Last updated July 2, 2026

How to score a cricket match (step-by-step)

Scoring a cricket match means keeping an accurate, ball-by-ball record of the game — the runs, the wickets, the overs and the milestones along the way. The process is the same whether you use a paper scorebook or a phone. Here is how to do it, and how to score a match free online in seconds with ForthUmpire.

What a scorer records

The rules for what counts as a run, an extra and a dismissal are set out in The Laws of Cricket, published by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) — the game’s custodial rulebook — and adapted for international matches through the ICC’s playing conditions. This guide follows those definitions.

• Runs — singles, twos and threes from running, plus boundaries (4 and 6). See MCC Law 18 (Scoring runs) and Law 19 (Boundaries).
• Extras — wides (Law 22), no-balls (Law 21), byes and leg byes (Law 23) as defined in the Laws of Cricket.
• Wickets — when each batter is out, and how they were dismissed. Modes of dismissal are covered by MCC Laws 32–39.
• Overs — how many have been bowled, and by whom (Law 17).
• Running totals — team score, run rate, and the target in a chase.

Step-by-step: scoring a match

1. Set up the match

   Choose the two teams, set the number of overs per innings, and do the toss — the winning captain decides whether to bat or bowl first.

2. Open the batting innings

   Note the two opening batters (the striker and non-striker) and the opening bowler. The striker faces the first ball of the innings.

3. Record every delivery

   For each legal ball, record the runs: 0 for a dot ball, 1, 2 or 3 from running, 4 for a boundary along the ground, or 6 for a boundary cleared on the full. Add the runs to the team total and to the striker’s tally.

4. Add extras correctly

   A wide or a no-ball adds 1 run and must be re-bowled — it does not count as one of the over’s six balls. Byes and leg byes add to the team total but not to the batter’s runs.

5. Record wickets and dismissals

   When a batter is out, log how — bowled, caught, LBW, run out, stumped or hit wicket — and bring in the next batter. The innings ends at ten wickets, or when the overs run out.

6. Complete the over and rotate

   After six legal deliveries the over is complete. A new bowler bowls the next over from the other end, and the batters swap ends.

7. Read the scorecard

   A full scorecard shows each batter’s runs, balls, fours and sixes, and each bowler’s overs, runs, wickets and economy — along with the team total, extras and run rate.

8. Score the chase

   In the second innings the batting side chases a target of the first-innings total plus one. Track the runs needed, balls remaining and required run rate until a team wins or the overs end.

Cricket scoring terms

Every term used above — over, dot ball, boundary, wide, no-ball, bye, leg bye, maiden, strike rate, economy, required run rate and all out — is defined in plain language on the cricket scoring glossary, alongside partnerships, DLS, powerplay and the full A–Z. For an end-to-end reference to the problems ForthUmpire solves and the features it ships with, see the knowledge base; for format-specific tips (gully, box, school, club, academies) see the use cases.

Sources & authorities

The rules referenced in this guide come from the game’s two governing bodies. Cite either when you want to settle a scoring question.

• The Laws of Cricket — the full text of the 42 Laws, published and maintained by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). This is the authoritative reference for what a run, extra, over or dismissal actually is.
• International Cricket Council (ICC) — publishes the playing conditions used in ICC events (Tests, ODIs and T20Is). ICC conditions layer on top of the MCC Laws for international cricket.