When is a ball called wide?
B · Beginner · What is a fair ball, and what does a foul ball cost? · 4 of 14A ball is a wide when it passes too far from the batter for them to hit it with a normal shot. The batting side gets one extra run and the ball is bowled again. It is not a wide if it touches the batter's bat or body, or if the batter's own movement put it out of reach.
How it works
- The umpire judges whether the batter, standing normally, could reach the ball with a normal shot.
- A ball that bounces and goes over the batter's head, as they stand upright at the crease, is a wide.
- If the batter moves away and that is why the ball is out of reach, it is not a wide.
- If the batter moves towards the ball and brings it within reach, it is not a wide either.
- After a wide the batter can be out only by stumping, run out, hit wicket or obstructing the field.
Tricky cases
Is it a wide if the ball brushes the batter's pad?
No. Any touch on the bat or body as it passes means it is not a wide.
Is it a wide if the batter moves across the crease?
It depends on which way. If the batter moved away and that put the ball out of reach, it is not a wide. If they moved towards it and brought it within reach, it is not a wide either.
Can a batter be stumped off a wide?
Yes. Stumping, run out, hit wicket and obstructing the field are all possible off a wide.
Is a bouncer that goes over the batter's head a wide?
Yes, if it passes above the head of the batter standing upright at the crease.
Why the rule exists
It stops bowlers keeping the ball out of the batter's reach to stop them scoring. In limited-overs cricket, where runs decide the match, umpires apply it most strictly.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The Laws | The ball must be out of reach of where the batter stood at any point once the bowler started, and of a normal batting position | L22.1.1 |
| ICC men's internationals | Judged against where the batter stood when the ball was bowled, and a normal batting position | PC-T, PC-O, PC-I 22.1.1 |
| ODIs and T20 internationals | Umpires apply the rule very strictly, to stop bowlers bowling wide on purpose | PC-O 22.1.4, PC-I 22.1.4 |
| Tests | The same strict reading is used for a bowler aiming outside leg stump, into the rough or as a negative tactic | PC-T 22.1.4, 22.1.5 |
| ICC men's internationals | A fast short ball above head height that the batter cannot reach with a normal shot is a wide | PC-T, PC-O, PC-I 41.6.1.7 |
From the rule book
MCC Laws of Cricket, Laws 22.1 to 22.9, 4th Edition, in force from 1 October 2026. ICC men's playing conditions, October 2026, as listed above. Checked 13 October 2026. Official documents: MCC Laws of Cricket (PDF); ICC playing conditions (PDF).