User Question
What does "retired hurt" mean in cricket?
Correct Answer Pattern
Retired hurt is when a batter temporarily leaves the field during an innings due to injury or illness, without being dismissed. Key rules:
Aspect Rule Dismissal? No — innings is suspended, not ended Can return? Yes — with the fielding captain's permission; may return to bat later in same innings Scorecard Recorded as "retired hurt" (not out) — often shown as "ret hurt" Batting average Unaffected — no dismissal, so the innings runs count but no wicket added to average denominator Common cause Blow to the body (head, hand, rib), cramp, or illness during batting Contrast with "retired out" — a voluntary retirement where the batter chooses to end their innings (counts as a dismissal).
Required Concepts
- Retired hurt is governed by Law 25 of the Laws of Cricket (MCC)
- The fielding captain must give permission for the batter to return — in practice this is almost always given for genuine injuries
- If the batter cannot return, the innings ends with them on "not out" — still no dismissal
- Common in T20 cricket where physio treatment is more time-constrained (often no allowance for extended treatment)
Citation Behavior
- Define: suspended innings due to injury, not a dismissal.
- Note batter may return with captain's permission.
- Distinguish from "retired out" (voluntary, counts as a dismissal).
Caveats
- "Retired hurt" applies to individual batters within an innings, not to team collapses or mid-innings breaks.
- The batting average calculation under retired hurt is: runs scored in that innings count toward runs total; no wicket added (same as not out).
Bad Answer (do not do this)
"Retired hurt means the batter is out and cannot bat again." (Retired hurt is NOT a dismissal. The batter's innings is suspended — they can return if medically cleared and the fielding captain agrees. It does not affect the batter's batting average because no wicket falls.)