Wides in Cricket: When Is a Delivery Called Wide?

A wide is a delivery that passes the batter too far to the off side or the leg side — outside the wide markers set by the umpires — making it impossible for the batter to hit it with a normal cricket stroke. Wides add one run to the batting team's total and the delivery must be bowled again.

Wide Markers: Test vs Limited-Overs

In Test cricket, the wide law is applied strictly to deliveries that are genuinely out of reach — there is considerable latitude for the bowler. In limited-overs cricket (ODIs and T20Is), the ICC applies a much tighter interpretation: any delivery down the leg side that passes the batter's body is generally called wide, and off-side deliveries are judged more strictly too. This reflects the attacking nature of the formats and prevents bowlers from bowling defensively.

What Happens After a Wide

One run is added to the batting team's extras. The delivery is not counted as one of the over's six balls — it must be re-bowled. If the batter attempts to hit a wide and misses, the ball is still called wide. However, if the batter hits a wide ball, runs scored from it are credited to the batter and the wide is no longer called.

Strategic Bowling and Wides

Some bowlers deliberately bowl wide of off stump in Test cricket to create pressure without being called wide. In limited-overs cricket this strategy is restricted because the tighter wide lines force the ball to be in a hittable area. Bowlers who cannot control their line end up gifting extras that hurt their team's chances.