When the ball stops being live
The ball becomes dead when the law or umpire says play has ended: for example after it is finally settled, a boundary is scored, a dismissal is completed, or the umpire intervenes for a dead-ball situation.
Extras count only if the ball is still live and the law allows them.
Byes, leg byes, and dead ball calls sit behind many strange scorecard moments. The umpire has to decide whether the ball was live, how the runs were made, and whether the batter made a genuine attempt required by the law.
Quick ruling: byes come from runs not hit by the bat or body, leg byes come from contact with the batter's person, and dead ball can stop runs or dismissals from counting after the ball is no longer live.
Byes do not touch bat or batter
Byes are extras scored when the ball passes the striker without touching the bat or the striker's person and the batters complete runs or the ball reaches the boundary.
Leg byes need more than body contact
Leg byes can be scored after the ball touches the striker's person, but the umpire may disallow them if the striker neither attempted to play the ball with the bat nor tried to avoid being hit.
How to check extras
- Did the ball touch the bat or glove holding the bat?
- Did it touch the striker's person?
- Was there an attempt to play the ball or avoid being hit where required?
- Was the ball still live when the runs were attempted?
- Did any no-ball or wide call change the scoring category?
Dead ball can wipe out action
If the ball is dead before a later run, overthrow, or dismissal attempt, that later action may not count. This is why the exact moment of dead ball matters.
Misunderstandings to avoid
- "It hit the pad, so leg byes always count" is wrong if the striker made no required attempt.
- "The keeper missed it, so it is a bye" is wrong if it touched the batter's person.
- "Runs after a dead-ball call still count" is usually wrong once the ball is dead.
- "A wide and bye are the same" is wrong. Wides are a separate extra category.