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The scoreboard at Lord's during the Test match between England and New Zealand in 2013, showing Trent Boult as the Not Out batsman at the end of New Zealand's second innings.
The scoreboard at Lord's during the Test match between England and New Zealand in 2013, showing Trent Boult as the Not Out batsman at the end of New Zealand's second innings.

In cricket, a batsman is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings.[1] The batsman is also not out while their innings is still in progress.

Occurrence

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At least one batter is not out at the end of every innings, because once ten batters are out, the eleventh has no partner to bat on with, so the innings ends. Usually, two batters finish not out if the batting side declares in first-class cricket, and often at the end of the scheduled number of overs in limited overs cricket.

Batters further down the batting order than the not out batters do not come out to the crease at all and are noted as did not bat rather than not out;[2] by contrast, a batter who comes to the crease but faces no balls is not out. A batter who retires hurt is considered not out; an uninjured batter who retires (rare) is considered retired out.

Notation

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In standard notation a batter's score is appended with an asterisk to show the not out final status; for example, 10* means '10 not out'.

Effect on batting averages

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Batting averages are personal and are calculated as runs divided by dismissals, so a player who often ends the innings not out may get an inflated batting average, on the face of it.[3] Examples of this include MS Dhoni (84 not outs in ODIs), Michael Bevan (67 not outs in ODIs), James Anderson (101 not outs in 237 Test innings), and Bill Johnston topping the batting averages on the 1953 Australian tour of England.[3]

Using the formula of runs divided by innings understates performance for the following reasons:

  • If not outs were counted as dismissals a usually high-scoring batter could bat briefly. They may regularly make a low score, not out, facing a low number of balls from a bowler and thus be penalized for factors out of their control.
  • A batter will tend to be at their most vulnerable early in the innings before they have "got their eye in"; as a result, it may be a greater achievement to achieve two scores of 20 not out (i.e. averaging 40) than to make one score of 40, since in the latter instance the batter will only have had to deal with one set of variables (see ceteris paribus, all things remaining approximately equal).

These counterbalancing elements have been at the heart of the rationale of keeping the existing formula (runs divided by dismissals) in the 21st century among cricket statisticians, who have used this method of collecting batting averages since the 18th century, after some intervening controversy.[citation needed]

References

[edit]
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Not out

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In cricket, "not out" refers to the status of a batsman whose ends without having been dismissed by the fielding side, occurring when the team's concludes—such as through the fall of 10 wickets, a captain's declaration, or the end of a limited-overs . In multi-day formats like , a batsman's may be suspended at stumps on a given day, with the not out batsman resuming play the following day. This designation is crucial for statistical purposes, as a batsman's score is recorded with an (e.g., 50*) to indicate they were not out, distinguishing their contribution from dismissed . Umpires also use the call "not out" to reject appeals for dismissal, signaling that no has fallen based on the . The impact of not out is particularly notable in calculating batting averages, which are determined by dividing a player's total runs scored by the number of times they have been dismissed; not out performances add to the numerator (runs) but not the denominator (dismissals), potentially inflating the average compared to purely dismissed . For instance, players batting lower in the order often accumulate more not outs due to fewer opportunities to face deliveries after the top order collapses, leading to debates about the fairness of raw averages in comparing batsmen across positions. Additionally, batsmen can be recorded as "retired not out" if they retire due to illness, injury, or other unavoidable cause, entitling them to resume their later.

Definition and Basics

Core Meaning

In cricket, "not out" refers to the status of a batsman who has not been dismissed by any means during their innings, such as being bowled, caught, leg before wicket (LBW), stumped, run out, or through other methods outlined in the Laws of Cricket. This status applies when the batsman's turn to bat concludes without their wicket falling, allowing their score to stand as recorded up to that point. The term contrasts with "out," which denotes a dismissal and the end of a batsman's , serving as the default outcome for the fielding side's objective of taking s. A batsman remains not out unless explicitly dismissed under the relevant laws, emphasizing the binary nature of batting outcomes in the . In the structure of a , batsmen enter the field in pairs to face the , continuing until ten wickets have fallen or the innings is otherwise declared closed by the batting . This paired batting system ensures that the eleventh batsman is typically recorded as not out when the innings ends due to the fall of the tenth wicket, as no further play is possible without a partner. The term "not out" originated in the early formalized rules of cricket during the , with its conceptual basis appearing in the first codified established in 1744 by stakeholders at the Star and Garter in , which defined dismissals ("out") implicitly leaving non-dismissed batsmen as not out. These laws marked the transition from informal village customs to standardized regulations, influencing the sport's terminology to this day.

