Wide Ball in Cricket — Rules, Signals & Umpire Judgment
A wide is a delivery bowled too far from the batter for them to play a normal stroke. Learn how wides are called, when the rules differ between formats, and the effect on the score.
A wide in cricket is a delivery bowled so far wide of the batter — or so high over their head — that they cannot play it with a normal cricket stroke. It adds one run to the batting side's extras, does not count as a legitimate delivery (so the bowler must re-bowl), and can result in further penalties if additional runs are scored off it.
How Is a Wide Signalled?
The umpire signals a wide by extending both arms horizontally out to the sides. The call is made immediately after the delivery passes the batter. If the ball goes to the boundary after being called wide, the batting side receives 4 wides (boundary + 1 wide run). If it reaches the boundary without any overthrows, they receive 4 runs from the wide.
Wide Rules Differ Between Formats
| Format | Wide Standard |
|---|---|
| Test cricket | Only called for balls clearly out of reach — umpires apply a loose standard |
| ODI cricket | Stricter — ball outside the off stump tramline or down the leg side past the body is wide |
| T20 cricket | Strictest — any ball down leg that passes outside the batters body is wide; harder to bowl outside off |
Can a Batter Be Dismissed Off a Wide?
Yes — a batter can be dismissed off a wide ball, but only through: run-out, stumped (the most common wide-ball dismissal, when the batter steps out to play the wide delivery and misses), or hit wicket. The batter cannot be out bowled, caught, LBW, or by any other method off a wide.
Strategic Use of the Wide
Bowlers sometimes intentionally bowl a wide to prevent a run-out when the non-striking batter has backed up too far — the wide is called, but the batter is safe. More often, wides represent errors in line or length that cost the fielding side: in the final over of a T20 match, a wide can be match-losing. Death bowlers drill 'back-of-a-length' deliveries specifically to avoid wides while also denying the batter room to swing.
Wide That Changed a World Cup Final
2019 ICC Men's World Cup Final, Lord's: In the super over, England's Jofra Archer bowled a wide off the penultimate ball against New Zealand. The wide extended the super over by one delivery, giving England a second chance on the last ball. England scored off the final ball and won the super over (and tournament) by boundary countback — one illegal delivery proved decisive.
Frequently asked questions
Does a wide ball count as a delivery in the over?
No. A wide, like a no-ball, does not count as one of the six legitimate deliveries. The bowler must bowl an additional delivery to complete the over.
Can you score runs off a wide?
Yes. If the batter makes contact with a wide delivery (unusual) or if the ball goes to the boundary, runs are scored. Any runs scored off a wide are added to the extras column — they count for the batting team's total but not for the individual batter's score.
Why are wides called more strictly in T20 than in Tests?
Limited-overs formats prioritise batter-friendly conditions to encourage attacking play and high scores. Stricter wide interpretations prevent bowlers from hiding the ball down leg or far outside off stump to restrict scoring, forcing them to bowl in areas where batters can play aggressive shots.