Know About Bye or Leg Bye in Cricket

In cricket, "byes" and "leg byes" are those extras for which the batting team scores without attributing those runs to the batsman, which take place in specific situations while playing and are described by the Laws of Cricket.

The byes are awarded when a legitimate delivery passes the batsman without hitting his bat or his body and the batsmen run safely to the next wicket. These runs are included in the score of the team as 'byes' but aren't included in the individual runs for the batsman or in the bowler's scorecard. In case the wicketkeeper fails to catch the ball and moves towards the boundary, four byes are included in the score of the team.

A bye is signaled by raising one arm straight vertically above his head by the umpire. Leg byes can be applied if the ball, bowled by the bowler, hits the body of the batsman or his protective equipment except the glove which he is using to hold the bat and the batters have run for this and cannot go back.

The umpire will award these runs if the umpire feels that the batsman has tried to play a shot or evaded the impact of the ball. If the umpire thinks that neither condition is satisfied, no leg byes are credited, and the ball is considered dead. An umpire indicates leg byes by touching his raised knee. Both byes and leg byes are credited as extras on the scorebook and are not added to either the batsman's or bowler's total. While wides and no balls will always be on the bowler's shoulders, byes are taken as more of the wicketkeeper's inability. Leg byes are the result of hitting the ball on the batter's body under the conditions stated above.

Understanding these rules is important in really appreciating the intricacies of cricket scoring and who contributes toward it.