Role in an Innings

In multi-innings formats such as , a batsman who remains not out at the end of a day's play resumes their innings the following day from the position and score where they left off, ensuring continuity in the team's batting effort. This resumption occurs after stumps are drawn, typically after 90 overs per day unless affected by weather or other interruptions, allowing the undismissed batsmen to maintain their established rhythm against the attack. The strategic value of having a set batsman not out at stumps lies in providing immediate stability to the upon resumption, as the batsman is already attuned to the pitch conditions, ball movement, and bowler tactics, thereby reducing the risk of early wickets the next morning. This carryover of form can significantly influence opening partnerships or middle-order consolidations in the subsequent session, enabling the team to build on momentum rather than starting afresh with unsettled players facing the fresh, shiny new ball. For instance, teams often deploy a —a lower-order bowler with defensive batting skills—to bat ahead of a top-order player late in the day, aiming to them to stumps not out and protect against the vulnerable overnight period. In contrast, single-innings limited-overs formats like T20 cricket treat a not out status merely as a record of an undismissed at the match's conclusion, with no opportunity for resumption since the game ends immediately after the required overs or target achievement. Here, the focus shifts to aggressive scoring without the luxury of multi-day continuity, making not out performances valuable for individual momentum but without extending into future play. The not out designation also plays a key role in team declarations during Test matches, where captains weigh the benefits of closing the innings to set a challenging target while considering the preservation of a set batsman's form for potential contributions in a second or scenario. For example, a might be timed to avoid exposing tailenders, ensuring the innings closes with experienced not out batsmen to influence tactical decisions. This preserves overall team momentum, as seen in historic instances where a well-set not out batsman, like in 2006, resumed to score a double century after being protected overnight, bolstering Australia's position.

Circumstances of Not Out

Standard Innings Completion

In limited-overs cricket formats such as One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), a batsman achieves "not out" status when the innings concludes upon completion of the prescribed number of overs without the batting side losing all 10 wickets. According to Law 13.1.2 of the MCC Laws of Cricket, innings in such matches may be limited by agreement to a fixed number of overs, ending either at that limit or when 10 wickets fall, whichever comes first. This applies regardless of whether the batting team is setting or chasing a target. A common scenario in limited-overs occurs during a successful run chase, where the batting side surpasses the target score before exhausting the overs or wickets; the remaining batsmen, including openers if no dismissals have happened, are then marked as not out. 16.6 of the MCC Laws specifies that the —and thus the —ends immediately upon the batting side exceeding the opponent's total, with no further play required. In first-class and , multi-day formats without fixed overs, "not out" arises from the captain's declaration, the end of each day's play (stumps) if the is ongoing, or the natural expiry of match time at the close of the final day. Law 15.1 permits the batting to declare the closed at any time when the ball is dead, strategically ending play to the opposition. If the scheduled match duration concludes without the finishing—typically after five days in Tests—the result is a draw, and the batsmen at the crease remain not out, as the is deemed closed by time constraints under ICC playing conditions. For instance, in a drawn , the last pair might bat out the final overs on day five, securing not out notations without further dismissals.

Interrupted or Abandoned Matches

In , weather interruptions such as can lead to the suspension of play before a batsman is dismissed, resulting in a "not out" status for those at the crease, as governed by Law 2.8 of the MCC , which empowers umpires to suspend play in dangerous or unreasonable conditions including unfit weather, and resume when conditions allow. If the interruption persists and resumption proves impossible, the match may be abandoned, with all undismissed batsmen declared not out, ensuring their contributions are recorded without completion. Abandoned matches occur when external disruptions, like persistent , prevent a result from being achieved, and in such cases, the batsmen remain not out if they were not dismissed prior to the abandonment, preserving the integrity of individual statistics even without a match outcome. For instance, in the , several , including the one between Delhi Daredevils and on May 22, were abandoned due to unseasonal without a ball being , leading to all scheduled batsmen being marked as not out and each team awarded one point. Other disruptions, such as lights failure in day-night matches or ground issues, similarly allow umpires to suspend play under Law 3.9 (light) and Law 2.8 (unfit ground or pitch conditions). In limited-overs formats like T20, specific minimum overs requirements—typically five per side for a valid result under ICC playing conditions—must be met; failure to reach this threshold due to interruptions still leaves undismissed batsmen as not out, though no result is possible if the second cannot start or complete the minimum.

