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Two signals for runs scored without the bat, recorded in different columns.
An open palm above the head is a bye — the ball touched neither bat nor batter. A hand tapping a raised knee is a leg bye — it struck the batter's body. Both are extras and neither counts to the batter's score.
The raised open hand is a bye; tapping a raised knee is a leg bye. The difference is whether the ball hit the batter.
| Bye signal (cricket) | Leg bye signal (cricket) | |
|---|---|---|
| Signal | Open hand raised above the head | Hand tapping a raised knee |
| What the ball touched | Nothing | The batter's person |
| Counted to the batter? | No | No |
| Debited to the bowler? | No | No |
| Conditions | None beyond the runs being completed | The batter must have played a shot or tried to avoid the ball |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Leg bye signal (cricket) — The raised open hand is a bye; tapping a raised knee is a leg bye. The difference is whether the ball hit the batter. | Commonly confused with Bye signal (cricket) — Hand above the head is a bye; hand on a raised knee is a leg bye. |
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) · retrieved 2026-08-02
MCC has been the custodian of the Laws since 1787 and publishes them openly. Authoritative for the umpire's signals, which the Laws specify individually. Scorebook notation is a separate convention and is not defined by the Laws.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-02
Tertiary reference. Cited for how a mark is written and read in ordinary practice, and for conventions no governing body issues. Never cited for a claim that a rule says something — the rulebooks below carry those.
Both arms sweeping forward means play continues and no kick is coming. One arm straight up means a kick is coming and cannot score directly. Confusing them changes whether players expect a stoppage.
The plain black flag excludes the competitor: their race is over. The black flag with an orange disc reports a mechanical problem that endangers others and sends the driver to the pits to have it fixed, after which they may rejoin. Both are shown with a number board, both are black, and confusing them costs a competitor a race they could have finished.
A cross means all ten pins fell to the first ball; a forward slash means it took two. The cross carries two deliveries of bonus and the slash only one, which is why three strikes are needed for a frame to reach thirty.
The exclamation mark praises a move, the question mark criticises it. Neither is defined by FIDE: unlike the rest of chess notation these are publishing convention, and two annotators may disagree about the same move.