CricPulse
Over Notation Decoder
Write each over the way a scorebook does, one over per line, and see exactly how many runs, extras, wickets and legal balls it contains.
Separate balls with spaces or commas. . or 0-7 runs off the bat, W wicket, 2wd wide (2 in total), 4nb no-ball (4 in total), 1b bye, 2lb leg bye.
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What the Over Notation Decoder Does
A paper scorebook compresses every ball into a mark: a dot, a digit, a W, or a short code like 4nb or 1lb. This tool reads that shorthand back out. Type an over per line and it tells you the runs, the extras by type, the wickets, how many legal balls were bowled, whether the over was a maiden and what the run rate is. It is useful for checking a hand-scored over, learning how scorers write things down, and settling “was that four runs or five?” arguments after the match.
The Notation This Tool Reads
| Write | Meaning | Legal ball? |
|---|---|---|
| . or 0 | Dot ball | Yes |
| 1 to 7 | Runs off the bat (4 and 6 are boundaries) | Yes |
| W or 1W | Wicket (with 1W, one run was completed first, as in a run out) | Yes |
| wd, 3wd | Wide, with the total for the delivery (wd alone is 1) | No |
| nb, 4nb | No-ball, with the total for the delivery (nb alone is 1) | No |
| b, 2b | Byes | Yes |
| lb, 2lb | Leg byes | Yes |
This is one common convention, not a Law of Cricket. Some scorers draw a cross for a wide or circle the runs on a no-ball. If your book differs, translate to the codes above before decoding.
Worked Example
Take the three overs loaded by the example button:
- Over 1:
. 1 4 . 2wd W 1. The 2wd is a wide with one run taken, so it adds 2 and does not use up a ball. The legal balls are ., 1, 4, ., W, 1: six of them. Runs: 0 + 1 + 4 + 0 + 2 + 0 + 1 = 8, with 1 wicket. - Over 2:
. . . . . .. Six legal balls, nothing charged to the bowler: a maiden. - Over 3:
1nb 4 . 1lb 2 . 1. The 1nb is the penalty run only. Legal balls: 4, ., 1lb, 2, ., 1. Runs: 1 + 4 + 0 + 1 + 2 + 0 + 1 = 9, of which 7 are off the bat and 2 are extras.
Total: 17 for 1 after 3.0 overs, a run rate of 17 ÷ 3 = 5.67. Extras are 4 (lb 1, w 2, nb 1) and 13 runs came off the bat, so 13 + 4 = 17. The two bowlers who shared those overs would be charged 8, 0 and 8 (the leg bye is not charged to the bowler).
What Counts Against the Bowler
Runs off the bat, wides and no-ball runs are charged to the bowler. Byes and leg byes are not. That distinction is why the tool reports “charged to the bowlers” separately from the total, and why an over containing only byes can still be a maiden over. For the full list of categories read our guide to cricket extras.
Check the Book Afterwards
Once every over has been decoded, add up the batters, bowlers and extras and run them through the scorebook balance checker. To turn the legal-ball count into a clean overs figure, the overs to balls converter shows why 3.4 overs is 22 balls and not 34. For a line-by-line look at a finished card, see how to read a cricket scorecard.
Stop Translating Shorthand
CricPulse records each delivery from a button, so there is no shorthand to decode, no over with seven legal balls and no extras line to total by hand. Want to record this automatically during your next match? Score your match with CricPulse. Free on iOS and Android.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 4nb mean in a cricket scorebook? +
In the common convention, the number in front of nb is the total scored from that delivery and nb marks a no-ball. So 4nb is a no-ball that produced 4 runs in total: the one-run penalty plus 3 more, usually off the bat. Conventions differ between scorers, so check your own scorebook's key.
What do 1b and 1lb mean in a scorebook? +
b is byes and lb is leg byes, with the number in front giving the runs. 1b is one bye and 1lb is one leg bye. Both are fielding extras: they add to the team total and the extras line but are not charged to the bowler.
How is a wide written in a scorebook? +
Styles vary. Many scorers write wd, with the total in front when more than one run is scored (2wd is a wide plus one run taken). Others use a cross or a W in a circle. This tool reads wd, and counts the number in front as the total for the delivery.
Does a wide or no-ball count as a legal ball? +
No. Wides and no-balls are not legal deliveries, so they add runs but do not use up one of the six balls of the over. The over carries on until six legal balls have been bowled. Byes and leg byes are legal balls.
Why does this tool use W for a wicket and wd for a wide? +
Because W is the usual mark for a wicket in a scorebook and wd cannot be confused with it. If your book uses W for wides, rewrite them as wd before decoding.
How are no-ball runs split between batter and extras? +
The no-ball penalty is one extra, charged to the bowler. Runs hit off the bat from that ball go to the batter. Runs the batters run without hitting it (byes or leg byes) are extras but not charged to the bowler. Use the selector to say which applies to the extra runs in your notation.
Can I use this for T20, ODI or club cricket? +
Yes. Six legal balls make an over in all of them. The notation is a scorer's convention, not a Law, so it is only as accurate as the codes you enter. Rules that differ by competition, such as the free hit after a no-ball, do not change the arithmetic here.
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