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