Run (cricket) facts for kids

Image:This is scoring.OGG Cricket is a fun sport with many different ways to play. In most cricket games, the team that scores the most runs wins! A run is like a point. You score runs by hitting the ball and running between two sets of wickets.

When a bowler throws the ball, a player called the "striker" tries to hit it. If they hit the ball, both the striker and another player (the "non-striker") run across the pitch. The pitch is about 22 yards (20 m) long. To score a run, both players must reach the line (called the crease) at the other end of the pitch. They need to touch the ground behind the crease with their bat or body. If a fielder knocks over the wicket with the ball before a player reaches their crease, that player can be run out. This means they are out of the game for that turn.

You can score more than one run at a time! If the ball rolls along the ground and hits the boundary rope, you get four runs. If the ball flies over the boundary rope without touching the ground, you get six runs! This is a bit like a home run in baseball. Sometimes, if the ball goes very far, players can run back and forth multiple times to score even more runs. The team's total score is all the runs added together.

What Are Extras?

Sometimes, runs are scored even when the batsman doesn't hit the ball. These are called "extras" or "sundries." Extras can happen if the bowler throws the ball in an illegal way. They can also happen if the fielders don't stop the ball properly. These runs still count towards the team's total score.

What Are Runners?

Imagine a player gets hurt while batting and can't run. In some cricket games, another player called a "runner" can run for them. The injured player still bats, but the runner does all the running between the wickets. Both the injured batsman and the runner can be run out. This means if one of them is not safely behind the crease, both players are out. In international cricket, using runners has not been allowed since 2011.

Images for kids

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  Harmanpreet Kaur taking a run while batting for Sydney Thunder, 2018.

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  Scoreboard showing number of runs scored by batter Harmanpreet Kaur (150), including how many boundaries she has scored (19 fours and 5 sixes).

See also

In Spanish: Carrera (críquet) para niños