Key takeaways
- A no ball is an illegal delivery: the front foot landing entirely beyond the popping crease, the back foot touching the return crease, a thrown ball, a high full toss or a fielding breach, among other causes.
- A wide is a ball out of the striker's reach for a normal stroke, or one that bounces over head height; in the 2026 Laws head-height bouncers are wides.
- Each costs a one-run penalty charged to the bowler, does not count as one of the six balls, and must be bowled again.
- Off a no ball a batter can only be out hit the ball twice, obstructing the field or run out; off a wide, also hit wicket or stumped.
- In ICC ODIs and T20Is, every no ball brings a free hit; in ICC internationals the third umpire checks the bowler's feet for front-foot no balls.
Two kinds of illegal or unplayable ball cost the fielding side a run and an extra delivery: the no ball and the wide. Both are defined in the Laws of Cricket, Laws 21 and 22 in MCC's 2026 edition, and the ICC's international playing conditions add a few rules on top, notably the free hit.
What makes a no ball
Law 21 and the Laws it cross-references list the causes:
| Cause | The rule |
|---|---|
| Front foot | Some part of the front foot, grounded or raised, must land behind the popping crease |
| Back foot | The back foot must land within and not touching the return crease |
| Throwing | The elbow must not straighten once the arm has reached shoulder height in the delivery swing |
| Mode of delivery | The bowler must tell the umpire which arm and which side of the wicket; changing without notice is a no ball |
| Underarm | Not allowed unless agreed before the match |
| Breaking the wicket | The bowler breaks the non-striker's wicket during the delivery |
| Bouncing or rolling | The ball bounces more than once, or rolls, before reaching the popping crease, or lands off the pitch |
| High full toss | A ball that passes, or would pass, above waist height without bouncing (Law 41) |
| Fielding breaches | Illegal wicket-keeper position, more than two fielders (other than the keeper) behind the popping crease on the on side, or fielders encroaching on the pitch |
Throwing is handled in stages. Law 21 tells the umpire to call no ball and give a first and final warning; a second offence in the innings means the bowler is suspended from bowling for the rest of it.
What makes a wide
Law 22 says a ball is wide if it passes wide of where the striker is standing, and would also have passed wide of a normal batting position, so that it is not within reach for a normal cricket stroke. Two further points:
- Head height. Law 22.1.3 treats any delivery that, after landing, passes over the head height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease as passing wide. MCC's change notes show this clause moved into the Wide Law from Law 21 in the 2026 edition. The ICC's October 2026 playing conditions use the same wording, and separately limit fast short deliveries, those passing above shoulder height, to two an over in Tests and ODIs and one in T20Is, with a no ball for each one beyond the limit.
- The striker's movement matters. It is not a wide if the striker moves and so brings the ball out of reach, or into reach, or if the ball touches bat or body as it passes.
In internationals, the ICC's ODI playing conditions instruct umpires to apply a "very strict and consistent interpretation" to stop negative bowling wide of the wicket. The ICC's Test conditions apply that strict limited-overs interpretation to bowlers using the rough outside the batter's leg stump and to bowlers who, in the umpires' view, bowl down the leg side as a negative tactic.
Penalties and what counts
| No ball | Wide | |
|---|---|---|
| Penalty | 1 run, stands even if a batter is dismissed | 1 run |
| Other runs | Runs off the bat go to the batter; otherwise byes or leg byes | All runs taken are scored as wides |
| Charged to the bowler | Yes | Yes |
| Counts as one of the six balls | No | No |
| Dismissals still possible | Hit the ball twice, obstructing the field, run out | Hit wicket, obstructing the field, run out, stumped |
If a ball is both, no ball overrides wide. How cricket scoring works shows how these extras appear on the scorecard, and ways to get out explains each dismissal.
Free hits and the third umpire
The ICC's limited-overs playing conditions add two rules to the Laws:
- Free hit. The delivery after any no ball, of any kind, is a free hit. The striker can then be dismissed only in the ways allowed off a no ball, even if the free-hit delivery is called wide. The fielding side may not change its field unless the striker changes, or unless the no ball was a fielding-restriction breach that needs correcting. If the free-hit ball is itself a no ball or wide, the free hit carries over to the next ball.
- Front-foot calls. The third umpire reviews television replays of the bowler's feet landing and advises the bowler's end umpire, who then calls and signals the no ball. The ICC's Test conditions do the same.
Why it matters on the field
A no ball does more damage than its one run suggests: an extra ball, a free hit in white-ball cricket, and a wicket wiped out if the batter was dismissed off it. Fielding captains also have to watch Law 28, because more than two fielders, other than the wicket-keeper, behind the popping crease on the on side brings a no ball; cricket fielding positions explains the restriction.
In Cricket Sport Career Simulator, one of our sports career games, pace and spin bowling are separate skills to develop, and pace versus spin bowling explains how they differ.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
What is a front-foot no ball?
Is a bouncer over head height a no ball or a wide?
What is a free hit?
How many runs is a wide?
Sources
- The Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026) (opens in a new tab)Marylebone Cricket Club — accessed
- ICC Men's ODI Playing Conditions, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)International Cricket Council — accessed
- ICC Men's Test Match Playing Conditions, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)International Cricket Council — accessed
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