Wides, No-Balls and Extras in Cricket Explained

What are extras in cricket?

Extras (also called 'sundries' in some countries) are runs added to the batting team's total that are not scored off the bat. They are categorised as: wides (W), no-balls (Nb), byes (B), leg byes (LB), and penalty runs (5 runs for certain fielding or conduct violations). Extras are debited to the bowling side's team total but not to any individual bowler — they appear separately in the scorecard.

Wides

A wide is called when the ball passes too far from the batter to be hit with a normal cricket stroke. The umpire signals a wide by holding both arms horizontally. A wide adds 1 run to the batting side's total (or more if the ball runs to the boundary — 5 runs for a wide that reaches the rope), and the delivery must be rebowled — it does not count as one of the six balls in the over. Wide criteria differ between formats: in Test cricket, the standard is stricter (the ball must pass clearly outside leg stump or be out of reach on the off side); in T20 cricket, umpires apply a tighter standard, often giving wides for balls that miss the cutting-line outside off stump.

No-balls

A no-ball is an illegal delivery. The most common reason is a front-foot no-ball: the bowler's front foot lands on or past the popping crease. Other reasons include: the ball being bowled above waist height without bouncing (above full toss), a fielder inside the popping crease at the time of delivery (fielder encroachment), more than two fielders behind square leg, or the bowler throwing the ball rather than bowling it. A no-ball adds 1 run to the batting total and the delivery must be rebowled. In T20 and ODI cricket, a no-ball is followed by a mandatory free hit on the rebowled delivery.

Byes and leg byes

Byes are runs scored when the ball passes the batter without touching the bat or body, and the batters run or the ball reaches the boundary. They are credited to the batting total but not to the bowler. Leg byes occur when the ball hits the batter's body (but not the bat) — typically the pad or thigh — and runs are taken. Leg byes are awarded provided the batter was attempting to play a shot or was genuinely trying to avoid being hit. If the umpire judges the batter made no attempt to play the ball and was not avoiding it, no leg byes are allowed and the ball is dead.