How to Read a Cricket Scorecard

A plain-English guide to every column and abbreviation on a cricket scorecard: runs, balls, strike rate, overs, extras, fall of wickets and how dismissals are written.

A cricket scorecard lists each batter's runs and balls faced, how they got out, then each bowler's overs, maidens, runs conceded and wickets. Extras, the team total and the fall of wickets complete the picture.

The batting table

Each row is one batter, in batting order. R is runs scored and B is balls faced. 4s and 6s count the boundaries hit, and SR is strike rate, the runs scored per 100 balls (runs divided by balls, times 100).

A batter who is still at the crease when the innings ends is shown as not out. Their score is written with an asterisk in some places, for example 45*.

How a dismissal is written

The text next to each name says how the batter got out. 'c Smith b Jones' means caught by Smith off the bowling of Jones. 'b Jones' means bowled. 'lbw b Jones' means leg before wicket, credited to Jones. 'run out (Smith)' names the fielder who made the run out, and 'st Brown b Jones' means stumped by the wicketkeeper Brown off Jones.

A dagger or 'wk' next to a name marks the wicketkeeper, and '(c)' marks the captain.

Extras and the total

Extras are runs that do not come off the bat: byes, leg byes, wides, no-balls and penalty runs. They are listed under the batters and added to the batters' runs to give the team total.

The total is written as runs for wickets, for example 245/6, followed by the overs faced, for example (50 ov).

Fall of wickets

This line records the team score each time a wicket fell. '1-45 (Opener, 7.3 ov)' means the first wicket fell with the score on 45, in the 7th over and 3rd ball. It shows how partnerships built up and where collapses happened.

The bowling table

O is overs bowled, where 7.3 means seven overs and three balls. M is maidens, overs with no runs conceded. R is runs conceded and W is wickets taken. Econ (economy rate) is runs conceded per over.

Some scorecards also show wides and no-balls bowled, usually written as 1w or 2nb next to the bowler.

Frequently asked questions

What does SR mean on a cricket scorecard?

SR is strike rate: the number of runs a batter scores per 100 balls faced. It is runs divided by balls faced, multiplied by 100.

What does 7.3 overs mean?

It means seven complete overs and three balls of the eighth over. An over has six legal balls, so .3 is half an over.

What is a maiden over?

A maiden is an over in which the batting side scores no runs off the bowler. Byes and leg byes do not count against the bowler, but wides and no-balls do.