Scorer's Guide to Cricket Canada Scoring and MCC Laws Open Age 2026

Under Law 3 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026):

• Two scorers: two scorers are appointed to record all runs scored, all wickets taken and, where appropriate, the number of overs bowled (3.1).
• Check against each other: the scorers must frequently check that their records agree (3.2).
• Agree with the umpires: they agree with the umpires the runs scored, the wickets that have fallen and, where appropriate, the overs bowled, at least at every interval other than a drinks interval, and at the conclusion of the match (3.2 and 2.15).
• Follow signals: they accept all instructions and signals from the umpires and immediately acknowledge each separate signal (3.3).
• Final result: once the umpires have agreed the scores with the scorers at the end of the match, the result cannot be changed (16.10).

Under Law 2.13 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026), the bowler's end umpire repeats these signals to the scorers when the ball is dead:

• Dead ball: crossing and re-crossing the wrists below the waist.
• No ball: one arm extended horizontally.
• Wide: both arms extended horizontally.

These signals are made to the scorers only when the ball is dead:

• Boundary 4: waving an arm from side to side, finishing with the arm across the chest.
• Boundary 6: raising both arms above the head.
• Bye: raising an open hand above the head.
• Leg bye: touching a raised knee with the hand.
• Short run: bending one arm upwards and touching the nearer shoulder with the fingertips.
• New ball: holding the ball above the head.
• Revoke last signal: touching both shoulders, each with the opposite hand.
• 5 Penalty runs to the batting side: repeatedly tapping one shoulder with the opposite hand.
• 5 Penalty runs to the fielding side: placing one hand on the opposite shoulder.
• Commencement of Last hour: pointing to a raised wrist with the other hand.
• Level 3 and Level 4 conduct offences (Law 42): each has two parts, and you acknowledge both parts separately. Both start with one arm out to the side, repeatedly raised and lowered. Part 2 for Level 3 is both hands raised to shoulder height with fingers spread and palms towards the scorers. Part 2 for Level 4 is an index finger raised at shoulder height to the side of the body.

Acknowledging: the scorers must immediately acknowledge each separate signal (Law 3.3). The umpire waits for each to be separately acknowledged before play proceeds, and gives several signals in the order the events occurred (2.13.2).

Under Law 17 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026):

• An over is 6 valid balls, bowled from each end alternately (17.1).
• A ball does not count as one of the 6 balls of the over unless it is delivered (17.3.1).
• A delivered ball does not count if it is:
  • called dead, or considered dead, before the striker has had an opportunity to play it
  • a No ball
  • a Wide
  • called dead in the circumstances of Law 20.4.2.6
  • a delivery where Law 24.4 (Player returning without permission), 28.2 (Fielding the ball), 41.4 (Deliberate attempt to distract or obstruct striker) or 41.5 (Deliberate distraction, deception or obstruction of batter) is applied.
• Any other delivery is a valid ball, and only valid balls count towards the 6 (17.3.3).
• When 6 valid balls have been bowled and the ball becomes dead, the umpire calls Over (17.4).
• If the umpire miscounts, the over as counted by the umpire stands (17.5.1).
• A bowler may not bowl two overs consecutively, nor parts of each of two consecutive overs, in the same innings (17.6). If a bowler is incapacitated or suspended mid-over, another bowler completes it from the same end under the same restriction (17.8).

Under Law 22 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026):

• Signal: the umpire extends both arms horizontally. The bowler's end umpire repeats it to you when the ball is dead.
• Penalty: one run is awarded instantly on the call. It stands even if a batter is dismissed, unless the call is revoked, and it is in addition to any other runs scored, any boundary allowance and any other penalty runs (22.6).
• How it is scored: all runs completed by the batters or a boundary allowance, together with the one-run penalty, are scored as Wides. Apart from any award of 5 Penalty runs, all runs resulting from a Wide are debited against the bowler (22.7).
• The over: a Wide does not count as one of the six balls of the over (22.8).
• Revoked calls: the umpire revokes a Wide if the ball touches the striker's bat or person before it touches a fielder, or if the delivery is called a No ball (22.3).
• Dismissals: after a Wide, a batter can be out only Hit wicket, Obstructing the field, Run out or Stumped (22.9). The one-run penalty still stands when a batter is stumped off a Wide (39.4).

