What Are Byes and Leg Byes in Cricket?

 

What Are Byes and Leg Byes in Cricket? (Simple Explanation)

Sometimes runs are scored without the bat touching the ball.
These runs are called byes and leg byes.

Let’s understand them clearly and simply.

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What Are Byes in Cricket?

Byes are runs scored when:

• Ball passes the batsman

• Does not touch bat or body

• Wicketkeeper fails to stop it

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What Are Leg Byes?

Leg byes are runs scored when:

• Ball hits the batsman’s body or pad

• Batsman tries to play a shot

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Key Difference Between Byes and Leg Byes

Byes	Leg Byes
No contact with bat or body	Hits body or pad
Keeper misses ball	Batsman attempts a shot
Counted as extras	Counted as extras

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Why Byes & Leg Byes Matter

They:

• Increase team score

• Do not count for batsman

• Affect bowling statistics

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Final Summary

✔ Byes = no contact
✔ Leg byes = hits body
✔ Both are extras
✔ Do not count for batsman

• Learn basics at Cricket Rules Explained Simply for Beginners

• Understand extras in What Are Extras in Cricket?

• Learn dismissal rules in What Is LBW in Cricket?