Understanding Cricket Scoreboards

In this lesson you will learn the headline numbers on a scoreboard. The biggest figures usually show the total and the wickets, such as 112 for 3. In the United Kingdom this is often written 112-3 or 112/3, with runs first, while in Australia the wickets are often shown first. Nearby you will see the overs bowled, such as 14.2, meaning fourteen overs and two balls. Many boards also show the two batters' individual scores, the last wicket total, the extras, and, when chasing, the target. These few numbers tell you the state of the match at a glance.

• Total and wickets, e.g. 112 for 3
• UK shows runs first; Australia often wickets first
• Overs bowled, e.g. 14.2
• Batters' scores, extras and target

In this lesson you will look at the batting section of a scorecard. Each batter is listed in order with how they were out, the bowler credited, the runs they scored, and often the balls faced, fours and sixes. For example, caught Smith bowled Jones means Smith took the catch off Jones's bowling. A batter still in at the end is shown as not out, often with an asterisk beside their score. Below the batters, the extras are broken down into byes, leg byes, wides, no-balls and penalties, followed by the total and overs.

• Batters listed in batting order
• Shows dismissal, bowler and runs
• Balls faced, fours and sixes often included
• Not out often marked with an asterisk

In this lesson you will learn to read the fall of wickets. This line lists the team score each time a wicket fell, such as 1 for 12, 2 for 45 and 3 for 47. It helps you see the story of an innings. In that example, the second and third wickets fell close together, at 45 and 47, suggesting a collapse, while the partnership between the first and second wickets added 33 runs. Many scorecards also show which batter was out at each point. Comparing these numbers shows where an innings was built and where it stalled.

• Shows the score when each wicket fell
• Wickets close together suggest a collapse
• Gaps show the size of partnerships
• Tells the story of an innings

In this lesson you will learn to read a bowler's figures. These are usually shown as overs, maidens, runs and wickets. So 4-0-24-2 means four overs, no maidens, twenty-four runs conceded and two wickets taken. Figures are sometimes written more simply as wickets for runs, such as 2 for 24. Runs conceded include wides and no-balls but not byes or leg byes. Many scorecards also list wides and no-balls separately for each bowler, and the economy rate, which you will meet in the next lesson. Good figures in T20 often combine wickets with few runs conceded.

• Overs, maidens, runs, wickets: 4-0-24-2
• Often summarised as 2 for 24
• Runs include wides and no-balls
• Byes and leg byes are not included

In this lesson you will learn two of the most important numbers in a run chase. The run rate is the average runs scored per over. If a side has 90 runs after 15 overs, its run rate is 90 divided by 15, which is six runs per over. Take care with part overs: 15.3 overs is fifteen and a half overs, not fifteen point three. The required run rate is the rate needed to win. If a side needs 60 runs from the last five overs, it requires twelve runs per over. Comparing the two tells you which side is ahead.

• Run rate = runs divided by overs
• 90 runs in 15 overs = 6.00 per over
• 15.3 overs is 15.5 overs for calculation
• Required rate = runs needed divided by overs left

In this lesson you will learn two statistics that are especially important in T20 cricket. A batter's strike rate is their runs per hundred balls, found by dividing runs by balls faced and multiplying by one hundred. A batter who scores 30 from 20 balls has a strike rate of 150. A bowler's economy rate is the average runs conceded per over. A bowler who concedes 24 runs in four overs has an economy rate of six. In T20 cricket, a high batting strike rate and a low bowling economy rate are both highly valued.

• Strike rate = runs divided by balls, times 100
• 30 from 20 balls = strike rate of 150
• Economy = runs conceded per over
• 24 runs in 4 overs = economy of 6.00

In this lesson you will see how scoreboards appear in the modern game. Many grounds have electronic scoreboards, and many matches are scored digitally so that supporters can follow ball by ball online. Digital scorecards often show extra details such as a ball-by-ball commentary, partnerships, projected scores and charts of runs per over. The principles are exactly the same as a traditional board, so the skills from this module apply wherever you follow a match. If you notice an apparent error on a scoreboard, speak politely to the scorers rather than shouting from the boundary.

• Electronic and online scorecards are common
• Ball-by-ball detail and partnership charts
• Same principles as a traditional board
• Raise possible errors politely with the scorers