Guide to Cricket Scoring

Introduction Scoring is an essential part of cricket It requires concentration and commitment You should be familiar with the rules of cricket It can be complicated at times Every ball must be recorded You CAN enjoy it You get to watch the game!

The Duties of a Scorer Accept You work closely with the umpires but you must accept their decision and record it according to the signals given – even though you might think they are sometimes wrong Acknowledge Clearly and promptly acknowledge that you have seen the umpires signals (e.g. raise your hand)

The Duties of a Scorer Record Write neatly and clearly Check You should check frequently (at least at the end of each over) that you agree with the other scorer

Equipment Copy of the rules for the age group Scorebook Pencil, rubber, sharpener Calculator (optional) Paper clips, bulldog clips (for windy days!) Chair Shade

Setting yourself up Agree with the other scorer where you will sit Try and sit away from the teams and supporters so that there are no distractions Write the date, round number, venue, team names and any other heading information Obtain the list and order of players from the coaches/managers. If you are confident that the order will not change then write the names on the scoresheet prior to the start of play – keep the rubber handy though!

Getting Started Write the start time of the innings next to the first two batsmen Acknowledge the umpires that you are ready to start the game

Scoring Tips You will need to record each ball bowled so get into a routine of filling in the scoresheet going anti clockwise around the page i.e batsman's score, bowlers score, runs, extras, wickets Although not necessary it can avoid discrepancies later if one scorer calls out the result after each ball is bowled e.g. 1 run, no-ball, leg-bye

Scoring Tips Get to know the rules for the age group you are scoring e.g. re-bowling no balls and wides Check the rules regarding compulsory retirement of batsmen, batting and bowling rotations and advise the umpires and coaches of potential breach of the rules.

Scoring Tips Fill out totals for the batsman and bowlers as you go and check them with the other scorer. Don’t wait until the end of the innings. Recording everything with the correct symbols helps to work out any differences as you go. Put a line (instead of crossing out individual numbers) through several numbers on the score to show how many runs were scored from an individual delivery.

Scoring Tips Record 4 balls on the top of the bowling analysis. This will give you enough room for 2 balls underneath for the younger age groups and (potentially) 4 balls for the older age groups plus the cumulative summary in the bottom right hand corner

Start of each Over Check with the other scorer which batsman is facing and who is bowling Use colours of helmets, pads, bats etc to distinguish between the two batsmen Write a little code next to the batsman's name if it helps e.g. R for Red Helmet Record the bowlers number under the over number in the section in between the batting and bowling analysis

No Run There is no signal from the umpire when a legitimate ball is bowled and no run is taken Record a “dot ball” against the batsmen Record a “dot ball” against the bowler That’s the easy one!

Dead Ball Acknowledge the umpires signal… and do nothing – the delivery does not count.

Signal Cancelled Acknowledge the umpires signal… and disregard the umpires last signal – watch for a replacement signal

Runs There is no signal from the umpire when the batsmen complete 1 or more runs (except for a boundary) off a legitimate ball Record runs made against the batsman who was on strike Record runs made against the bowler Cross off the number of runs on the score

Four Boundary Runs Acknowledge the umpires signal…

Four Boundary Runs Record 4 runs made against the batsman who was on strike Record runs made against the bowler Cross off the number of runs on the score

Six Boundary Runs Acknowledge the umpires signal…

Six Boundary Runs Record 6 runs made against the batsman who was on strike Record runs made against the bowler Cross off the number of runs on the score

Short Run Acknowledge the umpires signal…

Short Run Reduce the number of runs by 1 and record runs or sundries made against the batsman who was on strike Record runs made against the bowler Cross off the number of runs on the score Add to sundries if necessary Note that a short run can only happen if 2 or more runs are made.

Byes Acknowledge the umpires signal…

Byes Record a B against the batsmen who was on strike. If more than one bye was run record B2, B3, B4. Record the same against the bowler Cross off the number of byes on the score Add the number of byes to the sundries by using the tally symbol

Leg Byes Acknowledge the umpires signal…

Leg Byes Record a L against the batsmen who was on strike. If more than one leg bye was run record L2, L3, L4. Record the same against the bowler Cross off the number of leg byes on the score Add the number of leg byes to the sundries by using the tally symbol

Penalty Extras Acknowledge the umpires signal… For the batting side For the bowling side

Penalty Extras Record a P against the batsmen who was on strike. Record the same against the bowler Cross off 5 runs to the BATTING score of the team that was NOT penalised i.e. you made need to remember to add them when the current fielding team starts their batting innings Note that the P does not count as a ball faced or bowled. The umpires should note what the penalty was for on the scoresheet during the next interval. This should not happen often so it is best to record the penalty and consult the umpires later. The ball hitting a protective helmet placed behind the keeper would be an example of where penalty extras might be awarded.

