Points System · Reading desk

How the points system settles the ducks and the milestones.

How the points system settles the ducks and the milestones, the duck-rule split between formats, and the small list of bonus-point rules that survive a slow read.

Editorial desk Route-specific read Updated 24 July 2026
A reader at a desk with a printed points-system page and a notebook with three short notes on the duck rule and the bonus points.
Reading desk · points-system.html
[01] Runs and milestones

Runs, milestones, and the small list of bonus-point rules.

The first read: runs. The second: milestones. The third: the bonus-point rules.

Runs are the most basic points system rule. A run is one point; a boundary is the runs plus a boundary bonus; a six is the runs plus a six bonus. The boundary and six bonuses are the small rules that catch a first-time reader; reading the runs rule once is the cheapest way to know the baseline.

Milestones are the second read. A fifty is a milestone bonus; a hundred is a larger milestone bonus. The milestone bonus is on top of the runs; the milestone bonus is the small rule that makes a fifty worth more than the runs alone. Reading the milestones once is the cheapest way to know the bonus.

[02] The duck rule

The duck rule, the format split, and the small list of habits that survive a slow read.

The duck rule, the format split between T20 and ODI, and the small list of habits that catch a missed rule.

The duck rule is the most-misread rule. A duck is a dismissal for zero; the duck rule subtracts points from the batter. The duck rule is the same across formats; the rule is the small rule that catches a first-time reader.

The format split is the second read. The T20 format and the ODI format have different strike-rate bonuses and different economy-rate bonuses. Reading the format split once is the cheapest way to know which contest the reader is joining, and the small habit that catches a missed rule.