How to Play Cricket: Overs, Runs, Wickets and Formats
Updated
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game between two teams of eleven. One team bats and scores runs by hitting the ball and running between the wickets, while the other bowls and fields and tries to get the batters out. The team with more runs wins.
The rules below follow the Laws of Cricket kept by the MCC, and the formats come from Wikipedia's cricket article. Looking for the dartboard game called cricket? It is covered in how to play darts.
The pitch, the wickets and the players
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| Teams | Two sides of eleven players; one side bats while the other fields |
| Pitch | The strip in the middle of the field, 22 yards (20.12 m) long |
| Wicket | Three stumps with two bails resting on them, one set at each end of the pitch |
| Batters | Two at a time: the striker faces the ball and the non-striker waits at the other end |
| Bowler | The fielder who delivers the ball from one end |
| Wicket-keeper | The fielder who stands behind the striker's wicket |
How a match works
- The captains toss a coin, and the winner decides whether to bat or to field.
- A side's turn to bat is an innings. A match has one or two innings per side, and an innings may be limited to a number of overs.
- The bowler delivers the ball to the striker. Six valid balls make an over, and then a different bowler bowls the next over from the other end. A bowler may not bowl two overs in a row.
- Wides and no-balls are not valid balls. Each costs the bowling side a run, and the ball is bowled again.
- An innings ends when ten batters are out, when the overs run out in a limited-overs match, or when the captain declares.
How runs are scored
| How | Runs |
|---|---|
| Running: both batters cross and reach the other end | 1 for each run, and they can run again |
| Four: the ball reaches the boundary after bouncing | 4 |
| Six: the ball clears the boundary off the bat without bouncing | 6 |
| Wide or no-ball | 1 extra run for the batting side, plus any runs scored |
| Bye or leg bye | Runs run when the ball passes the batter (bye) or hits their body but not the bat (leg bye) |
Runs off the bat count for the striker. Extras, which are wides, no-balls, byes and leg byes, go to the team total only.
How a batter gets out
The fielding side must appeal, usually by shouting "How's that?", and the umpire then decides. A batter is not given out without an appeal.
| Way out | What happens |
|---|---|
| Bowled | The ball breaks the wicket, even if it first touches the bat or the batter's body |
| Caught | A fielder holds the ball after it touches the bat and before it touches the ground |
| Leg before wicket (LBW) | The ball hits the batter's body instead of the bat, and the umpire judges it would have hit the stumps. Where it pitched and where it hit also matter |
| Run out | A fielder breaks the wicket while a batter is out of their ground |
| Stumped | The wicket-keeper breaks the wicket while the striker is out of their ground and not running |
| Hit wicket | The striker breaks their own wicket with the bat or body |
Rarer ways are hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field and being timed out, which means not being ready within 3 minutes. On a no-ball, a batter can be out only by run out, hitting the ball twice or obstructing the field.
How to win
The side with more runs wins. When each side bats once, the second side chases the first side's total. If it passes it, it wins by the number of wickets it still has left. If it runs out of wickets or overs first, the first side wins by runs. Equal scores are a tie, and a timed match that is not finished is a draw.
Test, ODI and T20
| Format | Length | Innings |
|---|---|---|
| Test | Up to five days | Two innings per side, and a draw is possible |
| One Day International (ODI) | One day | One innings per side of 50 overs, with 10 overs at most per bowler |
| Twenty20 (T20) | About three hours | One innings per side of 20 overs, with 4 overs at most per bowler |
Cricket games in your browser
Browser cricket is mostly about batting: in each game below you play the batter and time a tap or click to hit the ball. All of them play free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
- Street Cricket gives you a target, a ball and wickets each round. Tap to hit, and a fuller power bar sends the shot higher for more runs.
- Cricket 2020 makes you the last wicket, scoring as much as you can to lead your team to victory. Tap to hit a shot.
- T20 Cricket has the bowler run in fast while you tap or click to defend or hit hard.
- Mini Stadium is a fast cricket arcade game: tap or click to play shots and swipe up for big shots.
- Cricket Champions Cup says you follow the cricket rules and hit the ball without being caught by the fielders, for as many rounds as you can.
- Cricket Hero is a variation: balls, eggs and more come at you from all directions, and three misses in a row put you out.
More bat-and-ball and net games are in the sports category.
Tips for new players
- Count six valid balls to an over. Wides and no-balls do not count, so an over can take more than six deliveries.
- Keep the ball on the ground for safe runs. A ball in the air can be caught, so lift it when you are going for a four or a six.
- Protect your wickets. Ten wickets end the innings, so a side that loses wickets early has fewer overs to score in.
- Appeal if you think it is out. An umpire does not give a batter out without an appeal.
Common questions about cricket
How many balls are in an over?
Six valid balls. A wide or a no-ball does not count, so the bowler bowls it again.
How many runs is a four and a six?
A ball that reaches the boundary after bouncing scores 4. A ball hit off the bat that clears the boundary without bouncing scores 6.
How do you get out in cricket?
The common ways are bowled, caught, leg before wicket, run out, stumped and hit wicket. Hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field and being timed out are rare.
What is the difference between Test, ODI and T20?
A Test lasts up to five days with two innings a side. An ODI is one day with 50 overs a side, and a T20 is 20 overs a side and takes about three hours.
Count six balls to an over, score off the bat, and keep your wickets.
