How to Score a Cricket Match: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
A practical walkthrough of scoring a cricket match by hand, from team sheets to recording every ball, over, wicket and extra in the scorebook.
Keeping score is one of the most useful jobs in a cricket match, and it is easier than it looks once you understand how the scorebook is laid out. This guide covers the routine for a standard single innings per side match. Formats differ in length, but the method is the same.
Before play
Write the date, venue, competition and both team names at the top of the page. Record the names of the players in batting order, marking the captain and wicketkeeper. After the toss, note which side won it and what they chose to do. Agree with the umpires how you will exchange signals, since the umpires’ arm movements tell you about boundaries, wides, no-balls and byes.
Recording each ball
The scorebook usually has a batting page and a bowling page. For the batting side, each batter has a line with a space for the order they came in, the way they were dismissed, the runs they scored and the balls they faced. Beside the batting line there is often a running total of the team score and a fall-of-wickets record. For the bowling side, each bowler has a grid where every ball of every over is entered.
After every legal delivery, mark the result in the bowler’s grid and in the batter’s record. A dot is a dot, a run is a number, and a boundary is a 4 or a 6. Always ask yourself three things after each ball: how many runs, who scored them, and who is now on strike. Getting the strike wrong is the most common beginner’s error, so watch the batters crossing.
Extras
- Wides and no-balls add one run to the team total and the ball is bowled again, so the bowler’s over is not shortened. Both are charged to the bowler.
- Byes and leg byes are legal deliveries, so they use up a ball, and the runs are added to the team total as extras, not to the batter or the bowler.
- A no-ball hit for runs counts those runs to the batter in addition to the no-ball penalty.
Always keep an extras tally in a separate box so that you can reconcile the totals at the end.
Wickets
When a batter is out, write the method of dismissal, the bowler’s name where relevant and any fielder involved. Record the team score and the over at which the wicket fell in the fall-of-wickets section. Not every dismissal is credited to the bowler: run outs and retirements are not. Mark the new batter’s name in order and update the strike.
End of each over
At the end of the over, count the runs conceded by the bowler and note any maidens. A maiden over is a complete over of six legal balls with no runs charged to the bowler, though byes and leg byes do not break a maiden. Update the total, move the strike to the other batter and make sure the next bowler is recorded in the correct row. A bowler cannot bowl two overs in a row, so a quick check here catches mistakes.
Keeping the scoreboard honest
If there is a physical scoreboard, update it only after you are sure of the ball. Checking with the other scorer, if there is one, at the end of every few overs is good practice, as is comparing the sum of the batters’ runs and extras with the team total. If the numbers differ, retrace the last few overs before play continues.
End of the innings
Add up the extras, record the team total, the wickets lost and the overs bowled. Complete the batters’ records with runs, balls faced and any boundaries, and complete the bowlers’ figures with overs, maidens, runs and wickets. For the chasing side, write down the target and keep a record of the runs still needed, since players, umpires and spectators will frequently ask you.
Practical tips
- Use a pencil so that mistakes can be corrected.
- Stay seated where you can see the umpires’ signals clearly.
- Never rely on memory; write down each ball immediately.
- If a decision is unclear, ask the umpire at the next break in play.
With a few matches of practice, scoring becomes second nature, and a well-kept scorebook is a permanent record of the match.
Frequently asked questions
What equipment do I need to score a cricket match?
A scorebook, a pencil and eraser, and a good view of play and the umpires. Many clubs also use scoring apps, but the same method applies.
Does a wide count as a ball in the over?
No. A wide adds a run to the total and must be bowled again, so it is not one of the six legal balls in an over.
What is a maiden over?
A maiden is an over of six legal balls in which no runs are charged to the bowler. Byes and leg byes do not stop an over from being a maiden, though wides and no-balls do.