1. Out
One index finger raised above the head means the batter is out. It is the single most recognisable signal in cricket, and the only one for a dismissal. There is no gesture for "not out" — the umpire simply says so, or shakes the head, and play continues. The raised finger applies to every mode of dismissal the umpire gives, from bowled to lbw to caught.
The finger only goes up after an appeal. Umpires do not give a batter out unless the fielding side asks — that is why you see the whole team shout "howzat" and turn to the umpire. No appeal, no dismissal, even if the batter was plainly out.
2. Wide, No Ball, Bye, Leg Bye
These four are the extras signals, and they are the ones a scorer watches for most closely because each goes to a different place in the book.
Wide — both arms extended horizontally
The umpire stretches both arms straight out to the sides. It means the ball passed too wide or too high for the batter to play a normal shot. One penalty run is added, and the ball must be bowled again — a wide does not count as one of the six deliveries in the over.
No ball — one arm extended to the side
One arm held out horizontally at shoulder height. It signals an illegal delivery — most often the bowler overstepping the popping crease, but also a full toss above waist height, more than the permitted fielders behind square, or a throw. One penalty run, charged to the bowler, and the ball is re-bowled. In limited-overs cricket a no ball also brings a free hit.
Bye — one open palm raised overhead
An open hand raised straight above the head. Runs were taken but the ball touched neither the bat nor the batter's body. Byes are extras, added to the team total but not to any batter, and unlike wides and no balls a bye counts as a legal delivery.
Leg bye — a raised knee, tapped by hand
The umpire lifts one knee and taps it. Runs came off the batter's body — pad, thigh, glove is excluded — rather than the bat, and only when the batter genuinely tried to play the ball or to avoid it. Like byes, leg byes are extras that count as a legal ball and are not charged to the bowler.
3. Four and Six
Four — one arm waved across the chest
The umpire sweeps one arm back and forth across the body. The ball reached the boundary after touching the ground. Four runs are added.
Six — both arms raised straight up
Both arms held high above the head. The ball cleared the boundary on the full. Six runs.
The subtle part is what the boundary is made of. If four runs come from byes, leg byes or a no ball, the umpire signals that extra first and then signals four — so the runs belong to the extra, not the batter. A scorer who misses the first signal credits the wrong column.
4. Dead Ball and Short Run
Dead ball — wrists crossed below the waist
Both wrists crossed and uncrossed low in front of the body. The ball is out of play and nothing can be scored from it. It is called for all sorts of reasons — the batter was not ready, the bowler aborted the run-up, the ball lodged in a helmet, or a serious distraction occurred.
Short run — a tap on the shoulder
The umpire taps one shoulder with the opposite hand's fingertips. A batter turned for another run without grounding the bat or body behind the popping crease, so that run does not count and is deducted.
5. Penalty Runs
Five penalty runs are signalled by placing a hand on the shoulder. Penalty runs are awarded for a range of offences — the ball striking a helmet left on the ground behind the keeper, a fielder deliberately stopping the ball with anything other than their body, or time-wasting. Which side gets the five runs depends on the offence, and the umpire's exact gesture indicates whether the penalty goes to the batting or fielding side.
6. Free Hit, Review and New Ball
Free hit — a hand circled overhead
In limited-overs cricket, after a no ball the umpire circles one hand above the head to signal that the next delivery is a free hit. On a free hit the batter cannot be dismissed by most methods — only run-out type dismissals apply — so batters swing freely.
Review — a rectangle drawn in the air
Both hands trace a rectangle, the shape of a television screen, to signal that a decision is being referred to the TV umpire under the Decision Review System. It is used both when players ask for a review and when the on-field umpires check a call themselves.
New ball — the ball held aloft
The umpire simply holds the new ball above the head so the scorers and players can see a fresh ball is in use. In Test cricket a new ball becomes available after 80 overs.
7. The Order of Signals
When several things happen on one delivery, the umpire signals them in sequence — and the order carries meaning. The extra or event is signalled first, the run value second. "Leg bye, then four" means four leg byes. "No ball, then a wave for four" means one no-ball run plus four runs, and whether those four go to the batter or to byes depends on whether the ball came off the bat.
The umpire also signals decisions twice: once quickly to the players so the game flows, and then formally and deliberately to the scorers, waiting for the scorers to acknowledge each one. That acknowledgement — a raised hand from the scorer — is how the umpire knows the book is correct before the next ball.
If you are the person with the book, our guide on how to fill a cricket score sheet shows exactly where each of these signals is recorded, and the printable signals chart is worth pinning up until they are second nature.