The primary concern of the batsman on strike (i.e., the “striker”) is to prevent the ball hitting the wicket and secondarily to score runs by hitting the ball with his bat so that he and his partner have time to run from one end of the pitch to the other before the fielding side can return the ball. To register a run, both runners must touch the ground behind the crease with either their bats or their bodies (the batsmen carry their bats as they run). Each completed run increments the score.
Hits for five are unusual and generally rely on the help of “overthrows” by a fielder returning the ball. If an odd number of runs is scored by the striker, the two batsmen have changed ends and the one who was non-striker is now the striker. Only the striker can score individual runs but all runs are added to the team’s total.
The decision to attempt a run is ideally made by the batsman who has the better view of the ball’s progress, and this is communicated by calling; “yes”, “no” and “wait” are often heard. Running is a calculated risk because if a fielder breaks the wicket with the ball while the nearest batsman is out of his ground, the batsman is run out.
