Wide goes for six, but umpire gives only five runs: here is why
Ali Khan was bowling to Kieron Pollard when he sent down a wild bouncer which flew for six
Cricket can sometimes produce moments where even experienced players and commentators are left wondering what just happened.
That was exactly the case during the Canada Super60 semi final between Toronto Sixers and Mississauga Masters.
USA fast bowler Ali Khan was bowling to Kieron Pollard when he sent down a wild bouncer.
The ball flew high over Pollard, went over the wicketkeeper and landed beyond the boundary without bouncing inside the field.
It looked exactly like a six.
There was only one problem.
Pollard had not touched the ball.
The umpire called it a wide and Toronto were eventually awarded five wides, leaving many fans wondering why the ball was not worth six or even seven runs.
Why was it only five wides?
The explanation is actually quite simple.
According to the MCC Laws of Cricket, a ball can only be scored as a six if it has been hit by the bat before clearing the boundary on the full.
Pollard did not make any contact with Ali Khan’s delivery.
So even though the ball physically flew over the rope like a six, the rules treat the boundary part as four runs, not six.
Because the delivery was also called a wide, another run was added.
Four for the boundary plus one for the wide meant five wides in total.
In other words, there is no such thing as a normal “wide six” in this situation.
The bizarre delivery quickly went viral, with even the commentators initially discussing whether it could be called a six wide.
Toronto win by nine runs
The strange moment came during Toronto’s innings as they posted 130 for four from their 10 overs.
Pollard smashed 40 from just 16 balls, while Andries Gous finished unbeaten on 33 from 11. Ali Khan took two wickets but conceded 43 runs from his two overs.
Mississauga then made 121 for seven in reply, despite Alex Lees smashing 39 from only 11 balls.
Toronto won by nine runs to reach the Canada Super60 final.
But the moment everyone was talking about afterwards was a delivery that flew into the stands like a six and somehow ended up as five wides.
It is certainly not something we see often in cricket. We cannot say for sure whether it has ever happened before, so we will leave that question to the readers.
Have you ever seen anything like this on a cricket field?
