Cricket Scoring: Runs, Wickets and Extras
A cricket scoreline like 145/3 tells you two things at once: runs scored, and wickets lost. Everything else on the scoreboard hangs off those two numbers.
Ways to score runs
| Action | Runs |
|---|---|
| Batters run between the wickets | 1, 2, 3 |
| Ball reaches the boundary along the ground | 4 |
| Ball clears the boundary in the air | 6 |
Extras
- Wide — ball out of reach, 1 run and the ball is re-bowled.
- No-ball — illegal delivery, 1 run and a free hit in limited-overs cricket.
- Bye and leg bye — runs taken without the bat making contact.
Getting out
The common dismissals are bowled, caught, leg before wicket, run out and stumped. Ten exist in the laws, but caught alone accounts for well over half of all dismissals in professional cricket.
Overs
An over is six legal deliveries from one end. T20 gives each side 20 overs, a One Day International 50. Wides and no-balls do not count toward the six, which is why a poorly bowled over can last ten deliveries.
Frequently asked questions
145 runs scored for the loss of 3 wickets. Australian scoreboards reverse it and write 3/145 — same information, opposite order.
Being dismissed without scoring. Out first ball is a golden duck; out first ball of the match is a diamond duck.