Cricket Extras Explained: Wides, No-Balls, Byes and Leg Byes
A full explanation of the four types of extras in cricket — wides, no-balls, byes, and leg byes — including how each is scored, when they are awarded, and how they appear on the scorecard.
Extras are runs added to a batting team's total without the batter making contact with the ball — or in the case of no-balls and wides, awarded regardless of bat contact. They appear on scorecards as a separate line item and can be decisive in close matches, with some games won or lost because of extra runs conceded.
Wides
A wide is called when the bowler delivers the ball too far outside the batter's reach for them to play a normal cricket shot. One run is added to the batting total, and the delivery must be retaken (it does not count as one of the over's legal deliveries). If a wide ball reaches the boundary, four wides are added — or six if it clears the rope in the air, though this is exceptionally rare. Wide standards are stricter in limited-overs cricket than in Tests.
No-Balls
A no-ball is called for several reasons: the bowler oversteps the front crease (front-foot no-ball), the ball is bowled above head height on the full (a beamer), or the bowler delivers from the wrong side of the wicket. One run is awarded as a no-ball extra, the delivery is not counted, and — critically — the batter cannot be dismissed off a no-ball by most methods (LBW, bowled, caught, and stumped are all invalid off a no-ball).
Byes
Byes are extras scored when a legitimate delivery (not a wide or no-ball) passes the batter without touching their bat or body, and the batters run or the ball reaches the boundary. The wicketkeeper is expected to gather the ball — if they miss it, byes result. Byes count toward the batting team's total but not to any individual batter's score. They are recorded separately on the scorecard.
Leg Byes
Leg byes are similar to byes but occur when the ball hits the batter's body (but not the bat) and the batters run or the ball reaches the boundary. The key exception is that no leg byes are awarded if the batter made no attempt to play the ball or to avoid being hit — in that case, the umpire signals dead ball and no runs are scored. Leg byes are one of the more contested calls in cricket because intent is a judgment.
Frequently asked questions
Do wides and no-balls count in a bowler's economy rate?
Wides and no-balls count as runs against the bowler's economy rate since they are charged to the bowler's figures. The extra deliveries they generate (the retakes) also count toward the bowler's total balls bowled. This means a bowler who bowls many extras will have an inflated economy rate and ball count.
Can a batter be dismissed off a wide ball?
Yes, but only by run-out, hit the ball twice, obstructing the field, or timed out — not by caught, bowled, LBW, or stumped. A wide wide enough to beat the wicketkeeper but attempted and missed by the batter can theoretically result in a stumping, but the Laws specify that a stumping off a wide does count as a dismissal.