Under Law 21 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026):

• Signal: the umpire extends one arm horizontally. The bowler's end umpire repeats it to you when the ball is dead.
• Penalty: one run is awarded instantly on the call. It stands even if a batter is dismissed, unless the call is revoked, and it is in addition to any other runs scored, any boundary allowance and any other penalty runs (21.14).
• How it is scored: the one-run penalty goes in the No ball extras column and is debited against the bowler (21.15).
• Runs off the bat: runs completed by the batters or a boundary are credited to the striker if the ball was struck by the bat. Otherwise they are scored as Byes or Leg byes as appropriate (21.15, 18.10.2).
• The over: a No ball does not count as one of the six balls of the over (21.16).
• Revoked calls: if the umpire revokes the call of No ball (for example because Dead ball is called under certain parts of Law 20), remove the penalty. A Revoke last signal is given by touching both shoulders, each with the opposite hand.
• Dismissals: after a No ball a batter can be out only Hit the ball twice, Obstructing the field or Run out (21.17).
• No ball overrides Wide: if a delivery is called No ball, any Wide call is revoked (21.12, 22.3.2).

Under Law 23 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026):

Byes (23.1)

• If a delivery that is not a Wide passes the striker without touching the striker's bat or person, any runs completed by the batters or a boundary allowance are credited as Byes to the batting side.
• The signal is an open hand raised above the head.
• If the delivery is also a No ball, the one-run No ball penalty is incurred in addition.

Leg byes (23.2)

• If a delivery first strikes the striker's person, runs are scored only if the umpire is satisfied that the striker either attempted to play the ball with the bat or tried to avoid being hit.
• If so, and there is no subsequent contact with the striker's bat or person (or only inadvertent contact), runs completed or a boundary allowance are scored as Leg byes. They are credited to the striker if there was subsequent contact with the bat.
• The signal is touching a raised knee with the hand.
• If neither condition is met, Leg byes are not awarded (23.3).
• If the delivery is also a No ball, the one-run No ball penalty is incurred in addition.

Byes or leg byes from a No ball (18.10.2): only the one-run penalty is scored as a No ball extra, and the remainder is scored as Byes or Leg byes as appropriate.

Bowler's figures: the bowler is not debited with Byes or Leg byes. They are debited only with runs scored by the striker, No ball extras and Wides (18.10.3).

Under Laws 18 and 19 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026):

Boundaries

• Before the toss, the umpires and both captains settle the boundary allowances, guided by the prevailing custom of the ground. Unless determined differently, a Boundary 6 is 6 runs and a Boundary 4 is 4 runs (19.6).
• A Boundary 6 is scored if and only if the ball has been struck by the bat and is first grounded beyond the boundary without having touched the ground within the field of play, even if it previously touched a fielder (19.7.1).
• A Boundary 4 is scored when a ball grounded beyond the boundary was first grounded within the boundary, or was not struck by the bat (19.7.2).
• The batting side is awarded the greater of the boundary allowance or the runs completed by the batters (plus the run in progress if they had already crossed) at the instant the boundary is scored (19.7.3). Penalty runs are not affected (19.7.5).
• Overthrows and wilful acts of a fielder are handled under 19.8, which adds the boundary allowance to runs completed at the instant of the throw or act.

Crediting runs (18.10)

• If the ball is struck by the bat, all runs are credited to the striker, except 5 Penalty runs (scored as Penalty runs) and the one-run No ball penalty (scored as a No ball extra).
• If the ball is not struck by the bat, runs are scored as Penalty runs, Byes, Leg byes, No ball extras or Wides as the case may be.
• The bowler is debited with all runs scored by the striker, all No ball extras and all Wides.

Under Law 18.3 to 18.5 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026):

• What it is: a run is short if a batter fails to make good their ground in turning for a further run.
• Signal: the umpire at the end where the short running happened signals Short run by bending one arm upwards and touching the nearer shoulder with the fingertips. The bowler's end umpire then repeats the signal to the scorers once the ball is dead.
• Unintentional short run: that run is not scored. A short run shortens the next one, but the next run, if completed, is not regarded as short.
• Both batters short in the same run: counts as only one short run.
• More than one short run: all runs called short are not scored, and the umpire tells the scorers how many runs to record.
• Boundary scored: if either or both batters ran short and then a boundary is scored, the short running is disregarded and Short run is not called, unless the boundary was a result of an overthrow or wilful act of a fielder.
• Deliberate short run: the umpire disallows all runs to the batting side, signals any No ball or Wide, repeats the Short run signal to the scorers and awards 5 Penalty runs to the fielding side. The fielding captain decides which batter faces the next delivery.

