Leg before wicket explained
MCC · 2017 Code · 4th edition · 2026The pitching, impact and projected-path conditions that must all be met for an LBW dismissal.
Law 36 — All conditions must be met
LBW is possible only from a delivery that is not a no ball. If the ball pitches, it must pitch between the wickets or on the striker’s off side; pitching outside leg stump rules out LBW. The ball must then first hit the striker’s person rather than the bat, and would have hit the wicket without that interception.
Impact must be in line between the wickets. The exception is when the striker makes no genuine attempt to play with the bat: impact outside off stump may then qualify. Impact outside leg stump does not qualify. Impact above bail height can qualify if the projected path would hit the wicket.
Law 36 — How the umpire assesses contact
Only the first interception matters. Simultaneous bat-and-body contact is treated as bat first, so it is not LBW. The projected path before impact is assumed to continue afterwards, whether or not the ball would subsequently bounce. The striker’s batting position when the ball comes into play determines their off side for that delivery.
These are the MCC dismissal conditions. This PDF does not establish a tournament’s video-review allocation or technology-specific review thresholds.
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