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In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen (plus any extras) constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 (a 'half century') or 100 runs (a 'century' or 'ton'), or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement. By extension, a partnership of two batsmen moving the team score on by a multiple of 50 runs, or the team score passing a multiple of 50 runs, is also cause for celebration.

The rules concerning the scoring of runs are mostly contained in Law 18 of the Laws of cricket. The simplest way for a batsman to score a run is by the striker hitting the ball such that both batsman can run from one end of the pitch to the other without either batsman getting out: the batsmen effectively exchanging positions, so the striking batsman becomes the non-striker, and vice versa. The batsmen may be able to run up and down the pitch more than once, crossing each time, to score two, three or more runs. A batsman can also score four or six runs by hitting the ball to or over the boundary, and may be awarded five penalty runs in certain situations.

Thus, according to Law 18, a run is scored when:

• the batsmen, or their runner, at any time while the ball is in play, have crossed and made good their ground from end to end;
• when a boundary is scored;
• when penalty runs are awarded;
• when "lost ball" is called.

Runs are added to the team score, but not the score of an individual batsman, for extras (no balls, wides, byes and leg byes).

To score a run, each batsman must run from the popping crease at one end to the popping crease at the other end. A run is "short" if one of the running batsmen fails to make good his ground on turning for a further run (that is, the batsman fails to complete the run by putting some part of his body or his bat on the ground behind the popping crease) – in this event, the number of runs achieved is decreased by the number of "short" runs. Although a short run also shortens the next run, since the second run starts somewhat closer to the destination than it should, the second run is not regarded as "short" if it is completed. A batsman taking up his batting stance in front of his crease may also run from that point without penalty.

If either umpire considers that either or both batsmen deliberately run short, the umpire can give a warning to the batsman that this is unfair and disallow any earned runs from that delivery. If an umpire considers that any batsmen deliberately runs short again in that innings, a 5 run penalty is conceded to the bowling side. In practice, this rule is rarely invoked.

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