The Scorer's Job in 30 Seconds
The captain hands you the scorebook and walks off to bat. Now every run, extra and wicket depends on you. It looks like a lot of boxes, but each ball needs just three marks.
| After every ball | Where you mark it |
|---|---|
| 1. What happened | The bowler's over box: a dot, a number, W, or an extra symbol. |
| 2. Runs off the bat | The batter's row, as a number. |
| 3. The new total | The running total (tally) column. |
This guide shows you the scorebook layout, the symbols, a full over scored ball by ball, and how to check your totals at the end. If you need the rules themselves (extras, ways to get out, overs), read our cricket scoring rules first.
The Parts of a Cricket Scorebook
Most scorebooks have the same five parts on each innings page.
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Batting | One row per batter: runs ball by ball, how they got out, the bowler, and their total. |
| Bowling analysis | One row per bowler: a box for each over, then Overs, Maidens, Runs and Wickets (O–M–R–W). |
| Extras | Byes, leg-byes, wides, no-balls and penalty runs, each added up separately. |
| Running total | A list of numbers 1, 2, 3… that you cross off as the team scores. |
| Fall of wickets | The team total when each wicket fell: "1–23, 2–41…" |
Before the first ball, write both team names, the toss result, the overs per side, and the two opening batters. Write the opening bowler's name when the first over starts.
Cricket Scoring Symbols
These are the symbols most club scorers use in the bowler's over box. Some books vary a little, so check the key printed in yours.
| What happened | Symbol | Charged to bowler? | Counts as a ball? |
|---|---|---|---|
| No run (dot ball) | • | — | Yes |
| Runs off the bat | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 | Yes | Yes |
| Wicket | W | Yes (except run outs) | Yes |
| Wide | + | Yes | No (bowl again) |
| No-ball | ○ (runs off the bat written inside) | Yes | No (bowl again) |
| Bye | △ | No | Yes |
| Leg-bye | ▽ | No | Yes |
When an over has no runs against the bowler, join the six dots into an M for a maiden. If it also had a wicket, draw a W instead (a wicket maiden).
A Full Over, Scored Ball by Ball
Sam is bowling. Asha is on strike and Ravi is at the other end. The team is 40 for 1. Here's the over, and what you write for each ball.
| Ball | What happened | Over box | Batter | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asha defends. No run. | • | Asha: 1 ball faced, no runs | 40 |
| 2 | Asha hits a four. | 4 | Asha: 4 | 44 |
| — | Wide, no runs taken. | + | Nobody (not a ball faced) | 45 |
| 3 | Asha takes a single. Ravi on strike. | 1 | Asha: 1 | 46 |
| 4 | Ball hits Ravi's pad, they run 1 leg-bye. Asha on strike. | ▽ | Ravi: 1 ball faced, no runs | 47 |
| — | No-ball. Asha hits it for 2. | ○ with 2 inside | Asha: 2 (it counts as a ball she faced) | 50 |
| 5 | Asha hits 2. | 2 | Asha: 2 | 52 |
| 6 | Asha is bowled. | W | Asha out, bowled Sam | 52 for 2 |
Now finish the over in every section:
- Bowling analysis: Sam's over cost 11 runs: 4 + 1 wide + 1 + 3 for the no-ball (1 extra + 2 off the bat) + 2. The leg-bye is not charged to him. He took 1 wicket.
- Extras: 1 wide, 1 no-ball, 1 leg-bye.
- Fall of wickets: write "2–52" and note Asha's score.
- Balls faced: Asha faced 6 (the no-ball counts, the wide doesn't). Ravi faced 1.
Quick check: the over added 12 runs to the total (40 → 52). Runs off the bat were 9 (4 + 1 + 2 + 2), plus 3 extras, which makes 12. Sam's 11 runs plus the 1 leg-bye also makes 12. Both add up, so the over is right.
How to Check Your Totals
At the end of the innings, and ideally at every drinks break, run these three checks. If they all agree, your book is right.
- Batting check: all batters' runs + all extras = team total.
- Bowling check: all bowlers' runs + byes + leg-byes + penalty runs = team total.
- Tally check: the last number crossed off in the running total = team total.
If the checks don't match, compare your book with the other team's scorer, over by over. The mistake is almost always a bye written as runs off the bat, or a wide that wasn't added to the total.
5 Scorer Mistakes to Avoid
- Giving byes or leg-byes to the batter. They go in extras, never in the batter's row.
- Counting a wide or no-ball as one of the six balls. The bowler bowls it again. An over with one wide has seven deliveries.
- Forgetting who is on strike. Odd runs swap the batters, and so does the end of an over. Check after every ball.
- Charging a run out to the bowler. Run outs go in the batting section, not in the bowler's wickets.
- Waiting to fill in the batting section later. Mark every ball as it happens. You won't remember an over later.
Paper Scorebook or a Cricket Scoring App?
A paper book never runs out of battery, and many leagues still want one. An app does the adding up for you. Here's how they compare.
| Paper scorebook | Scoring app | |
|---|---|---|
| Each ball | Mark 3 places by hand | One tap |
| Extras and bowler figures | You work them out | Calculated for you |
| Strike changes | You keep track | Handled for you |
| Run rate and target | Mental maths | Shown on screen |
| Sharing the result | Photo of the page | Share the result straight from your phone |
| Works without a phone | Yes | No |
GoSkore is a free cricket scoring app that works in your phone's browser. Tap runs, wides, no-balls, byes, leg-byes and wickets. It keeps the batting and bowling figures, the run rate and the target, and it saves the match to your history when it ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you keep a cricket scorebook?
For every ball, mark what happened in the bowler's over box, add any runs off the bat to the batter's row, and update the running total. At the end of each over, fill in the bowler's figures.
What is the symbol for a wide in cricket scoring?
Most scorebooks use a plus sign (+) for a wide. A no-ball is a circle (○), a bye is a triangle (△) and a leg-bye is an upside-down triangle (▽).
Do byes count against the bowler?
No. Byes and leg-byes go in extras and are not charged to the bowler. Wides and no-balls are.
Does a wide count as a ball faced?
No. A wide is not a ball faced by the batter, and it doesn't count toward the over. A no-ball doesn't count toward the over either, but it does count as a ball faced.
How do you check a cricket scorebook is correct?
Add up the batters' runs plus extras. Then add up the bowlers' runs plus byes, leg-byes and penalty runs. Both should equal the team total.
Can I score a cricket match on my phone?
Yes. A scoring app like GoSkore records each ball with one tap and works out the batting, bowling and extras for you.
Score Like a Pro
- Three marks per ball: over box, batter's row, running total.
- Extras are not the batter's runs. Byes and leg-byes are not the bowler's either.
- Check both ways: batting + extras and bowling + byes must match.