Wide Ball Rules in Cricket: How Umpires Judge a Wide
How a wide is judged in cricket, what the penalty is, which dismissals are still possible, and how wide lines and reviews are used in white-ball games.
A wide is a delivery that passes too far from the batter for them to hit it with a normal cricket stroke. It is one of the most frequent extras in the game. The batting side gains a run, and the bowler must bowl the delivery again. Wides can seem simple, but they rest on the judgement of the umpire, and the interpretation is one of the areas that fans most often debate.
What counts as a wide
The umpire judges whether the ball is wide by looking at where the batter is standing and whether the batter could reasonably have played at the delivery. If it passes beyond the reach of the batter, either on the off side or on the leg side, it is likely to be called wide. The umpire does not use a fixed distance in Test cricket. The call depends on the position of the batter, the height of the delivery and the path of the ball.
A ball is not called wide if the batter hits it. A delivery that the batter plays at, or that touches the bat or the batter’s person, is not called wide. The umpire also takes into account whether the batter has moved significantly to make a delivery wider than it was. In recent years the Laws have been amended to clarify that the position of the batter at the point the bowler reaches the crease is what counts, though details of the wording have changed, so it is worth reading the current Law.
Wide lines in limited-overs cricket
In white-ball cricket, lines are often marked on the pitch or the umpires use guidelines that make wides more consistent. These guidelines help the umpire judge a leg-side or off-side wide with less guesswork. Many tournaments use tighter interpretations than Test cricket, because boundaries are small and the batting side relies on every run in a short innings. The result is that a delivery that would be a legal ball in a Test can easily be called wide in a T20 match.
Height also counts. In limited-overs cricket, a ball that passes above the head of a batter standing upright at the crease is typically called wide as well. This is separate from the no-ball rule on dangerous deliveries, and the exact balance depends on the competition.
Penalty and how a wide is scored
The scoring for a wide works as follows:
- The batting team is given one run as an extra, called a wide.
- If the batters run or the ball goes to the boundary, those runs are added to the wide, so a wide that runs to the boundary can score five.
- The delivery is not a legal ball, so it is rebowled and does not count towards the six balls in the over.
- Wides are not credited to the batter and are charged against the bowler.
A fielding team that bowls a lot of wides can easily lose control of a match. Each wide gives the opposition a run for nothing and adds a ball to the over, so it also lengthens the time the bowler is under pressure.
Dismissals on a wide
A batter has fewer ways of being out on a wide. They cannot be bowled, caught or leg before. They can be stumped, run out, hit wicket, or dismissed for handling the ball, obstructing the field or hitting the ball twice. The stumping is the best known example: a wicketkeeper sometimes whips off the bails after the batter has stepped out and missed a wide ball, which is a legitimate dismissal.
Reviews and technology
Technology has also had an effect. Some competitions, including the Indian Premier League since 2023, allow teams to use a review to challenge decisions about wides, whether the ball was within reach of the batter or not. In other competitions, umpires’ calls on wides are final. The rules are set by each competition, so a review may be available in one tournament and not in another.
Why wides matter
A wide is a measure of a bowler’s accuracy. Captains look at how many wides are being conceded because it shows whether a plan is working or not. In a tight chase, even a single wide can be the difference between winning and losing. Understanding the rule helps spectators see why umpires sometimes call a delivery wide that seemed within reach, and why the same ball might not be wide if the batter had stood in a different place.
Frequently asked questions
How many runs do you get for a wide?
One run is added as an extra, plus any runs the batters complete or any boundary that results. The ball is rebowled.
Can a batter be out on a wide?
Yes, but only in some ways. They can be stumped, run out, out hit wicket, or dismissed for handling the ball, obstructing the field or hitting the ball twice.
Does a wide count as one of the six balls in an over?
No. A wide is not a legal delivery, so the bowler has to bowl an extra ball to complete the over.