Cricket Basics, Runs, Wickets and Overs
Runs, wickets and overs together explain the state of a cricket match.
The batting team in cricket accumulates runs while the fielding team tries to restrict scoring and dismiss batters. A hypothetical score of 120/3 means 120 runs and three wickets lost. It is not a three-point lead. Identify the match format before interpreting the scoreboard.
Runs and wickets
Runs can come from running between the ends, boundaries and extras. In the usual boundary situation, a struck ball reaching the boundary after touching the ground scores four; clearing it without grounding scores six. The 2026 MCC Laws set out the details and exceptions.
On the score display, wickets refer to dismissals. The same word can also describe the physical stumps or, in some commentary, the playing surface. Context determines which meaning is intended.
An over is not a decimal
An over contains six valid deliveries. A display of 10.3 therefore means ten overs and three balls, not ten-point-three overs. Deliveries that do not count towards the six can increase the actual number bowled. In an imaginary chase of 151, a total of 120 leaves 31 more runs needed to win, provided the official target has not changed.
The format changes the question
The ICC guide to formats distinguishes T20, normally twenty overs per side, ODI cricket with fifty, and multi-day Test cricket with different innings arrangements. In limited-overs games, compare runs required with balls and wickets remaining. Rain can lead to a revised target under the competition's conditions. Use the announced target rather than trying to reconstruct it from an interrupted scoreboard.
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