Which dismissal occurs when a bowler's delivery hits the stumps?

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A dismissal in which the bowler's delivery hits the stumps is called bowled.

Under cricket's Law 32, the batter is out Bowled when a ball delivered by the bowler puts down the wicket. In practical terms, the ball must dislodge at least one bail or break the wicket in the legally defined way. The ball may hit the batter's bat, glove or body first and still result in a bowled dismissal if it then breaks the stumps.

“Clean bowled” usually describes the most spectacular version, when the ball reaches the stumps without touching the batter. Commentators also use phrases such as “played on” when a batter's shot deflects the ball back onto the wicket. The bowler receives credit for the wicket, and the dismissal normally requires no formal appeal because the event is obvious.

There are important exceptions. A batter cannot be out bowled from a no-ball, wide or dead ball. Bowled is also different from stumped: stumping involves the wicketkeeper breaking the wicket while the batter is out of their ground and not attempting a run. Run out and caught are separate methods of dismissal, even though the same delivery may create several possibilities.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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