Leg-Side Takes and Stumping

In this lesson you will learn why leg-side takes are so difficult when standing up. On the off side, you have a clear view of the ball. On the leg side, the batter's legs, pads and body often hide the ball until the very last moment, and the ball may brush the pad and change direction. You also have to move across behind the stumps without knocking them or getting in front of the wicket. Even the best keepers in the world miss some leg-side balls. The keys are a good set-up that lets you see past the batter, staying low, patient footwork and soft hands. With practice, you can turn a weakness into one of your best skills.

• The batter often hides the ball
• Balls may brush the pad and change direction
• Move across without hitting the stumps
• Set-up, patience and soft hands are key

In this lesson you will learn the footwork for leg-side takes. As soon as you see the ball heading down the leg side, step across with your leg-side foot, keeping your body low and your head level. Follow with your other foot so that your body arrives behind the line of the ball. Avoid standing up as you move, as this lifts your head and costs you sight of the ball. Your gloves should travel with your body, not reach ahead of it. Keep your movement smooth and controlled so that you finish balanced and close to the stumps. Practise slowly at first, with a partner feeding balls down the leg side while a teammate stands in as a batter.

• Step across with the leg-side foot
• Stay low and keep the head level
• Body arrives behind the line of the ball
• Practise slowly with a stand-in batter

In this lesson you will learn to cope with losing sight of the ball. When standing up to a leg-side delivery, you may see the ball leave the bowler's hand, then lose it behind the batter's legs, then pick it up again only a metre or so from your gloves. Trust your footwork and the line you read from the bowler's hand. Keep your gloves ready and soft so that you can react to the ball when it reappears. Drills that use a stand-in batter, a bat held in the way, or a sheet or cones to block your view are excellent for this. The more you practise picking up the ball late, the calmer you will be in a match.

• You may lose sight behind the batter
• Trust your footwork and early read
• Keep gloves ready and soft
• Practise with blocked-view drills

In this lesson you will learn the main points of Law 39, Stumped. The striker is out stumped if they are out of their ground, they are not attempting a run, and the wicket is fairly put down by the wicketkeeper without the intervention of another fielder. The delivery must not be a no ball, but a batter can be stumped off a wide. A batter is in their ground if some part of their person or bat held in the hand is grounded behind the popping crease. On the line is not in. The striker can also be stumped if the ball rebounds onto the wicket off the keeper's person or equipment, other than a protective helmet, or if the keeper kicks or throws the ball onto the stumps.

• Striker out of ground and not attempting a run
• Wicket put down by the keeper alone
• Not off a no ball, but possible off a wide
• On the line is out of the ground

In this lesson you will learn the difference between stumped and run out. If the striker leaves their ground and is not attempting a run, for example after playing and missing while stepping down the pitch, the correct dismissal is stumped. If the striker is attempting a run when the wicket is put down, the dismissal is run out, even if the keeper puts down the wicket. Run outs can also happen off a no ball, whereas a stumping cannot. This distinction matters for the scorebook, for the bowler's figures, since a stumping is credited to the bowler and a run out is not, and for knowing what to appeal for. A simple appeal of how's that covers all forms of dismissal.

• Not attempting a run: stumped
• Attempting a run: run out
• Run outs possible off a no ball
• Stumpings credited to the bowler

In this lesson you will learn how to break the wicket correctly. Under Law 29, the wicket is put down if a bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or a stump is struck out of the ground, by the ball, or by your hand or arm while that hand is holding the ball. If you knock the bails off with the hand that is not holding the ball, it does not count. If one bail is already off, you can remove the remaining bail, or strike or pull a stump out of the ground with the ball in hand. Make sure the ball is secure before you break the wicket. Fumbling the ball while removing the bails is a common reason stumpings are given not out.

• Remove a bail with the ball or the hand holding it
• The empty hand does not count
• If one bail is off, remove the other or a stump
• Secure the ball first

In this lesson you will bring leg-side takes and stumpings together. The best stumpings are made with a short, quick movement from the take straight to the bails, with the hands staying low and close to the stumps. Do not take the ball and then wind back before breaking the wicket. That extra movement gives the batter time to get back. Practise takes on both sides, followed by a quick, controlled touch on the bails. Use rebound nets for quick hands and slow-bowling net sessions for realism. Ask a coach or teammate to time you. Remember that you must never take the ball in front of the stumps, as this is a no ball and any stumping would not stand.

• Short, quick movement from take to bails
• No wind-back before breaking the wicket
• Practise both sides with a touch on the bails
• Never take the ball in front of the stumps