Wides, no-balls, byes and leg-byes: who is charged for what
Extras add runs to the team total, but they are not all charged the same way. This guide shows how each type affects the batter, the bowler and the number of legal balls in an over.
By CricketCals · Published 14 October 2026 · Updated 14 October 2026
Extras are runs that do not come off the bat. They go into the team total, and they appear in a separate line on the scorecard, but they are not all treated alike. Some are charged to the bowler, some are not, and some change the number of balls in the over. Mixing them up is the main reason bowlers’ figures do not match the team score.
This guide sets out the five types and a quick reference table you can use when checking a scorecard.
Wides
A wide is a delivery the umpire judges to be too wide of the batter for a normal stroke. The batting side receives one penalty run, plus any runs the batters complete or any boundary the ball reaches, and all of these are recorded as wides. A ball that runs to the boundary after being called wide scores five wides: the one-run penalty and four for the boundary.
A wide is not a legal delivery, so it does not count towards the six balls of the over. The bowler must deliver another ball. All wide runs are charged to the bowler. The batter is not credited with any runs, and the ball does not count as a ball faced for strike-rate purposes.
No-balls
A no-ball can be called for several reasons, including a front-foot overstep, a dangerous delivery or a fielding infringement. The batting side receives one penalty run, and the ball is not a legal delivery, so the bowler bowls again.
Unlike a wide, the batter can score off a no-ball. Runs struck off the bat are credited to the batter and also charged to the bowler, along with the penalty run. If the batters run byes or leg-byes from a no-ball, those runs are recorded as no-balls, and the bowler is charged for them as well. A no-ball does count as a ball faced by the striker, which is why strike-rate calculations use the recorded balls-faced figure rather than a count of legal balls. In limited-overs cricket a no-ball is often followed by a free hit, with the details set by the event’s playing conditions.
Byes and leg-byes
A bye is scored when the ball passes the batter without touching the bat or body and the batters run, usually because the wicketkeeper cannot collect it. A leg-bye is scored when the ball touches the batter’s body (not the bat or the glove holding the bat) while the batter is attempting a shot or trying to avoid the ball, and the batters then run.
Both count as legal deliveries, so they use up one of the six balls. Both go into the team total as extras. Neither is credited to the batter, and neither is charged to the bowler. The delivery is a ball faced by the striker.
Penalty runs
Some infringements by the fielding side award five penalty runs to the batting side, such as the ball hitting a helmet left on the ground behind the wicketkeeper. They are recorded as penalty extras and are not charged to the bowler or credited to a batter. They are rare, but they explain a small mismatch in some scorecards.
Quick reference
| Type | Runs added to team | Legal ball in the over? | Credited to batter? | Charged to bowler? | Ball faced by striker? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 1 plus any run or boundary | No | No | Yes | No |
| No-ball | 1 plus runs off the bat | No | Runs off the bat only | Yes | Yes |
| Bye | Runs completed | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Leg-bye | Runs completed | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Penalty runs | 5 | Not applicable | No | No | Not applicable |
Modified competitions can change these settings, so use the scoring rules of your own event when checking a result.
Checking a scorecard with extras
A team finishes on 162 for 4 with extras of 12: byes 1, leg-byes 4, wides 6 and no-balls 1. The bowlers are charged wides and no-balls, which is 6 + 1 = 7 of the extras. Byes and leg-byes, 1 + 4 = 5, are not charged to anyone. So the bowlers’ runs are 162 − 5 = 157, as in the scorecard walkthrough.
The same effect appears over by over. If a bowler’s team adds 40 runs during a four-over spell and six of them are byes and leg-byes, the bowler is charged 34 and the economy is 34 ÷ 4 = 8.50, not 40 ÷ 4 = 10.00. The economy guide shows this in a full over.
Practice questions with answers
Try these on your own first, then compare with the answers.
Question 1. A wide runs to the boundary. How many runs are added, and how are they recorded?
Answer. One penalty run plus four for the boundary: 5 wides, all charged to the bowler. The ball does not count in the over.
Question 2. A batter hits a no-ball for six. What does the team, the batter and the bowler get?
Answer. The team gets 7, the batter is credited with 6, and the bowler is charged 7. It counts as a ball faced but not as a legal ball.
Question 3. Two leg-byes are run from a legal ball. What changes?
Answer. The team total rises by 2. The batter gets no runs, the bowler is not charged, the ball counts as a legal ball and as a ball faced.
Check your own figures
Check the bowler’s analysis rather than the team total, then enter the runs charged to the bowler into the economy calculator.
Open the Bowling Economy calculatorQuestions readers ask
Do wides count as balls bowled?
No. A wide is not a legal delivery, so it does not advance the over. The bowler must bowl another ball.
Does a no-ball count as a ball faced?
Yes, under standard scoring the striker is credited with a ball faced, which is why balls faced and legal balls can differ.
Are byes charged to the bowler?
No. Byes and leg-byes go into the team total as extras but are not charged to the bowler.
Can a batter score off a wide?
No. Runs from a wide are recorded as wides. A batter can be stumped or run out off a wide, but cannot be credited with runs.
How this guide was checked
Published by CricketCals. Every match, score and player in this guide is a fictional teaching example, so you can reproduce each answer from the figures shown. Calculations keep full precision until the final rounding. If a published scorecard or a competition rule disagrees with a figure here, the official record and the event's playing conditions take priority. You can send a correction with the figures and the rule you used.
- MCC Laws of Cricket: Laws 21, 22 and 23 cover no-balls, wides, byes and leg-byes.
- ICC playing conditions: Free hits and other event-specific rules.
