Cric4All Cricket Guide

A practical guide to scoring a cricket match

Good scoring is not just entering a number after each delivery. A scorer keeps the total, batter scores, bowler figures, wickets, extras, strike and over state consistent. This guide explains the match information a scorer should think about while using Cric4All or another scorebook.

Before the first ball

Confirm the teams, playing players, innings length and which team bats first. When the innings begins, identify the striker, non-striker and opening bowler. Starting with the correct players matters because every later batting and bowling figure is built from those selections.

Runs from the bat

When the batter hits the ball and runs are completed, or the ball reaches the boundary, record the runs credited to the batter. The team total increases by the same amount unless an additional extra also applies. Odd numbers of completed runs normally change which batter is on strike; even numbers normally keep the same striker before considering the end of the over.

Wides and no-balls

A wide is an extra and is not a legal delivery for the six-ball over. A no-ball also adds an extra and does not count as a legal ball. Additional runs can occur on the same delivery, so the scorer should distinguish the penalty extra from any other runs rather than recording only a combined total.

Byes and leg byes

Byes and leg byes add to the team score but are not credited as runs from the bat. Keeping the extra type correct is important because it affects batter statistics and the way bowling figures are interpreted.

Wickets

For a wicket, record the dismissal type and the dismissed batter. Some dismissals also involve a fielder. The delivery can still contain runs or extras depending on what happened, so the scorer should reproduce the event rather than assuming every wicket ball is a simple dot ball.

Completing an over

An over ends after six legal deliveries in standard six-ball cricket. Wides and no-balls do not advance the legal-ball count. At the end of the over the batters change ends, and a different bowler must bowl the next over. Cric4All uses match state to help prevent consecutive overs by the same bowler.

Use Undo carefully

Undo is useful when the previous delivery was entered incorrectly, but the scorer should verify the restored striker, non-striker, bowler and over position before continuing. Undoing around an over boundary can affect which bowler is eligible for the next over, so the restored match state is more important than what the scorer remembers seeing before the correction.

Check the scorecard during breaks

At an over break, wicket, drinks break or innings end, compare the team total with batter scores and extras, and check the bowler's legal balls and conceded runs. Small checks during the innings are easier to resolve than a large discrepancy at the end.