Cricket · Guide
How to read a cricket scorecard
A cricket score is runs for wickets: 245/6 means 245 runs with six batters out. After that, a scorecard is just a handful of numbers for each batter and bowler.
The team score
- 245/6 (said "245 for 6"): runs, then wickets lost. Australians write it the other way round: 6/245.
- 38.2 overs: 38 overs and 2 balls. After 38.5 comes 39.
- Run rate: runs per over. Required rate: what the chasing side needs per over from here.
- All out: ten wickets gone. Declared (dec): the captain ended the innings early, in a Test.
Batting
| Column | Means |
|---|---|
| R | Runs scored |
| B | Balls faced |
| 4s / 6s | Boundaries hit |
| SR | Strike rate: runs per 100 balls |
| "c Smith b Jones" | Caught by Smith off the bowling of Jones |
| "not out" or * | Still batting at the end |
Bowling
Figures are written overs–maidens–runs–wickets. So 10-1-45-2 means ten overs, one maiden (an over with no runs off the bat), 45 runs conceded and two wickets.
- Econ (economy rate): runs conceded per over.
- Average: runs conceded per wicket. Lower is better.
- Strike rate: balls bowled per wicket.
Extras
Runs not scored off the bat: wides (w), no-balls (nb), byes (b) and leg byes (lb). See wides and no-balls.
Averages over a career
A batting average is runs divided by the number of times out. A Test batting average above 50 is the mark of a great batter; a bowling average in the low twenties, of a great bowler.
Quick answers
- What does 245/6 mean in cricket?
- 245 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. In Australia the same score is usually written 6/245.
- What does 38.2 overs mean?
- 38 complete overs and 2 balls of the next one. There are six balls in an over, so 38.5 is followed by 39.
- What do bowling figures like 10-1-45-2 mean?
- 10 overs, 1 maiden, 45 runs conceded, 2 wickets.
- What is strike rate in cricket?
- For a batter, runs scored per 100 balls faced. For a bowler, the number of balls bowled per wicket taken.