GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
How are cricket runs divided between batter totals, extras and bowler figures?
The MCC scorecard rules credit bat-struck runs to the striker except for specified penalties. Runs not struck by the bat are classified as the relevant extra, while the bowler is charged the striker's runs, No ball extras and Wides. Byes and Leg byes are not on that bowler-debit list.
For Cricket fans learning to read batting and extras columns · Updated
Start with contact by the bat
If the ball is struck by the bat, the runs are credited to the striker, except for a five-run penalty and the one-run No ball penalty. Those exceptions stay in their own scorecard categories.
Untouched balls and pad contact are different
If a delivery is not Wide and passes the striker without touching bat or person, completed runs are Byes. If the ball first hits the striker's person, Leg byes require the umpire to be satisfied that the striker tried to play the ball or tried to avoid being hit. Pad contact by itself does not make a run a Leg bye.
If Byes or Leg byes come from a No ball, record the one-run No ball penalty as a No ball extra and classify the remaining runs as Byes or Leg byes.
The bowler's debit is a narrower list
Under Law 18.10.3, the bowler is debited with runs scored by the striker, No ball extras and Wides. Byes and Leg byes go to the batting side's extras, not to the bowler's debit under that list. A Wide's one-run penalty and completed runs are all recorded as Wides.
Use the cited MCC scoring rules
These categories follow the MCC Laws in the 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026). No competition-specific Playing Conditions were checked; a particular competition's current conditions may be needed to interpret its scorecard.
A fictional five-delivery scorecard ledger
Assume no boundaries, overthrow or other penalty. First, a fair delivery yields two runs off the bat: striker 2, extras 0, bowler debit 2. On a later No ball, the striker hits two: striker 2, No ball extra 1, bowler debit 3. A Wide then allows two completed running runs: Wide extras 3 and bowler debit 3. An untouched delivery that is not Wide produces two Byes: extras 2, no bowler debit. On another delivery, the ball first hits the striker's pad after an attempted shot and the batters complete one run; assuming the umpire is satisfied with the attempt, that is one Leg bye and no bowler debit. Across these fictional entries, the team adds 11, the striker adds 4, extras add 7, and the bowler is debited 8.
Related questions
If an untouched ball is also a No ball, are all its runs No balls?
No. Law 23.1 awards Byes for completed runs from a non-Wide ball that passes without touching bat or person. If it is also a No ball, add the one-run No ball penalty; classify the remaining runs as Byes.
Does every pad-contact run count as a Leg bye?
No. When the ball first strikes the striker's person, the umpire must be satisfied that the striker attempted to play it or tried to avoid being hit. If neither condition is met, Law 23.3 prevents Leg byes from being awarded. If the delivery is also a No ball, its one-run penalty is additional to any Leg byes.