Cricket Wicket, Maiden Over, Bowling Figures, and How to Read a Cricket Bowling Scorecard
A 'wicket' in cricket means the dismissal of a batsman — the bowling team has removed one of the ten batters from the field. A maiden over is six consecutive deliveries in which no runs are scored. Bowling figures are written as Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets (e.g., 10-3-34-4). The best bowling figures in Test history: Jim Laker 10/53 (1956). In ODIs: Chaminda Vaas 8/19 (vs Zimbabwe, 2001). The metrics to evaluate bowlers: bowling average, economy rate, and strike rate.
Cricket's bowling scorecard presents a bowler's performance in a standardised format: Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets (O-M-R-W). This compact notation communicates everything about a bowler's contribution to an innings. A line like 12-4-28-3 tells us the bowler bowled 12 overs, had 4 maiden overs, conceded 28 runs, and took 3 wickets — an exceptional performance in Test cricket (economy rate 2.33, and 3 wickets).
The Components
Overs: each over is 6 legal deliveries. A part-over is written as a decimal: 3.4 means 3 complete overs plus 4 balls of the next. Maidens: an over in which no runs are scored from any ball (a wide or no-ball breaks the maiden, as these add extras). Runs: all runs conceded — including boundaries off the bat AND extras (wides, no-balls, byes that are charged to the bowler). A bye or leg bye is NOT charged to the bowler (it goes to extras). Wickets: number of dismissals where the bowler is credited: bowled, caught (any fielder), LBW, stumped (bowler credited), hit wicket. A run-out is NOT a bowler's wicket.
Bowling Metrics
Bowling Average = Runs conceded / Wickets taken. A bowling average of 25 means the bowler costs 25 runs per wicket. Lower = better. Economy Rate = Runs conceded / Overs bowled. The average T20I economy is ~8.0; under 7.0 is elite. Strike Rate = Balls bowled / Wickets taken. A bowling SR of 30 means the bowler takes a wicket every 30 balls. Lower = better. The three metrics measure different things: average (cost per wicket), economy (cost per over), strike rate (how frequently wickets fall).
Frequently asked questions
What are extras in cricket, how are they recorded, and how do they affect a bowler's figures?
Cricket extras: types, recording, and effect on bowling figures. Extras are runs scored by the batting side that are not credited to a batsman's score — they're listed separately in the scorecard as 'Extras: X (b Y, lb Z, w A, nb B).' Types of extras: (1) Byes (b): the ball passes the wicketkeeper without touching the bat or the batsman's body and runs are taken. Byes are NOT charged to the bowler — they go to extras and are the wicketkeeper's responsibility. (2) Leg byes (lb): the ball touches the batsman's body (not the bat) and runs are taken. Also NOT charged to the bowler. However, leg byes require the batsman to have attempted a shot or moved to avoid the ball — if neither, no leg byes are signalled (dead ball). (3) Wides (w): a delivery too wide (outside the wide line) or too high. 1 run added to extras AND the delivery is replayed. Wides ARE charged to the bowler's economy and appear in the bowling figures. (4) No-balls (nb): illegal deliveries (front-foot, height, etc.). 1 run added to extras AND delivery replayed. No-balls ARE charged to the bowler. Free hit follows (ODI/T20I). Effect on bowling figures: only wides and no-balls appear in the bowler's R (runs) column. A bowler who bowls 3 wides has 3 extra runs in their tally. Byes and leg byes are listed in extras but NOT in the bowler's runs. So a bowler's economy as listed in the scorecard is not affected by byes/leg byes — even if the wicketkeeper had a nightmare day. Example: a bowler bowls 10 overs, 2 wides, 1 no-ball, 34 runs off the bat, 3 byes. Bowling figures: 10-0-37-2 (34 + 2 wide + 1 no-ball = 37). The 3 byes are in extras but NOT in the 37.