| Batsmen strike the ball from the batting crease, with | | | | runs which are unaccredited to any batsmen. These |
| the flat surface of a wooden bat. If the batsman hits | | | | runs are known as extras, apart from in Australia |
| the ball with his bat, it is called a shot (or stroke). If | | | | where they are also called sundries. Extras consist of |
| the ball brushes the side of the bat it is called an | | | | byes, leg byes, no balls, wides and penalty runs. The |
| edge or snick. Shots are named according to the | | | | former two are runs that can be scored if the |
| style of swing and the direction aimed. As part of the | | | | batsman misses making contact with bat and ball, and |
| team's strategy, he may bat defensively, blocking | | | | the latter two are types of fouls committed by the |
| the ball downwards, or aggressively, hitting the ball | | | | bowler. For serious infractions such as tampering with |
| hard to empty spaces in order to score runs. There | | | | the ball, deliberate time-wasting, and damaging the |
| is no requirement to run if the ball is struck. | | | | pitch, the umpires may award penalty extras to the |
| Batsmen come in to bat in a batting order, decided | | | | opposition; in each case five runs. Five penalty runs |
| by the team captain. The first two positions, the | | | | are also awarded if a fielder uses anything other than |
| "openers", face the most hostile bowling, from fast | | | | his body to field the ball, or if the ball hits a |
| bowlers at their freshest and with a new ball. After | | | | protective helmet left on the field by the fielding |
| that, the team typically bats in descending order of | | | | team. A team need not be batting in order to |
| batting skill, the first five or six batsmen usually being | | | | receive penalty extras. |
| the best in the team. Then follow the | | | | The score of a cricket team whose innings is in |
| all-rounders—bowlers or wicket-keepers | | | | progress is given as the number of runs they have |
| who can bat decently—and finally the pure | | | | scored "for" the number of wickets their opponents |
| bowlers who rarely score well. This order may be | | | | have taken. For example, a team that has scored |
| changed at any time during the course of the game | | | | 100 runs and lost three wickets has a score of "a |
| for strategic reasons. | | | | hundred for three", written 100-3. A team that is |
| Run scoring | | | | dismissed having scored 300 runs is said to have a |
| To score a run, a striker must hit the ball and run to | | | | score of "three hundred all out" (or, confusingly, to |
| the opposite end of the pitch, while his non-striking | | | | be "all out for three hundred"), rather than "three |
| partner runs to his end. To register a run, both | | | | hundred for ten"; the score for the innings is then |
| runners must touch the ground behind the popping | | | | simply written 300. However, if a team declares their |
| crease with either their bats or their bodies. If the | | | | innings closed, the number of wickets is included in |
| striker hits the ball well enough, the batsmen may | | | | their score for the innings, for example 300-8d. |
| double back to score two or more runs. This is | | | | In a two innings match, the scores of each team for |
| known as running between wickets. However, no rule | | | | their two innings are given separately. An example of |
| requires the batsman to run upon striking the ball. If | | | | a score for a two innings match in progress would |
| the batsmen score an odd number of runs, then | | | | be: Team A 240 & 300-7d, Team B 225 & 130-4. |
| they will have swapped ends and their roles as | | | | This indicates that Team A in their first innings scored |
| striker and non-striker will be reversed for the next | | | | 240 runs, and Team B made 225 in reply. Team A |
| ball, unless the most recent ball marks the end of an | | | | then made 300 for 7 in their second innings, declaring |
| over. | | | | it closed, and Team B are currently 130 for 4. |
| If a fielder knocks the bails off the stumps with the | | | | The exception to this is Australia, where it is |
| ball while no batsman is grounded behind the nearest | | | | conventional to reverse the wickets and runs scored, |
| popping crease, the nearest batsman is run out. If | | | | so that what would be written 300-5 elsewhere in |
| the ball goes over the boundary, then four runs are | | | | the world is written and said 5-300 in Australia. |
| scored, or six if the ball has not bounced. | | | | The notation used for cricket scores (large number, |
| Extras | | | | dash, small number) has led to the use of the term |
| Every run scored by the batsmen contributes to the | | | | cricket score to describe a very one-sided scoreline in |
| team's total. A team's total also includes a number of | | | | other sports such as rugby and football (soccer). |