Cricket Scorecard Explained: How to Read Every Line of a Cricket Scorecard
A complete guide to reading a cricket scorecard — batting columns (runs, balls, 4s, 6s, SR, dismissal method), bowling columns (O, M, R, W, Econ, WD, NB), the fall of wickets section, extras line, and match totals. Includes what 'dnb' means, how to find a match result, and why ball-by-ball scorecards differ from traditional printed ones.
A cricket scorecard records the complete statistical record of a match. Understanding every column and abbreviation is essential for following cricket beyond the basic score. Modern scorecards (on Cricbuzz, ESPNcricinfo, or any cricket app) have two main sections for each innings: the batting scorecard (one row per batsman) and the bowling scorecard (one row per bowler). Additional sections include: fall of wickets (which score each wicket fell), extras (byes, leg byes, wides, no-balls, penalty runs), and the total.
Reading the Batting Columns
Batting scorecard columns: (1) Batsman name — with how they were dismissed: 'c Smith b Jones' (caught by Smith off Jones's bowling), 'b Jones' (bowled by Jones), 'lbw b Jones' (LBW to Jones), 'run out (Smith)' (run out with Smith fielding), 'st Smith b Jones' (stumped by keeper Smith off Jones), 'not out' (still batting or last not-dismissed batsman). 'dnb' means 'did not bat' — the batsman was in the team but the match ended before they needed to bat. (2) R = Runs scored. (3) B = Balls faced. (4) 4s = Number of boundaries (four runs). (5) 6s = Number of sixes. (6) SR = Strike Rate (runs per 100 balls — 100×R/B). (7) Minutes at the crease (sometimes shown).
Reading the Bowling Columns
Bowling scorecard columns: (1) Bowler name. (2) O = Overs bowled. (3) M = Maiden overs (overs in which no runs were scored). (4) R = Runs conceded. (5) W = Wickets taken. (6) Econ = Economy rate (R/O — runs per over). (7) WD = Wides bowled. (8) NB = No-balls bowled. For example: 'Bumrah 10-3-26-4 Econ 2.60 WD 1 NB 0' means Bumrah bowled 10 overs, 3 maidens, conceded 26 runs, took 4 wickets, at 2.60 runs per over. The bowling figures do not include wides and no-balls in the R column in all systems — some platforms show just the off-the-bat runs conceded; others include extras attributed to that bowler. Check the platform convention.
Extras, Total, and Match Result
The extras line shows: total extras, broken down into B (byes), LB (leg byes), W (wides), NB (no-balls), P (penalty runs). The total line shows: runs scored, wickets lost, overs faced — e.g. '234/8 (45.3 ov)' means 234 runs, 8 wickets lost, in 45 overs and 3 balls. In limited-overs cricket, if 10 wickets fall before the allotted overs, the innings ends (all out). The match result at the bottom of a scorecard shows: 'England won by 34 runs' (team batting first won), 'India won by 5 wickets' (team batting second won — wickets remaining), 'Match drawn' (Test only), 'Match tied' (both teams scored the same), or 'No result' (weather/interruption).
Frequently asked questions
What does 'c Smith b Jones' mean on a cricket scorecard?
'Caught Smith, bowled Jones' — the batsman was dismissed caught, with the catch taken by fieldsman Smith and the ball delivered by bowler Jones. 'b Jones' alone means bowled — the ball hit the stumps directly. 'lbw b Jones' means out LBW to Jones. 'st Smith b Jones' means stumped by wicketkeeper Smith off Jones. 'run out' means dismissed while running between wickets. 'not out' means the batsman was not dismissed in that innings.
What is strike rate in cricket?
Strike rate (SR) measures batting scoring pace — runs scored per 100 balls faced (calculated as Runs ÷ Balls × 100). A strike rate of 100 means scoring at exactly 1 run per ball. In T20 cricket, batsmen typically target SR 130-180+; in ODIs, SR 80-120 is normal; in Tests, SR 50-65 is typical for most batsmen, with SR 80+ considered aggressive. A bowler's economy rate (Econ) is the equivalent metric: runs conceded per over (6 balls).
What does 'dnb' mean in a cricket scorecard?
'Did not bat' — the player was part of the team for that innings but did not need to come to the crease. This happens when: (1) the opposition's bowling was finished before that batting position was needed; (2) in a declaration, the team declared before all batsmen got to bat. In shorter formats dnb is very rare since all innings complete fully. In Tests, dnb is common for lower-order batsmen in a team that wins by an innings or by a large margin without the lower order being needed.