Hit Wicket
Also known as: hit wicket, out hit wicket, hitting your own stumps, treading on the stumps, knocking your own bails off
A batter is out hit wicket if they break their own stumps with their bat or body while preparing to play, or playing, the ball. It also applies when they knock the stumps while regaining balance after the shot, or while setting off for their first run. You cannot be out hit wicket off a no ball, but you can be off a wide.
Law 35 covers hit wicket, and it applies only to the striker. It counts once the bowler has entered the delivery stride and the ball is in play. If the striker breaks the wicket before that, the umpire calls dead ball. The wicket must be broken by the bat or the striker's body while preparing to receive the ball or receiving it. It also counts while recovering balance afterwards, or when setting off for the first run straight after playing at or leaving the ball. Hitting the ball a second time to protect the stumps is covered too.
The striker is not out if it happens later than that, while running, or while avoiding a run out, a stumping or a throw. Also not out: equipment touches another person before hitting the stumps, or contact with a fielder knocks the striker into them. It does not apply if the delivery is a no ball, or if the bowler does not let go of the ball.
A dropped bat or a piece of the bat that breaks off counts, as does clothing or equipment that comes off the body. A helmet is treated differently. Under the 2026 Laws a falling helmet does not break the wicket for this purpose. ICC men's international playing conditions still count a falling helmet, grille or neck guard. No runs are scored from the delivery, apart from a wide penalty and any penalty runs.
A common way to be out hit wicket is going deep in the crease to pull or defend against pace. Know where your stumps are, and give your back foot room to move without touching them.
Tips by skill level
In practice, mark where your stumps are behind you and rehearse back-foot shots without letting your back foot cross that line.
When you go back to pull or defend, use the depth of the crease but keep a small gap between your back heel and the stumps. Rehearse it in the nets until you know where that limit is.
Example
The batter steps right back to pull a short ball and his back heel clips the off stump, dislodging a bail. He is out hit wicket.
Why it matters
Hit wicket is an avoidable way to get out. Understanding when it applies helps you move back in your crease with confidence.
Common mistakes
- Stepping so far back against pace that the back foot lands on the stumps
- Swinging round in a full circle after a pull or hook and catching the stumps with the bat
- Assuming you are safe because the ball was called wide
- Losing balance after a big shot and stumbling back into the wicket
Frequently asked questions
What is hit wicket in cricket?
It is when the striker breaks their own stumps with their bat or body while playing, or preparing to play, the ball, or while setting off for the first run. It needs the bowler to have entered the delivery stride.
Can you be out hit wicket off a wide?
Yes. Hit wicket is one of the dismissals that can happen off a wide. It cannot happen off a no ball.
Is it hit wicket if your helmet falls on the stumps?
Under the 2026 Laws of Cricket, no: a falling helmet does not count. ICC men's international playing conditions still count a falling helmet, grille or neck guard, so it depends on the competition.
Is it out if you hit the stumps while running?
Only when setting off for the first run straight after playing or leaving the ball. Breaking the stumps later in the run, or while avoiding a run out, is not hit wicket.
Sources
- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026), Law 35 (Hit wicket: 35.1-35.3), pp. 107-109
- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026), Law 29.2.1.2-29.2.1.4 (Breaking the wicket fairly; helmet excluded from detached equipment), pp. 97-98
- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026), Law 22.9 (Out from a Wide), p. 77
- ICC Men's Test Match Playing Conditions (effective Oct 2026), clause 29.2.1.4 (detached equipment includes the helmet, grille and/or neck guard), p. 51
- ICC Men's ODI Playing Conditions (effective Oct 2026), clause 29.2.1.4 (same helmet wording)
- ICC Men's T20I Playing Conditions (effective Oct 2026), clause 29.2.1.4 (same helmet wording)
Related terms
- Ways to Be Out in CricketThe Laws of Cricket list nine ways to be out. They are bowled, caught, hit the ball twice, hit wicket, LBW, obstructing the field, run out, stumped and timed out. A batter can also be recorded as 'retired out'. Off a no ball, only hit the ball twice, obstructing the field and run out apply.
- WicketIn cricket, a wicket refers both to the set of three stumps and two bails at each end of the pitch, and to the act of dismissing a batter — "taking a wicket" means getting a batter out.
- Back-Foot PlayBack-foot play is batting in which the batter moves the weight back and onto the rear foot to play short-pitched or rising deliveries. This creates time by moving away from the pitch of the ball.
- Pull ShotThe pull shot is a back-foot, cross-bat stroke played to a short-pitched ball. It swings the ball around to the leg side, usually between mid-wicket and square leg.
- WideA wide is a delivery the umpire judges too wide, or too high, for the striker to hit with a normal cricket stroke from where they stand (Law 22.1). It adds one run and must be bowled again. Many competitions paint wide guide lines and set stricter limits in their playing conditions.
- Cricket Helmet and Neck GuardA cricket helmet with a faceguard or grille protects the head and face from the ball. A neck guard, or stem guard, attaches to the back of the helmet to protect the upper neck. Rules vary by country and level. In England and Wales, under-18s must wear a helmet with a faceguard or grille when batting against a hard ball.
Cricket analysis is in development
Motion Lab does not analyze this sport yet. Keep exploring the terms in this section.