The rules on wides in cricket can seem complicated but follow some basic principles in practice. Normally a ball is called wide if three criteria all apply:
- The ball is outside of where the batter could play if they were standing in front of the wicket.
- The ball is outside of where the batter could play from where they are actually standing when the ball arrives. (This is to stop a batter deliberately moving to make an otherwise fair ball count as a wide.)
- The ball is outside of where the batter could play from where they were standing when the bowler started their run up. (This is to stop a ball only becoming wide because the batter has turned around and thus changed whether the ball is on the leg side or off side.)
“Outside”, in this scenario, means the ball is further away from the middle stump than the furthest point the batter can play the ball.
The specific threshold for where “the batter could play” is whether or not they could hit the ball “by means of a normal cricket stroke.” This means the umpire doesn’t take into account extreme scenarios such as the batter being able to reach the ball if they dived horizontally.
One big exception to these principles is that a ball can never be called wide if it touches the batter or their bat, regardless of where they stand.
While these principles are always followed, the precise way they are applied can vary:
- In a limited overs game, umpires are more likely to call wides closer to the wicket, particularly on the leg side (behind the batter.) They will use special marks painted on the pitch as a guideline.
- In some competitions, including many international games, umpires will call a ball wide if it passes over the batter’s head (or where their head would be if they were stood up without crouching.) This replaces the normal practice to call this a “no ball”.
While the rules on wides are clearly defined in both the Laws of the game and in the playing conditions of specific competitions, there’s always an element of judgement. For example, a ball that passes by at the same distance from the batter might be called a wide if it’s just above the ground but a fair delivery it it’s two feet higher. That’s because the umpire is ultimately trying to decide if a skilled player had a reasonable opportunity to have hit the ball.