Know About Bye or Leg Bye in Cricket
Feb 4, 2025, 11:28 IST

Cricket poses numerous rules and specialized terms that pose challenges for those who start playing the game. The game includes two key elements of play identified as "byes" and "leg byes." Learning these particular rules enhances your cricket knowledge even if the language sounds complicated at first.
What is a Bye in Cricket?
Running opportunities arise when a batter fails to catch a fair delivery, allowing the batters to advance even though the wicketkeeper is not intercepting it. The team accrues these runs, yet they do not add to the record of the batters themselves.
The delivery follows its trajectory when batters miss the ball, after which the wicketkeeper fails to stop it, so the batters either reach the creases or cross the boundary rope for a boundary A six through byes does not count because a ball must be hit with the bat to qualify as a six.
What is a Leg Bye in Cricket?
A leg bye becomes valid when a batted ball touches any section of the batter's body except their bat or glove, then allows the batter to run for scoring.
Key Conditions:
1. Only attempts at hitting the ball or defensive movements by the batter will result in the official awarding of one or more byes.
2. The batters can not receive a leg bye even when they run unless they try to play a stroke to protect their stumps.
Batters earn leg byes after balls strike their protective equipment since these instances do not meet LBW requirements.
Scoring Rules for Byes and Leg Byes
- An umpire uses two hand motions to signal byes when one arm extends above the head.
- The umpire uses a knee or thigh tap to announce a leg byes event.
- The runs obtained from byes and leg byes enhance team totals, but they do not count toward batting performance.
Impact on Wicketkeepers
Wicketkeepers demonstrate negative reactions to any byes given up because they believe these run-ins affect their overall performance ratings. The bowler's figures get affected by wides rather than affecting the statistics of the wicketkeeper despite balls being too distant from the batter.
Conclusion
A single bye, leg-bye event transforms the course of a match despite their ordinary nature. Your knowledge of cricket expands regardless of whether you play or officiate the game or follow it as a fan by grasping these rules. When you observe the umpire use either a raised-arm signal or knee tap during a match, then you will understand their field activities with precision.