How to Record a Run Out: Runs, Batter Out and Who Faces
By the Cricket Score Counter Editorial Team · Updated · 5 min read
A run out is the busiest moment a scorer faces: you have to decide which runs count, which batter is out, and where the new batter goes, all within a few seconds. The rules are logical once you know them, and this guide walks through each one with real numbers.
Key takeaways
- Runs completed before the run out count; the run in progress when the wicket is broken does not.
- The batter out is the one whose ground is at the end where the wicket was put down, which depends on whether they had crossed.
- A run out is never credited to the bowler; record the fielder or fielders involved instead.
- The new batter takes the end left vacant by the dismissed batter, unless the over has ended.
- Off a wide or no-ball, the one-run penalty still counts even if a batter is run out.
Three questions for every run out
When a fielder breaks the stumps and the umpire raises a finger, a scorer needs three answers before tapping anything. How many runs count? Which batter is out? Who faces the next ball? If you settle all three in that order, you will get almost every run out right.
It helps to watch the batters rather than the ball once a run out looks likely. The ball tells you where the wicket was broken. The batters tell you everything else: whether they had crossed, how many runs they completed, and who ends up where.
If you missed it, ask the umpire at the end of the over. It is far better to pause for twenty seconds than to send the wrong batter back to the pavilion in your records.
Which runs count
Every run completed before the wicket was broken counts. The run the batters were attempting at the moment of the run out does not. If the striker drives to long-on, the batters complete one and the striker is run out turning for a second, the team gets 1 run, credited to the striker if the ball came off the bat.
If the ball was not hit, the completed runs are extras of the right type: byes, leg byes, wides or no-balls. So a run out off a wide after one completed run adds 2 wides, being the penalty plus the run, and a wicket. Off a no-ball the penalty run stands in the same way.
The ball counts in the over if it was a fair delivery. Run outs do not change that. A run out off the third ball of an over still leaves three balls to bowl.
| Situation | Runs added | Recorded as | Legal ball? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hit, out going for the first run | 0 | Wicket only | Yes |
| Hit, 1 completed, out going for second | 1 | 1 to batter | Yes |
| Missed by bat, 1 completed, then out | 1 | 1 bye or leg bye | Yes |
| Wide, 1 completed, then out | 2 | 2 wides | No |
| No-ball hit, 2 completed, then out | 3 | 2 to batter, 1 no-ball | No |
| Non-striker run out before delivery | 0 | Wicket only | No |
Which batter is out
Each batter has a ground at one end. When both are in the middle of the pitch, the Laws give each end's ground to the batter nearer to it. That is why crossing matters for run outs. Before the batters cross, each is still nearer the end they started from. After they cross, each is nearer the end they are running towards.
So if the wicket is broken at the striker's end, the batter out is whichever batter's ground that is. If they had not crossed, it is the batter who left that end. If they had crossed, it is the batter running towards it. This is regardless of who called for the run or who was the slower runner.
There is one special case. If one batter has stayed in or returned to their ground and the other has run to join them, the batter who was there first keeps that ground. The other one is out if the wicket at the empty end is broken.
Who faces the next ball
After a run out, the not-out batter stays at the end they reached, and the new batter takes the other end. In practice that means the new batter goes to the end where the wicket was broken. Whoever is at the striker's end faces the next ball.
The exception is the last ball of the over. Ends change at the end of every over, so if a run out happens on the sixth legal ball, work out where the batters are, then swap for the new over. The batter at the bowler's end becomes the striker for the next bowler.
Do not confuse this with the 2022 change for catches. Since October 2022, when a batter is caught, the new batter always comes to the striker's end, except at the end of an over, no matter whether the batters crossed. That change applies to caught dismissals only. Run outs still depend on where the batters are.
Run outs off wides, no-balls and before the ball is bowled
Run out is one of the few dismissals possible off any delivery, including wides, no-balls and free hits. The penalty run stays in the score. Because the wide or no-ball is not a legal delivery, the over count does not move, so the same ball number is bowled again to the new batter.
The non-striker can also be run out by the bowler before the ball is delivered, if they leave their ground too early. Since 2022 this sits in Law 38 as an ordinary run out. It is not a ball in the over and it is not credited to the bowler, even though the bowler did the work. Many local groups have a house rule requiring a warning first; that is a common local variation, not a Law.
Mistakes to avoid
The two most frequent errors are crediting the bowler and counting the run in progress. Both inflate numbers that people care about. A bowler with three wickets, one of which was a run out, has two wickets in the official figures.
On Cricket Score Counter, record the run out with the wicket button, making sure the dismissed batter and the completed runs are right. Take a breath before you confirm. If you get it wrong, use undo straight away so the strike and the batting card stay correct.
- Do not add the run in progress.
- Do not give the wicket to the bowler; note the fielder instead.
- Do not assume the striker is the one out.
- Check where the new batter goes before the next ball.
- On a wide or no-ball run out, keep the penalty run.
Put it into practice
Score your next match ball by ball for free and share a live scorecard link with everyone watching. No sign-up needed.
Frequently asked questions
Does the bowler get a wicket for a run out?
No. Run outs are credited to the fielding side but not to the bowler's figures. Scorecards usually show the fielder in brackets, for example run out (Khan), or the thrower and the player who broke the stumps.
If the batters crossed, does the new batter face?
Not necessarily. The new batter goes to the end left empty by the dismissed batter. If that is the striker's end, they face the next ball; if it is the bowler's end, the not-out batter faces.
Can a batter be run out off a no-ball or free hit?
Yes. Run out is one of the dismissals still possible off a no-ball and off a free hit. The one-run penalty is still added along with any runs completed before the wicket.
What happens if the run out is on the last ball of the over?
Work out the batters' positions as normal, then change ends for the new over. The batter standing at the bowler's end after the run out becomes the striker for the first ball of the next over.
This guide follows the MCC Laws of Cricket and common competition playing conditions. Local leagues and friendly matches often use their own rules, so always agree them before the toss. Spotted something we should correct? Contact us.