How Runs Are Scored in Cricket — Every Method Explained
A complete guide to scoring runs in cricket: boundaries, singles, extras, overthrows, and the difference between scored and conceded runs.
Batting Runs
The primary way to score runs is by the batter hitting the ball and physically running between the wickets. Each completed run — both batters crossing and reaching the opposite crease — scores one. Batters can run multiple times off a single delivery if the ball stays in the field of play and time allows.
Boundaries: Four and Six
If the ball reaches or crosses the boundary rope after touching the ground, the batting team is awarded four runs. If the ball clears the boundary rope in the air — without bouncing — the team scores six runs. Boundary runs are awarded automatically and no physical running is required.
Extras: Runs Not Off the Bat
Extras are runs credited to the batting team that are not attributed to the batter's scoring. The five types are: wides (ball too far from the stumps to be reached), no-balls (illegal delivery), byes (ball passes the keeper without touching the bat), leg byes (ball deflects off the batter's body, not the bat), and penalty runs (awarded for deliberate field damage or tampering).
Overthrows
Overthrows occur when a fielder's throw misses the stumps and races to the boundary. If the ball reaches the boundary after an overthrow, the batting team collects four runs plus any runs already completed by the batters at the moment the ball was thrown. Overthrows can dramatically change a match and are sometimes the result of misfields or rushed throwing attempts.
Who Gets Credit for Runs?
Runs scored off the bat (including boundaries hit by the batter) count towards the individual batter's score. Extras are recorded separately in the scorecard under the bowling side's name. Leg byes and byes count as extras but do not add to the batter's score; wides and no-balls are charged to the bowler's economy rate and count as extras.
Frequently asked questions
Do leg byes count in a batter's personal score?
No. Leg byes are extras — they count for the team total but not the individual batter's score. Only runs that come off the bat (or the batter's gloves, which count as an extension of the bat) add to personal runs.
What happens if the ball hits a helmet on the ground?
Five penalty runs are awarded to the batting team if the ball strikes a fielding side's helmet that has been placed on the ground by the fielding team. These runs are added as extras.
Can you score off a no-ball?
Yes. A no-ball still results in a legal delivery being faced (or a free hit in limited-overs cricket). Any runs scored off the bat on a no-ball count to the batter's score; the no-ball itself adds one extra run, and the bowler must redeliver.