Under Law 41.17 and Law 18 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026):

Signals: when the ball is dead, the umpire signals Penalty runs to the scorers. Tapping one shoulder repeatedly with the opposite hand means 5 Penalty runs to the batting side. Placing one hand on the opposite shoulder means 5 Penalty runs to the fielding side.

5 Penalty runs to the batting side (41.17.3)

• Score them as Penalty extras, in addition to any other penalties.
• They are awarded when the ball is dead and are not runs from the previous or the next delivery. They are in addition to any runs from those deliveries.
• The batters do not change ends solely because of the 5-run Penalty.

5 Penalty runs to the fielding side (41.17.4)

• Add them as Penalty extras to that side's total in its most recently completed innings. If that side has not completed an innings, add them to its next innings.

How they are credited (18.10)

• 5 Penalty runs are scored as Penalty runs, not credited to the striker even if the ball was struck by the bat, and not debited to the bowler.
• Where more than one award of Penalty runs is required during the same delivery, the umpires award them in the order the offences took place (41.17.2).
• Penalty runs are awarded up until the umpires leave the field at the end of the match, even if a result has already been reached (41.17.2).

Deliberate short running (18.5): the batting side's runs for that delivery are disallowed, any No ball or Wide is still signalled, and 5 Penalty runs are awarded to the fielding side.

Under the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026), the ways a batter can be out include Bowled (32), Caught (33), Hit the ball twice (34), Hit wicket (35), LBW (36), Obstructing the field (37), Run out (38), Stumped (39) and Timed out (40, if the incoming batter is not ready within 3 minutes).

Bowler credit: the bowler does not get credit for the wicket when a batter is out Hit the ball twice (34.5), Obstructing the field (37.6), Run out (38.6) or Timed out (40.2).

Runs when a batter is dismissed (Law 18.8)

• Any penalty runs awarded to either side stand. No other runs are credited to the batting side, except as follows.
• Obstructing the field: runs completed before the offence are also scored. If the obstruction prevented a catch being made, no runs other than penalties are scored.
• Run out: runs completed before the wicket was fairly broken are also scored.
• The one-run penalty for a No ball or Wide stands even if a batter is dismissed.

Which dismissals are possible from extras

• After a No ball, a batter can be out only Hit the ball twice, Obstructing the field or Run out (21.17).
• After a Wide, a batter can be out only Hit wicket, Obstructing the field, Run out or Stumped (22.9).

Batters' ends: when the striker is out Bowled, Stumped, Hit the ball twice, LBW, Hit wicket or Caught, the not out batter returns to their original end (18.11.1).

Under Law 16 of the MCC Laws of Cricket (2017 Code, 4th Edition 2026):

Stating the result (16.7)

• If the side batting last wins without losing all its wickets, the result is a win by the number of wickets still to fall.
• If the side fielding last wins, it is a win by runs.
• If the side batting last completes its innings without passing the opposing total, but an award of 5 Penalty runs makes its total sufficient, the result is a win to that side by Penalty runs.
• If one side concedes defeat or refuses to play, the result is Match Conceded or Match Awarded.
• A Tie is when all innings are completed and the scores are equal (16.5.1).

Winning hit (16.6)

• As soon as a result is reached, the match is at an end. Nothing after that counts as part of it, except Penalty runs awarded under Law 41.17.2 up until the umpires leave the field.
• If a boundary is hit before the batters have run enough to win, the whole boundary allowance is credited to the side's total and, for a hit by the bat, to the striker's score.

Agreeing the scores: the scorers and umpires agree runs, wickets and (where appropriate) overs at every interval other than a drinks interval, and at the conclusion of the match (Laws 2.15 and 3.2). Once the umpires have agreed the correctness of the scores with the scorers at the end of the match, the result cannot be changed (16.10).

Mistake found after players and umpires have left the field (16.9): if the umpires discover a scoring mistake that affects the result, and the side batting last has not completed its innings and the overs or the agreed time have not run out, they order play to resume. If the overs have been completed and no playing time remains, or the side batting last has completed its innings, the umpires immediately tell both captains the necessary corrections to the scores and result. This is subject to 16.10.