Notation and Recording

Scorecard Symbols

In cricket scorecards, the standard symbol for indicating a batsman who remains not out at the conclusion of an innings is an asterisk () appended to their score, such as 50 to denote 50 runs scored without dismissal. This notation is widely adopted across international and domestic matches, ensuring clarity in recording the batsman's unbeaten status. In traditional handwritten scorebooks, the not out designation is commonly marked by enclosing the batsman's score in brackets or affixing an , distinguishing them from dismissed players whose runs are crossed out with diagonal lines. This practice aligns with guidelines from cricket associations, emphasizing consistency in manual scoring to track progress accurately. Digital scorecards, exemplified by platforms like , employ the asterisk symbol directly beside the score for not out batsmen, often supplemented by hover text or footnotes that explicitly state the "not out" status for user reference. The evolution of these symbols traces back to 19th-century scorebooks, where the "not out" status was typically spelled out in full text due to the nascent of notation, progressing to concise abbreviations and s in the as scoring systems became more formalized. This shift facilitated efficient record-keeping amid growing match complexity, including declarations and time-limited formats.

Official Statistical Use

In official cricket databases such as those maintained by the and , not out are flagged separately to distinguish them from completed dismissals in career tallies, allowing for precise tracking of player performance across formats. This flagging ensures that unbeaten contribute to total runs scored but are treated as incomplete for certain calculations, preventing inflation of dismissal-based metrics. Aggregation rules for these records incorporate the total number of not out innings (denoted as NO) into overall innings counts while excluding them from the dismissal tally used in batting averages, where the formula divides total runs by the number of times out (innings minus NO). For metrics like , not out innings are fully included in both runs and balls faced, providing a comprehensive view of batting efficiency without penalizing unbeaten contributions. This approach maintains consistency in how partial innings are valued in permanent records. Across international and domestic cricket, governing bodies like the ECB and BCCI adhere to unified statistical conventions aligned with ICC guidelines, often utilizing structured data formats such as XML or for in shared databases like ESPNcricinfo's Statsguru. These formats enable seamless aggregation of not out data from various boards, ensuring that international tallies reflect domestic performances without discrepancies in notation. For all-rounders, the not out status primarily influences batting by adjusting and totals as described, while indirectly affecting combined profiles through the separation of batting and contributions in official ledgers; fielding metrics remain tied to participation rather than individual outcomes. This integrated recording highlights the dual role of players without conflating disciplines.

Statistical Impact

Batting Average Adjustments

In cricket, the for a player is calculated as the total number of runs scored divided by the number of times dismissed, where dismissals exclude not out . This formula is expressed mathematically as: Batting Average=Total RunsTotal Innings−Number of Not Out Innings\text{Batting Average} = \frac{\text{Total Runs}}{\text{Total Innings} - \text{Number of Not Out Innings}} The exclusion of not out from the denominator ensures that unfinished —such as those ended by team declarations, match conclusions without dismissal, or lack of batting partners—do not penalize the player's average by artificially increasing the number of opportunities without a corresponding dismissal. This approach measures performance as runs per completed (i.e., per dismissal), providing a fairer representation of a batsman's ability to score while facing the risk of being out. To illustrate, consider a batsman who has scored 1000 runs across 20 , including 5 not outs. The is then 1000 / (20 - 5) = 66.67, reflecting runs per dismissal rather than per batted. If not outs were included in the denominator, the would drop to 1000 / 20 = 50, which would unfairly undervalue contributions from that ended without the batsman's error. This convention for adjusting batting has been standard in since the , originating in early formalized scoring practices to emphasize completed performances over total appearances. In limited-overs formats like One Day Internationals and T20s, not outs are particularly common due to the fixed overs limit, often leaving lower-order batsmen undismissed at the ' end; however, the same adjustment applies to maintain consistency across formats.

