When a ball is outside the wide line on the off side or outside the leg stump on the leg side of the batsman, it is given as a wide ball. But now-a-days (especially in T20 matches), if the ball is inside the batsman's reach even if the ball is outside the wide line on the off side or ouside the leg stump on the leg side is not given as a wide ball by the umpires. Why is it so that the wide ball rule is being neglected by umpires? WHAT'S A PROPER WIDE BALL DEFINITION?
1 Answer
The definition of a wide ball is in Law 25
The law makes no mention of a wide line or the leg stump - the key definition of which is the statement:
The ball will be considered as passing wide of the striker unless it is sufficiently within his reach for him to be able to hit it with his bat by means of a normal cricket stroke.
So the umpires are not neglecting the wide ball law, they are merely enforcing it as written.
Additionally the laws do not appear to have a definition for wide line in Law 7 (The Pitch) or Law 9 (The Bowling, Popping and Return Creases). You might be thinking of the Return Crease which is used to determine whether a bowler balls a no-ball.
answered May 12, 2014 at 1:03
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The marks for wides are a guidance provided for the umpires and are contained in competition regulations, which modify the laws of cricket including the standard ODI & T20 regulations. They are not a line passed which the ball must be called wide. Additionally the wideness of the ball is to be judged both from the batsmans normal stance and where he finishes up and if the ball was playable from either it is not a wide. Mar 22, 2015 at 22:09