Leg byes in cricket are runs awarded to the batting side after the ball first hits the striker's body, provided the umpire is satisfied that the batter attempted a shot or tried to avoid being hit. Simply letting the ball strike a pad does not automatically earn runs. The qualification matters even when the ball travels to the boundary.
The ICC's men's T20I playing conditions, linked from its current official playing conditions page, set out the rule in clause 23. They also explain the difference between a bye and a leg bye, the treatment of a no ball and the unusual situation in which a ball touches the pad before the bat.
| Situation | How the runs are recorded |
|---|---|
| Ball misses both bat and body and is not a wide | Byes for completed runs or a boundary allowance |
| Ball hits the body first and the required attempt is made | Leg byes, unless subsequent bat contact changes the credit |
| No shot and no attempt to avoid being hit | Running runs and boundary allowance disallowed |
| No ball plus two valid leg byes | Three team runs, recorded separately |
When are leg byes allowed in cricket?
Clause 23.2.1 gives the umpire two alternative tests. The striker must either have attempted to play the ball with the bat or tried to avoid being struck. Meeting either condition is enough. A missed defensive stroke can qualify just as an attacking shot can. The rule asks whether there was an attempt, rather than whether the batter made useful contact.
Consider a hypothetical batter who plays forward, misses and is struck on the pad. If the ball rolls into the outfield and the batters complete a run, the team can receive one leg bye. Now consider a batter taking evasive action against a ball that nevertheless hits the body. That avoidance attempt can also satisfy the rule. The umpire decides whether the condition has been met.
The name can be misleading: clause 23 refers to the striker's person, rather than only the leg. The starting question is body contact before bat contact. This scoring rule does not itself settle a separate dismissal appeal. For the distinct tests governing a pad impact and a wicket, read our guide to Retired hurt vs retired out: when a cricket batter can return.
What happens if the batter offers no shot?
If the umpire considers that the striker neither tried to play the ball nor tried to avoid it, clause 23.3 prevents leg byes. If the ball has not already become dead for another reason, the umpire delays the dead ball call until it reaches the boundary or the first run is completed. A run apparently completed on the field therefore need not appear in the total.
The umpire then disallows the running runs or boundary allowance and sends any batter who remains not out back to the original end. An applicable no ball is still signalled. The clause also preserves applicable five run penalties, with an exception for the penalty concerning a fielding side's protective helmet. It is inaccurate to describe this situation as automatically wiping out every possible extra.
Do leg byes count against the batter or bowler?
Valid leg byes increase the team's total without adding to the striker's personal score. Clause 18.10.3 lists the runs charged to the bowler: runs credited to the striker, no ball extras and wides. Byes and leg byes are outside that list. A bowler can therefore see the opposition total rise while the runs conceded in the bowling figures stay unchanged.
A no ball must be separated from the leg byes it produces. Suppose, in an illustrative delivery, the bowler oversteps, the striker attempts a shot, the ball hits the pad and the batters complete two runs. The team receives three: one no ball extra and two leg byes. The bowler is charged with the no ball penalty, while the two leg byes remain separate extras. Our LBW rules in cricket: pitching, impact and the no shot exception explains the delivery infringements.
What if the ball hits pad and then bat?
Clause 23.2.2.1 covers an easily missed exception. Once the required shot or avoidance attempt has been established, subsequent inadvertent contact with the bat means the resulting completed runs or boundary allowance are credited to the striker. Pad first does not always mean leg byes. Without subsequent bat contact, those qualifying runs go to the team as leg byes.
A deliberate lawful second strike is treated separately under the clauses on hitting the ball twice. It should not be folded into the accidental pad then bat example. For ordinary scoring, the useful sequence is to identify the first contact, establish whether the attempt requirement was satisfied, and then check any later bat contact before deciding whose score changes.
The signals help viewers follow the decision. Under clause 2.13.1, the umpire signals a leg bye by touching a raised knee with a hand; a bye is signalled by raising an open hand above the head. These signals are made to the scorers when the ball is dead. For another distinction between an on field decision and its review, see Cricket no ball rules: front foot, back foot and full toss height.