Broader Career Metrics

In , the batting is computed using the formula (runs scoredballs faced)×100\left( \frac{\text{runs scored}}{\text{balls faced}} \right) \times 100, with not out incorporated fully by including all runs accumulated and balls faced during those dismissals, without any special adjustments. This approach ensures that not out contributions reflect a batsman's scoring directly, and such frequently enhance career strike rates, particularly in successful run chases where partnerships conclude the match early, allowing top-order players to remain unbeaten. Not out scores qualify for highest score records under (ICC) criteria, where asterisks denote unbeaten (e.g., 200*) and are treated equivalently to dismissed scores for eligibility in individual and format-specific milestones. This recognition underscores the value of unbeaten knocks in establishing benchmarks, as seen in records like Brian Lara's 400 not out, the highest in . A high number of not out often signals a batsman's reliability, especially among openers or anchors who frequently bat through challenging phases, influencing career rankings and legacy assessments. For instance, recorded 32 not outs across 286 , bolstering his and cementing his status as one of India's most dependable middle-order players, which contributed to his No. 1 ICC batting ranking in 2009. In limited-overs formats like One Day Internationals and T20s, not outs exert a disproportionate influence on metrics due to the abbreviated length and higher likelihood of team victories ending matches prematurely, prompting the use of adjusted leaderboards or models like generalized geometric distributions to normalize comparisons. This effect is amplified for finishers or , where unbeaten contributions can skew raw statistics, leading statisticians to develop context-aware evaluations for fairer rankings.

References

  1. https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket/batsmans-innings-runners
  2. https://www.lords.org/mcc/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-15-start-of-play-intervals
  3. https://www.cricketweb.net/part-1-not-out-innings-and-batting-averages-demystifying-rarefied-solutions-a-searchlight-on-the-straightforward/
  4. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-vexed-question-of-not-outs-in-test-cricket-623459
  5. https://blog.cricheroes.com/cricket-batting-average/
  6. https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/page/429548.html
  7. https://www.earlycricket.uk/index.php/rules/
  8. https://images.icc-cricket.com/image/upload/prd/lm8owaz03i86m1eneb7m.pdf
  9. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/rob-steen-what-good-is-a-nightwatchman-763057
  10. https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket-2d35b4b95a4a67ae8f9c76f258a84aa8/innings
  11. https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket-2d35b4b95a4a67ae8f9c76f258a84aa8/the-result
  12. https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket-2d35b4b95a4a67ae8f9c76f258a84aa8/declaration-and-forfeiture
  13. https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket-2d35b4b95a4a67ae8f9c76f258a84aa8/start-of-play-cessation-of-play
  14. https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket-2d35b4b95a4a67ae8f9c76f258a84aa8/the-umpires
  15. https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/page/409997.html
  16. https://www.indiatoday.in/latest-headlines/story/ipl-match-abandoned-due-to-bad-weather-25564-2008-05-22
  17. https://internationalcricket.fandom.com/wiki/Not_out
  18. https://sportspundit.com/cricket/terms/151-not-out
  19. https://www.newcastlecitycricket.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Scoring-Guide.pdf
  20. https://cricket.or.jp/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/scoring_guide.pdf
  21. https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/india-in-south-africa-2021-22-1263573/south-africa-vs-india-1st-test-1263574/full-scorecard
  22. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/sep/03/theyre-like-time-machines-the-endless-magic-of-cricket-scorecards
  23. https://oldebor.wordpress.com/category/1820s-cricket/
  24. https://www.icc-cricket.com/about/cricket/rules-and-regulations/playing-conditions
  25. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/inbox-how-to-account-for-not-outs-more-accurately-when-assessing-batsmen-1147000
  26. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/kartikeya-date-the-calculus-of-the-batting-average-745791
  27. https://www.espncricinfo.com/records
  28. https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/format/test-matches-1/category/all-round-records-7
  29. https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;type=allround
  30. https://www.omnicalculator.com/sports/batting-strike-rate
  31. https://blog.cricheroes.com/batting-strike-rate-calculator/
  32. https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/rahul-dravid-28114
  33. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17479541251321477
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