How to Score a Cricket Match: Complete Beginner's Guide

Cricket scoring might look intimidating at first — there are runs, wickets, extras, overs, strike changes, bowling figures, and more to track. But once you understand the system, it’s actually straightforward. This guide will take you from complete beginner to confident scorer.

What Does a Cricket Scorer Do?

The scorer records every delivery (ball) bowled in a match, including:

• Runs scored (by the batter or as extras)
• Wickets (how, who, fielder involved)
• Bowling figures (runs conceded, overs bowled, maidens, wickets)
• Running totals (team score, individual scores, partnerships)
• Extras (wides, no balls, byes, leg byes)

In official matches, both teams provide a scorer, and the two scorers sit together to cross-check. In casual matches, one scorer (or a scoring app) is usually sufficient.

Setting Up the Scorecard

Before the match starts, prepare the following:

1. Team names and which team is batting first
2. Batting order — list the opening batters (the rest can be added as they come in)
3. Match format — number of overs (20, 50, etc.) or unlimited (Test)
4. Toss result — who won the toss and chose to bat/field
5. Opening bowler — who’s bowling the first over

Recording Runs

For each ball, record what happened:

Runs off the Bat

• 0 (dot ball): The batter didn’t score — mark with a dot (.) or 0
• 1, 2, 3: Batters ran between the wickets — add to the batter’s score and team total
• 4 (boundary): Ball reaches the boundary after bouncing — add 4 to batter and team total
• 6 (six): Ball clears the boundary without bouncing — add 6 to batter and team total

Important: When batters run an odd number (1 or 3), they swap ends — the striker and non-striker change positions. Record which batter is on strike.

Strike Changes

The strike changes (batters swap) when:

• An odd number of runs is scored (1, 3, 5, etc.)
• At the end of each over (except if the last ball was an odd number of runs)

Recording Wickets

When a batter is dismissed, record:

1. The batter’s name and final score
2. Method of dismissal: bowled, caught, LBW, run out, stumped, etc.
3. Bowler: who took the wicket (except run outs, which aren’t credited to the bowler)
4. Fielder: who took the catch or effected the run out
5. Fall of wicket: team score when the wicket fell (e.g., “3/45” = 3rd wicket fell at 45 runs)

After a wicket, the new batter comes in and takes the non-striker’s end (unless it was the last ball of an over).

Recording Extras

Extras are runs not scored by the batter. See our complete guide to extras for details on each type.

• Wide (w): +1 extra run, ball re-bowled (doesn’t count in the over)
• No ball (nb): +1 extra run, ball re-bowled, free hit next ball in limited-overs
• Bye (b): runs scored without bat contact, normal delivery
• Leg bye (lb): ball hits body, runs scored, normal delivery

Key rule: Wides and no balls don’t count as a ball in the over. The bowler must bowl an extra delivery. This is crucial — if a bowler bowls 2 wides in an over, they’ll actually bowl 8 balls to complete the 6 legitimate deliveries.

Recording Overs

An over consists of 6 legitimate deliveries. After 6 balls (excluding wides and no balls), the over is complete. A different bowler bowls the next over from the other end.

At the end of each over, record:

• Bowler’s figures for that over (runs conceded, wickets, wides, no balls)
• Whether it was a maiden (six legal balls, no runs charged to the bowler: a wide or no-ball spoils it, byes and leg byes do not)
• The team total at the end of the over

Bowling Figures

For each bowler, track:

Note: Byes and leg byes are not charged to the bowler. Only runs off the bat and wides/no balls count in the bowler’s runs conceded.

End of Innings

An innings ends when:

• All 10 wickets fall (team is “all out”)
• The allotted overs are completed (in limited-overs cricket)
• The captain declares (in Test/multi-day cricket)
• The target is reached (in the second innings of a chase)

At the end of an innings, tally up: total score, total wickets, total overs, extras breakdown, each batter’s final score, each bowler’s final figures, and the fall of wickets.

Digital Scoring vs Paper Scoring

Traditional paper scorebooks are still used in many clubs, but digital scoring apps have become the standard for most amateur and club cricket:

• Paper scoring: The classic approach. Good for learning the fundamentals. Requires concentration and neat handwriting. Error correction is messy.
• Digital scoring: Apps handle all calculations automatically — running totals, bowling figures, run rates, strike rates, and results. Just tap what happened each ball.

For beginners, we recommend starting with a digital scoring app — it eliminates arithmetic errors and lets you focus on watching the match rather than calculating totals.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the strike change between batters?

The strike changes whenever an odd number of runs is scored, such as 1, 3, or 5, because the batters swap ends, and also at the end of each over — unless the last ball of that over was itself an odd number of runs, in which case the batters have already swapped and the same batter stays on strike for the new over.

What details need to be recorded when a batter is dismissed?

A wicket entry should record the batter’s name and final score, the method of dismissal such as bowled, caught, LBW, run out, or stumped, the bowler who took the wicket (except on a run out, which isn’t credited to the bowler), the fielder who took the catch or effected the run out, and the fall of wicket, written like 3/45 for the third wicket falling at 45 runs.

Do wides and no-balls count as a ball in the over?

No. Wides and no-balls are not legitimate deliveries, so the bowler has to bowl an extra ball for each one to complete the over. If a bowler bowls 2 wides in an over, they actually have to bowl 8 balls in total to get through the 6 legitimate deliveries needed to finish that over.

Are byes and leg byes charged against the bowler’s figures?

No. Byes and leg byes are not charged to the bowler. Only runs scored off the bat, plus the extra run from any wides or no-balls, count toward a bowler’s runs conceded.

What counts as a maiden over in cricket?

A maiden over is a complete over of six legal deliveries in which no runs are charged to the bowler. Wides and no-balls are charged to the bowler, so either one spoils a maiden; byes and leg byes are not, so they do not.

When does a cricket innings end?

An innings ends when all 10 wickets fall and the team is all out, when the allotted overs are completed in limited-overs cricket, when the batting captain declares in Test or multi-day cricket, or when the chasing team reaches its target in the second innings of a run chase.