In a scorebook, the four common extras are wides, no-balls, byes and leg-byes. The umpire's call and the competition's playing conditions determine how a delivery is treated. Record the signal first, then enter the runs under the right heading.
Wide
A wide is called when a delivery is too far from the striker to be reached and played in the ordinary way, subject to the Laws and the match's playing conditions. A wide adds a penalty run to the batting team's total. Any further runs or boundary allowance are also recorded as wides under the applicable scoring rules. A wide is not a legal delivery, so it does not use up one of the six balls in an over.
No-ball
A no-ball can be called for several kinds of infringement, including a bowler overstepping the crease. It adds a penalty run to the batting side, and the ball does not count as one of the six legal deliveries. Additional runs may follow; how they are classified depends on what happened, so use the umpire's decision and your competition's scoring rules rather than guessing.
If a delivery could otherwise be judged wide but is called a no-ball, score the no-ball decision. The umpire is responsible for making the call; the scorer records it.
Bye
A bye is a run completed when a delivery that is neither a no-ball nor a wide passes the striker without touching the bat or the striker's person, and the batters run or the ball reaches the boundary. For example, if a legal ball beats the wicket-keeper and the batters complete one run, the team receives one bye. It is an extra, not a run credited to the striker.
Leg-bye
A leg-bye can be scored when a legal delivery hits the striker's person rather than the bat and the batters complete runs or the ball reaches the boundary. Under the Laws, the striker must have either attempted to play the ball or tried to avoid being hit. If neither applies, the umpire may not allow the runs as leg-byes. Record the umpire's decision instead of deciding from the outcome alone.
Do extras count as a ball in the over?
Wides and no-balls do not count as legal balls, so the bowler must deliver another ball to complete the over. Byes and leg-byes on an otherwise legal delivery do count as a ball. This distinction matters when recording overs: 5.2 overs means five completed overs and two legal balls, not five overs plus two-tenths.
A quick scorer's check
- Wait for and record the umpire's call.
- Note any runs completed and whether a boundary or penalty applies.
- Enter the runs under the correct extras heading, following the competition's rules.
- Update the legal-ball count: wides and no-balls do not count; byes and leg-byes on a legal delivery do.
- Check that batter runs plus extras equal the team total at the end of the over or innings.
On standard scorecards, wides and no-balls are generally charged to the bowler, while byes and leg-byes are not. Scorecard formats and competition conditions can differ, especially for unusual events; ask the umpire or organiser if the ruling is unclear.
For a complete ball-by-ball routine, read how to score a cricket match. To see where extras fit in the innings record, visit the scorecard guide.
Official reference
This guide is a practical introduction, not a substitute for the match's rules. The MCC Laws of Cricket cover no-balls, wides, byes and leg-byes in Laws 21–23. Some competitions add playing conditions, so check the rules used for your match.