Cricket scoring explained
A cricket score records runs and wickets. A total of 187 for 6 means a side has scored 187 runs and lost six of its ten wickets.
How runs are scored
| Method | Runs |
|---|---|
| Running between the wickets | One for each completed run |
| Ball reaches the boundary along the ground | 4 |
| Ball clears the boundary without bouncing | 6 |
Runs hit by a batter count towards both the batter’s score and the team total.
Extras
Extras are runs added to the team total that no batter is credited with.
| Extra | When it is given | Counted against the bowler? |
|---|---|---|
| Wide | The ball passes too far from the batter to be hit | Yes |
| No-ball | An illegal delivery, most often overstepping the crease | Yes |
| Bye | The batters run after the ball misses bat and body | No |
| Leg bye | The batters run after the ball hits the body, not the bat | No |
A wide or a no-ball adds one run and must be bowled again. Any runs taken from it are added on top.
Ways of being out
There are nine ways for a batter to be dismissed.
| Common | Rare |
|---|---|
| Bowled | Hit wicket |
| Caught | Obstructing the field |
| Leg before wicket | Hit the ball twice |
| Run out | Timed out |
| Stumped |
An innings ends when ten batters are out, when the overs run out or when the captain declares.
Scorebook symbols
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A dot | A ball with no run |
| A number | Runs scored from that ball |
| W | A wicket |
| A cross | A wide |
| A circle | A no-ball, with any runs written inside |
| A triangle, point up | A bye |
| A triangle, point down | A leg bye |
Bowling figures
Bowling figures are written as four numbers, such as 8-2-24-3.
| Number | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 8 | Overs bowled |
| 2 | Maidens, which are overs with no runs against the bowler |
| 24 | Runs conceded |
| 3 | Wickets taken |
Averages and rates
| Statistic | How it is worked out |
|---|---|
| Batting average | Runs scored divided by times out |
| Batting strike rate | Runs scored per 100 balls faced |
| Bowling average | Runs conceded divided by wickets taken |
| Economy rate | Runs conceded per over |
| Bowling strike rate | Balls bowled per wicket |
A higher batting average is better. For a bowler, lower figures are better in all three measures.
Net run rate
Leagues and cups often use net run rate to separate teams level on points.
- Divide the runs a team has scored by the overs it has faced.
- Divide the runs it has conceded by the overs it has bowled.
- Subtract the second figure from the first.
A team that scores 200 in 40 overs and concedes 160 in 40 overs has a net run rate of plus 1.00 for that match.
If a team is bowled out, its full allocation of overs is used in the sum, not the overs it actually batted.