No Ball Acknowledge the umpires signal…

No Ball If no run or bye was completed: Record a circle with a dot in it against the batsmen who was on strike. Record the same against the bowler Cross one off on the score Add one to the no ball sundries by using the tally symbol

No Ball If runs were completed: Record a circle with the number of runs written in it against the batsmen who was on strike. Record the same against the bowler Cross off the number of runs + 1 (for the no ball) on the score Add one to the no ball sundries by using the tally symbol

No Ball If byes were completed: Record a circle with a B, B1, B2, B3, B4 written in it against the batsmen who was on strike. Record the same against the bowler Cross off the number of byes + 1 (for the no ball) on the score Add the number of byes + 1 no ball sundries by using the tally symbol (unfortunately for the bowler the byes count as no ball extras)

Wide Ball Acknowledge the umpires signal…

Wide Ball Record a W (when no runs are completed), W2, W3, W4, W5 against the batsmen who was on strike. Note that W5 represents one for the wide delivery and that the ball crossed over the boundary – making 5 wides. Record the same against the bowler Cross off the number of wides on the score Add the number of wides to the sundries by using the tally symbol

Fall of Wicket (Batsman Out) Acknowledge the umpires signal…

Fall of Wicket (Batsman Out) If NOT Run Out: Record an X against the batsmen who was on strike and place a double chevron >> after the batsman’s scores (to indicate that their innings is complete) Record the time the batsman was out and the time for the incoming batsman Complete the FOW, Batsman Out, Not Out Batsman sections Record an X against the bowler Complete the How Out section including method of dismissal and the bowlers name

Fall of Wicket (Batsman Out) If Run Out attempting the first run: Record an R against the batsmen who was on strike and place a double chevron >> after the run out batsman’s scores (to indicate that their innings is complete) Record the time the batsman was out and the time for the incoming batsman Complete the FOW, Batsmen Out, Not Out Batsmen sections Record an R against the bowler Complete the How Out section including method of dismissal (the fielder who threw the ball and the one who took the bails off) and the bowlers name

Fall of Wicket (Batsman Out) If Run Out attempting more than one run: Record a 1R, 2R, 3R etc against the batsman who was on strike and place a double chevron >> after the run out batsman’s scores (to indicate that their innings is complete) Record the time the batsman was out and the time for the incoming batsman Complete the FOW, Batsman Out, Not Out Batsman sections Record a 1R, 2R, 3R etc against the bowler Cross off the number of runs that were successfully completed on the score Complete the How Out section including method of dismissal (the fielder who threw the ball and the one who took the bails off) and the bowlers name

Fall of Wicket (Batsman Out) There is a lot to do when a wicket falls – but don’t PANIC! Watch the game and keep recording the scoring. You can fill in some of the details of the wicket later e.g. number of balls faced and total runs. Sometimes you may need to ask the umpires later how the wicket fell as it may not be obvious. For catches, record the name of the fielder that caught the ball. When it is the wicketkeeper add a (WK) after the name so this can be recorded properly on MyCricket.

End of Each Over Record the score in the middle section next to the over number just completed Record the cumulative wicket and run total for the bowler in the bottom right hand corner of the bowling analysis for that over Check the score and bowling figures with the other scorer

Retirement of a Batsman Record the time the batsman retired on the first line Record the word “Retired” and the innings score e.g. 3/67, next to the batsman’s scoring analysis Should they resume their innings start on the next line

End of an Innings Record the total number of balls faced and runs scored by each batsmen Record the bowling statistics for each bowler Total the sundries Add the wicket and score totals Balance the scoresheet Runs scored by all batsmen + sundries = total Runs against all bowlers + byes + leg byes = total When totalling up the scores write subtotals next to each line to help with the balancing and checking. Check it with the other scorer (this is where checking as you go saves a lot of time)

End of an Innings Byes Leg Byes Wides No Balls Runs to batsmen No No (runs completed off a no ball are credited to the batsmen) Runs against the bowler Yes

End of the Game Complete the result section Congratulate the other scorer and yourself on a job well done!

Scoring Symbols 1,2,3,… Runs completed W, W2, W3, W4, W5 Wides L, L2, L3, L4 Leg Byes B, B2, B3, B4 Byes … No Balls X Wickets R, 1R, 2R, 3R Run Outs P Penalty Extras . 1 B L L2 B2