How to Read a Cricket Scorecard

A scorecard holds the whole match in a small space. Once you know the columns it reads quickly.

The batting section

Each batter has a line: how they were out, then runs, balls faced, fours, sixes and strike rate.

The dismissal is written in shorthand. “c Smith b Jones” means caught by Smith, bowled by Jones. “lbw b Jones” means leg before wicket off Jones. An asterisk or “not out” means they were still batting when the innings ended.

The bowling section

Each bowler has overs, maidens, runs conceded and wickets — usually written in that order. An economy rate shows runs conceded per over.

A maiden is an over from which no runs were scored off the bat or as extras.

Extras

Extras are listed separately and added to the team total: byes, leg byes, wides and no balls. They count for the team but not for any batter.

Fall of wickets

This line shows the score at each dismissal, such as 1-24, 2-31. It tells you whether the innings collapsed or was rebuilt after early losses.

Reading the story

Compare strike rates and the fall of wickets. A slow innings at the top with a fast one at the end describes a very different match from steady scoring throughout.