Cricket Umpire Signals
Every umpire signal in cricket, as defined in the Laws of Cricket — out, wide, no ball, bye, leg bye, four, six, dead ball, free hit and more. Each one below shows the gesture, what it means, and exactly what the scorer records. Download the free one-page chart to pin up at the scorer's table.
Umpire Signals Chart (PDF)
All signals on one A4 page — gesture, meaning and what the scorer records. Print it and pin it up. Free, no signup.
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Every Umpire Signal, Explained
The gesture, what it means, and what the scorer writes down.
| Signal | Gesture | Meaning | What the scorer records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Out | Index finger raised above the head | The batter is dismissed. | Record the wicket and how out; close the batter's row and add to fall of wickets. |
| Wide | Both arms extended straight out horizontally | Ball too wide or high for a normal shot. | 1 run to wides (extras). Ball is re-bowled — does not count as one of the six. |
| No ball | One arm extended out to the side at shoulder height | Illegal delivery (overstep, above waist full toss, etc.). | 1 run to no balls (extras), charged to the bowler. Re-bowled; a free hit follows in limited-overs cricket. |
| Bye | One open palm raised above the head | Runs taken when the ball missed both bat and body. | Runs to byes (extras). Counts as a legal ball; not charged to the bowler. |
| Leg bye | One knee raised and tapped with a hand | Runs off the body (not the bat), after a genuine attempt or evasion. | Runs to leg byes (extras). Legal ball; not charged to the bowler. |
| Four | One arm waved back and forth across the chest | Ball reached the boundary along the ground. | 4 runs — to the batter if off the bat, or to the relevant extra if off a bye, leg bye, wide or no ball. |
| Six | Both arms raised straight above the head | Ball cleared the boundary on the full. | 6 runs to the batter (if off the bat). |
| Dead ball | Both wrists crossed and uncrossed below the waist | The ball is out of play. | No runs count from a dead ball; note it. The delivery may be re-bowled. |
| Short run | Taps one shoulder with the opposite hand's fingertips | A run was not completed — a batter turned back before grounding. | Deduct the short run from the runs scored on that delivery. |
| Penalty runs | Hand placed on the shoulder (5 penalty runs) | Five penalty runs awarded — e.g. ball hitting a helmet on the ground. | Add 5 to the side awarded (batting or fielding), in penalty/extras. |
| Free hit | One hand circled above the head | The next delivery is a free hit (after a no ball, limited-overs). | Mark the next ball as a free hit — only run-out type dismissals apply. |
| Review (DRS) | Both hands draw a rectangle (a TV screen) | The decision is referred to the TV umpire. | Note the review; record the final decision once it is given. |
| New ball | The ball held up above the head | A new ball has been taken. | Note the over the new ball was taken (available after 80 overs in Tests). |
| Revoke | Both hands touched to the opposite shoulders | The last signal is cancelled. | Undo whatever the previous signal recorded. |
Reading Signals as a Scorer
The scorer's job is to watch for the umpire's signal after every delivery and record it before the next ball. Most guides explain what each signal looks like; what matters at the scorer's table is what each one means for the book. A wide goes to the wides column and the ball is re-bowled; a leg bye goes to leg byes and counts as a legal ball; a boundary signal after an extras signal belongs to the extra, not the batter. Good practice is to acknowledge each signal — a raised hand or nod — so the umpire knows it has been recorded.
Two signals cause most scorebook confusion. The first is the no ball plus runs: the one-run penalty goes to no-ball extras and is charged to the bowler, while any runs the batter hits off it go to the batter — two separate entries from one delivery. The second is leg bye versus bye: a leg bye came off the body, a bye missed everything, and they go in different columns even though neither is charged to the bowler.
If you are new to scoring, our guide on how to fill a cricket score sheet walks through recording each of these, and the free score sheet templates have dedicated columns for every type of extra.