Run

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A run is the basic scoring unit in the sport of cricket. 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.

The simplest way for a batsman to score a run is by the striker hitting the ball such that both batsmen 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 (four if it strikes the ground before the boundary; six if it crosses the boundary in the air without striking the ground), and may be awarded five penalty runs in certain situations. A batsman is never compelled to run (cricket has no equivalent of baseball's force out).