Wide ODI Rules in Cricket

A wide ball is a delivery by a cricket bowler that a batsman cannot reach. It can also be a delivery that bounces above head height. One run is awarded to the batting team for a wide delivery and the bowler must retake his bowl. The batsman is allowed to hit a wide ball and score runs for his team. A wide ball is signaled by the umpire and is more likely to be given for a ball bowled on the leg side of the batsman in a One Day International (O.D.I.).

  1. Bouncer

    • A wide ball is signaled by the umpire by holding out both his arms in a right angle to his body. A bowler is permitted to bowl one high bouncing delivery per over. An over is six consecutive, legitimate bowls. The bouncer will be deemed a wide delivery if it bounces too high for the batsman to hit.

    Umpires

    • The O.D.I. umpires are instructed by the International Cricket Council to apply strict and consistent interpretation in regard to the games' laws in order to prevent negative bowling wide of the wicket. The umpire will call a wide ball when an offside or leg-side delivery, in his opinion, does not give the batsman a reasonable opportunity to score.

    Wide Ball Not Given

    • A ball cannot be called wide if It is out of the batsman's reach as a result of him moving away from it.
      The umpire will not signal a wide if the batsman can bring the ball within reach by playing a conventional stroke or if the ball touches the batsman's bat or any part of his body. The umpire will signal a wide ball if the delivery is unreachable and the bowler must bowl another legitimate delivery until he has completed his over.