Archive · 3 Sep 2026
Red Line Explains ICC’s New Leg-Side Wide Rule
The red line is a new guide painted near the stumps.
It helps the umpire decide whether a ball on the batter’s leg side is a wide.
The line is about one foot from the middle stump.
If the ball passes between the leg stump and this line, it is usually not a wide.
If it goes behind the batter’s legs and outside the line, it can still be called a wide.
The umpire also considers where the batter’s legs were when the ball was delivered.
This matters because batters sometimes move across the crease.
The ICC introduced the rule to make these decisions clearer.
The ICC Board permanently adopted the change in June 2026.
A red line near the stumps appeared during India Women’s match against Hong Kong Women in the 2026 Women’s T20 Asia Cup.
The marking is linked to the ICC’s updated method for judging leg-side wides in white-ball cricket.
The line is reportedly placed one foot, or 30.48 centimeters, from the middle stump.
Deliveries passing between the leg stump and the marker at the popping crease are not called wides.
The change accounts for batters moving across the crease and was permanently adopted by the ICC Board in June 2026.
- Who
- India Women and Hong Kong Women played the match, while ICC rules determine how umpires judge the delivery.
- What
- A red pitch marking provided a reference for applying the updated leg-side wide rule.
- When
- During the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026; the change was permanently adopted by the ICC Board in June 2026.
- Where
- Near the stumps and popping crease on the cricket pitch.
- Why
- The ICC introduced the marking to give umpires a clearer guide when batters move across the crease and create extra leg-side space.
- Marking location
- Near the stumps, extending to the popping crease
- Distance from middle stump
- One foot, or 30.48 centimeters
- Delivery within marked area
- Not called a wide when it passes between the leg stump and the marker at the popping crease
- Delivery outside guideline
- A ball behind the batter’s legs and outside the new guideline can still be called a wide
- Batter movement
- The umpire uses the position of the batter’s legs at the moment of delivery if the batter moves toward the off side
- Rule status
- Permanently adopted by the ICC Board in June 2026