lara drops by only 0.4%. Amongst these top batsmen not even a single batsman has his EBA higher than his Batting average. This happens lower down the table. Mohsin Khan has the highest increase: 1.4%. The much-maligned Graeme Hick's EBA is 1.3% higher than his Batting average. Darren Ganga follows next with a 0.9% increase. A total of 11 batsmen have higher EBA values. Interested readers can study the Excel sheet for details. Saeed Anwar is the only batsman with more than 4000 runs under his belt and an EBA higher than Batting average. This method is more elegant and intuitive with complexity of calculations being the sole deterrent. However the concept is very good and any cricket follower can implement the fixed value concept easily. The fixed value can be anything from a slew of values. And we can say with certainty that every innings is represented in the numerator and denominator. We have addressed that problem effectively.

Let us revisit the figures of Kallis and Lara. Batsman Team T I No SNo No % Runs Avge RpI RpAI ExtRuns EBA %Avge Kallis J.H Saf 162 274 40 5 14.6 13128 56.10 47.91 48.80 14905 54.40 97.0% Lara B.C Win 131 232 6 2 2.6 11953 52.89 51.52 51.97 12220 52.67 99.6% Readers can see that Lara's average was nearly 4 fewer than Kallis. However his RpI and RpAI are nearly 3 runs higher. Significantly, the EBA, which is more accurate and a valid measure, is only less than 2 runs below Kallis. EBA probably reflects the central tendency most accurately. Now for a revised graph. The two alternatives are pictorially represented occupying the space in the middle.

© Anantha Narayanan This is not a theoretical exercise - Two alternatives are presented to address a genuine problem. The Spl Not outs method is simple and easy to implement. The Extended Batting average method is more complex and would require a computer to incorporate recent form. However using the Out Bat average or Batting average or RpI or RpFI as the extension basis would be easier to implement. What is needed? Well, an influential organization such as ESPNcricinfo should study the suggestions and start implementing the revised averages: Of course along with the current measures. To download/view the comprehensive Excel sheet containing the values for all the 264 batsmen who have crossed 2000 Test runs, please CLICK HERE . Anantha Narayanan has written for ESPNcricinfo and CastrolCricket and worked with a number of companies on their cricket performance ratings-related systems © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Question: How many ways can a batsman be dismissed in cricket?
Answer: 10