Compare two body-contact sequences
Imagine a fictional striker attempts a shot, misses the ball with the bat and is struck on the pad. The ball travels away and the batters complete a run. If the applicable conditions are met and there is no later bat contact changing attribution, that run can be recorded as a leg bye.
Now imagine the striker neither attempts a shot nor tries to avoid being hit. The ball again strikes the body and the batters run. The mere fact that the physical movement resembles the first example does not guarantee the same award. The umpire’s judgment on the required attempt matters.
The batting score and personal score can differ
In a simple awarded single leg-bye example, the team total increases by one while the striker’s personal run total does not. A batter staying on twenty while the side moves from 70 to 71 is therefore consistent with the event.
Do not label every ball that misses the bat as a leg bye. Byes involve a different contact situation, while subsequent contact with the bat can affect attribution. The official signal and scorebook distinguish the categories more reliably than an unclear camera angle.
Wait for the ruling before counting the run
Where the necessary leg-bye conditions are not met, the Law provides for runs to be disallowed and the batters returned to their original ends, subject to the relevant penalty provisions. The exact dead-ball timing follows the Law rather than the viewer deciding instantly from the first frame.
A replay focused only on the pad impact may omit the attempted stroke or evasive movement. Watch the full action from the delivery before explaining why the umpire awarded or denied the leg bye. Avoid treating the decision as a statement that the batter was or was not trying hard. It concerns the particular legal conditions.
For a useful note, record the attempted shot or avoidance, contact sequence, completed movement and final umpire award. Those fields explain the team and individual score changes without assuming that every body deflection creates a freely available run.
Related questions
Must the batter attempt a shot for leg byes?
An attempted shot or an attempt to avoid being hit can satisfy the stated condition; body contact alone cannot.
Sources and scope
Scope notes distinguish published documentation, supplied information and editorial methods. They do not report a hands-on service test.
- MCC 2026 Laws of Cricket — Law23 attempted-shot/avoidance conditions, attribution and disallowed leg-bye procedure
- ICC current playing conditions — Competition and format conditions can modify the Laws
- ICC published clause23 explanation — Corroborating leg-bye attempt and attribution conditions; current MCCedition governs examples
