Wides and No-Balls in Cricket Explained
What counts as a wide or no-ball in cricket, how many extra runs are awarded, and how the rules differ between Test, ODI, and T20 formats.
Wides and no-balls are two types of illegal deliveries in cricket. Both award extra runs to the batting side and require the bowler to re-bowl the delivery. They are recorded as 'extras' in the scorecard and do not count against any individual batter's score.
What is a Wide?
A wide is a delivery bowled too far from the batter for them to reach it with a normal cricket stroke — passing outside a marked line on either side of the pitch. Wides are judged relative to where the batter is standing when the ball is delivered. The batting side receives 1 run for the wide, and the ball is re-bowled.
What is a No-Ball?
A no-ball is called when the bowler oversteps the bowling crease (front foot lands beyond the line), bowls above waist height without the ball bouncing (full toss above waist), or violates certain fielding rules. The batting side receives 1 run, and the ball is re-bowled. In limited-overs cricket, the free hit (next delivery cannot result in a caught or bowled dismissal) is also triggered by a no-ball from an overstepped front foot.
The Free Hit
The free hit is a penalty for front-foot no-balls in limited-overs cricket (T20 and ODI). On the delivery following a front-foot no-ball, the batter cannot be dismissed caught, LBW, stumped, or bowled — only a run-out is possible. Free hits create exciting moments because batters can swing freely without risk. Free hits do not apply in Test cricket.
Impact on Bowlers
Wides and no-balls are damaging to bowlers: each illegal delivery costs 1 run, does not count as a legal delivery (so the over takes longer), and can give the batter a free hit. In T20 cricket, a bowler conceding 3 wides in an over has effectively gifted the batting side 3 extra runs — potentially match-deciding in close finishes.
Frequently asked questions
Can a batter be dismissed off a wide?
A batter can be run out off a wide (if they attempt a run and are short of their ground) or stumped (in Test and some formats if they step out of the crease and miss the ball). However, a batter cannot be bowled, caught, LBW, or hit wicket off a wide delivery.
Does a no-ball always give a free hit?
No — the free hit only applies to front-foot no-balls in limited-overs cricket (T20 and ODI). No-balls bowled for height (above waist) or fielding violations do not trigger a free hit. In Test cricket, no free hits exist for any type of no-ball.
What happens if the batter hits a wide for 4 or 6?
If the batter manages to hit a wide delivery and scores runs, those runs replace the wide run — they are not added together. So if a batter hits a wide for 4, the batting side receives 4 runs (not 5). The wide run only applies if no runs are scored off the bat.