In cricket, the umpire typically signals a “wide ball” by extending both arms sideways. A wide ball is referred to as an extra in cricket parlance. This indicates that the delivery is invalid and has no bearing on the official total of balls bowled. Scroll down to read What Is a Wide Ball in Cricket? Understand its impact.
What Is A Wide Ball In Cricket?
Every run in a cricket match matters, the same as every dot ball. A single run can decide the difference between success and failure, win and defeat, in a match. Bowlers spend a great deal of time honing their line and length accuracy. Modern batsmen, on the other hand, are never still. They are always trying to make space for creative shots and outwit the opposing fielders.
Before the umpire calls a wide ball, there are several possible outcomes, which frequently confuse onlookers. This article explores the numerous guidelines and elements that affect the umpire’s choice when calling a wide.
The distance of the Wide Ball line marking
On both sides of the middle stump, the wide ball line marking in cricket is placed at a distance of 0.89 meters, or 35 inches. This distance is also referred to as the wide line on the leg side in test matches. The wide line on the leg side is shorter in T20 and ODI cricket matches, though. This is to deter bowlers from bowling in a “negative” manner. Compared to Test matches, the wide line rule is applied more rigidly in ODI and T20 matches.
When the ball is too far away from the batsman
To provide a fair match, the bowler must refrain from delivering a ball that is out of the batsman’s reach.
For example, if a batsman is right-handed, the ball must clear the leg stump and the straight white line that runs the length of the wicket on the right side behind the hitter. The ball will be declared wide if it lands on the batsman’s right side after crossing this line. Likewise, for a left-handed batsman, the ball needs to strike the leg stump as well as the straight line on the left side of the wicket. It will be ruled wide if it crosses this line and lands on the batsman’s left side.
It’s also important to emphasize that a ball will be considered wide if it reaches the batter behind him, specifically down the left side of the leg stump, without making contact with the batsman’s body.
An exception to the above rule of wide-ball
There is an exception to the aforementioned regulation. If the batsman moves to the offside before the bowler releases the ball, the traditional white line that marks the wide boundary is effectively thrown away. This suggests that the wide boundary is fictitiously stretched in the direction of the batsman’s movement towards the offside. The umpire then determines the threshold beyond which a delivery is deemed wide, assessing what is extremely wide.
Bowlers in Test cricket are given a certain amount of leeway when it comes to the wide ball rule. The umpire does not signal a wide when the ball touches down on the leg side without making contact with the batsman or if it lands just inside the white line. Nonetheless, the umpire calls it wide if the deviation is too noticeable on either side of the wicket. The umpire has the final say on what is considered “too far.”
Above the head
For fair play, the ball to the batter should ideally aim for the length of his body. When the ball bounces once on the pitch and reaches the batsman below shoulder level, it is considered a perfect delivery. It is called a bouncer if it is higher than shoulder height but still rests below the head. On the other hand, the ball is considered both a wide ball and a bouncer if it bounces and reaches the batsman above the head. Consequently, the ball must not rise higher than the batsman’s head for the delivery to be deemed legal and not wide.
An interesting point to note is that bowlers are only allowed to deliver two bouncers in both ODI and Test cricket. But in Twenty20 cricket, they can only have one. A no-ball will be declared instead of a wide if a bowler bounces more balls than the allotted amount.
In ODI cricket, a bowler is deemed to have delivered two bouncers above the head in an over, as per the previously specified cricket regulation. Any more above-head high deliveries in the same over will be automatically labeled as “no balls,” rather than as wides and bouncers. The first bouncer that is above head height in Twenty20 International cricket is regarded as a wide and one bounce, and the second bouncer is regarded as a no-ball.
Runs from Wide Ball (Including penalty runs)
- As per the rules of cricket, a bowling team is penalized 1 run when bowling a wide ball. This one run is awarded to the batting team.
- Furthermore, if a boundary is scored on a wide ball, a total of 5 runs (4 runs from a boundary and 1 run penalty) are awarded to the batting team.
- Additionally, when a wide ball is called, the ball does not become dead. This means the two batsmen can decide to score additional runs by running between the wickets.
- All the runs scored on a wide ball are awarded to the batting team and not to an individual player.
Can a batter be declared out on the wide ball?
A batsman can be dismissed on a wide ball in four specific ways:
- Being stumped
- Run out
- Obstructing the field
- Hit wicket
A batsman may be stumped out if he is outside the popping crease and the wicketkeeper moves the wickets. Similarly, a batter may be run out if he or she misses their crease while trying to score from a wide delivery and the fielding team disrupts the stumps.
When a batsman is out on a wide ball in these circumstances, the delivery is deemed legitimate, and the batting team is still awarded penalty runs.
