LBW Smith

In cricket, LBW Smith is a colloquial term and a simplified explanation, often misunderstood, of the application of the Leg Before Wicket (LBW) rule when a batter obstructs a delivery that would otherwise have gone on to hit the wickets. It refers to a specific scenario that arises when a batter plays a shot and misses the ball, and the ball then strikes a part of their body (usually the leg) that is not in line with the wickets, but the umpire believes the ball would have subsequently gone on to hit the wickets.

The core LBW law dictates the circumstances under which a batter can be dismissed LBW. These generally include:

• The ball must pitch in line with the wickets or on the off side.
• The ball must strike the batter's person without first touching the bat.
• The point of impact between the ball and the batter's person must be in line with the wickets.
• The ball would have gone on to hit the wickets.

"LBW Smith" addresses a scenario where the impact is outside the line of the wickets. Historically, batters could exploit this by padding up deliveries pitching outside leg stump, knowing they couldn't be out LBW if the impact was outside the line. The law was subsequently changed to address this tactic.

The "LBW Smith" scenario is most often associated with an amendment to the LBW law introduced to prevent batters from deliberately using their legs to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket when the ball has pitched outside the leg stump and they are not genuinely attempting to play a shot. The umpire must judge whether the batter was genuinely attempting to play a stroke. If the umpire believes the batter was not attempting to play a shot, then the batter can be given out LBW, even if the impact was outside the line of the stumps, provided the ball would have gone on to hit the wickets.

The term is a simplified explanation, and the actual application of the law is far more complex, involving considerations of the point of impact, whether a shot was attempted, and the umpire's judgement about the trajectory of the ball. The umpire's decision is final, subject to review by the third umpire using technology such as ball-tracking systems in applicable professional matches.