In cricket, a batsman may retire from an innings at any time when the ball is dead; they must then be replaced by a teammate who has not been dismissed. Retirement is covered by Law 25 of the Laws of Cricket, which distinguishes between two types of retirement):

• Retired - not out: If the batsman is ill or injured, they are considered retired - not out and are permitted to return to batting if they recover. This situation is officially recorded on the scorecard as "retired - not out", though the unofficial term "retired - hurt" is often used on broadcasts instead. The batsman is considered not out for statistical purposes, such as when calculating a batting average.

• Retired - out: If a batsman retires for any other reason, or without the umpires permission, they are considered to have forfeited their wicket and are therefore out. Unless the opposing captain offers an exemption, the retired batsmen may not return. This situation is recorded on the scorecard as retired - out and is considered a dismissal for statistical purposes, though it is not credited to a bowler.

The main difference between retired hurt and retired out is that a batsman who is retired hurt can return to finish their innings, while a batsman who is retired out cannot return to the crease.