R15 Cricket: No-Ball Score Calculation

The penalty and the ball’s outcome are separate

MCC Law 21 awards one run immediately when no-ball is called. That penalty is scored as a no-ball extra and debited against the bowler. It stands in addition to other runs, boundary allowance and any other applicable penalties, even if a batter is dismissed, unless the call is revoked under the law.

Worked example: a boundary from the bat

Suppose a no-ball is hit by the bat and reaches the boundary for four. The batting side receives the one-run no-ball penalty plus the four-run boundary allowance: five runs from the delivery. The one penalty run is recorded as a no-ball extra; the boundary runs are credited to the striker. Do not read the display as five runs all scored from the bat.

If bat contact does not happen

When bat does not strike the ball, any completed runs are not credited to the striker as bat runs; the law directs them to byes or leg-byes as appropriate, alongside the no-ball extra. The event notation and the scorecard columns therefore answer different questions: how many runs were added, and which source receives credit.

No-ball also affects the over count

A no-ball does not count as one of the six valid balls of an over under MCC Law 17. This means a no-ball can add a penalty and other runs while the over still needs another valid delivery. For market or score interpretation, identify the competition’s settlement scope separately; the scoring law itself does not define a betting market.

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