Wicket - Revision history

NydiaSilverman2: rework page also and added references per sources

2026-03-09T16:48:10Z

rework page also and added references per sources

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:18, 9 March 2026
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	{{Short description\|~~One~~ of the ~~two sets~~ of ~~three stumps and two bails at either end of a~~ cricket ~~pitch~~}}		{{Short description\|Aspect of the game of cricket}}
	{{other uses}}		{{other uses}}
	{{~~EngvarB~~\|date=~~June 2020~~}}		{{Use British English\|date=March 2026}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2020}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2020}}
	[[File:~~Wicket~~.jpg\|thumb\|~~200px~~\|A wicket]]		[[File:Highgate Cricket Club wicket at Crouch End, Haringey, London, England 01.jpg\|thumb\|upright\|A wicket]]
	In [[cricket]], the term '''wicket''' has several meanings:		In the sport of [[cricket]], the term '''wicket''' has several meanings:
	* It is ~~one~~ of the two sets of three [[Stump (cricket)\|stumps]] and two [[Bail (cricket)\|bails]] at ~~either~~ end of the [[Cricket pitch\|pitch]].<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.lords.org/mcc/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-8-the-wickets/ \|title=Law 8 – The wickets \|publisher=MCC \|access-date=29 September 2017}}</ref> The [[Fielding (cricket)\|fielding]] team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a batter [[out (cricket)\|out]].		* It is either of the two sets of three [[Stump (cricket)\|stumps]] and two [[Bail (cricket)\|bails]] at each end of the [[Cricket pitch\|pitch]].<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.lords.org/mcc/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-8-the-wickets/ \|title=Law 8 – The wickets \|publisher=MCC \|access-date=29 September 2017}}</ref> The [[Fielding (cricket)\|fielding]] team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a batter [[out (cricket)\|out]].
	** The wicket is guarded by a [[Batsman (cricket)\|batter]] who, with their [[cricket bat\|bat]] (and sometimes with their [[pads]], but see the laws on [[Leg before wicket\|LBW]], leg before wicket), attempts to prevent the [[Cricket ball\|ball]] from hitting the wicket (if it does, ~~he is~~ [[bowled ~~out~~]]) and to [[Run (cricket)\|score runs]] where possible.		** The wicket is guarded by a [[Batsman (cricket)\|batter]] who, with their [[cricket bat\|bat]] (and sometimes with their [[pads]], but see the laws on [[Leg before wicket\|LBW]], leg before wicket), attempts to prevent the [[Cricket ball\|ball]] from hitting the wicket (if it does, they may be [[bowled]]) and to [[Run (cricket)\|score runs]] where possible.
	* Through [[metonymic]] usage, the [[Dismissal (cricket)\|dismissal]] of a batter is known as the ''taking of a wicket'',<ref name=cric>{{cite web\|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/239756.html\|title=A glossary of cricket terms\|date=6 March 2006\|publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref>		* Through [[metonymic]] usage, the [[Dismissal (cricket)\|dismissal]] of a batter is known as the ''taking of a wicket.''<ref name=cric>{{cite web\|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/239756.html\|title=A glossary of cricket terms\|date=6 March 2006\|publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref>
	* The [[cricket pitch]] itself is sometimes referred to as ''the wicket''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />		* The [[cricket pitch]] itself is sometimes referred to as ''the wicket''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
	~~In croquet, wooden or plastic balls are hit with a mallet through hoops embedded in a grass playing court. A hoop is commonly referred to as a wicket in North American English.~~

	==History==		==History==
			[[File:Francis Cotes - The young cricketer (1768).jpg\|thumb\|''[[The Young Cricketer]]'' by [[Francis Cotes]] in 1768 features the original two-stump wicket]]
	The origin of the word is from [[wicket gate]], a small gate. Originally, cricket wickets had only two stumps and one bail and looked like a gate, much like the wicket used in the North American game of [[wicket (sport)\|wicket]]. The third (middle) stump was introduced in 1775, after [[Lumpy Stevens]] bowled three successive deliveries to [[John Small (cricketer)\|John Small]] that went straight through the two stumps rather than hitting them.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/z683qp3 \|title=The origins of cricket jargon \|work=BBC Bitesize \|access-date=17 November 2018}}</ref>		The origin of the word is from [[wicket gate]], a small gate. Originally, cricket wickets had only two stumps and one bail and looked like a gate, much like the wicket used in the North American game of [[wicket (sport)\|wicket]]. The third (middle) stump was introduced in 1775, after [[Lumpy Stevens]] bowled three successive deliveries to [[John Small (cricketer)\|John Small]] that went straight through the two stumps rather than hitting them.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/z683qp3 \|title=The origins of cricket jargon \|work=BBC Bitesize \|access-date=17 November 2018}}</ref>

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	===Putting down a wicket===		===Putting down a wicket===

	The wicket can be thought of as ~~the~~ target of the fielding team, as the [[bowler (cricket)\|bowler]] and [[fielder (cricket)\|fielder]]s ~~alike~~ can [[dismissal (cricket)\|dismiss]] ~~the~~ batter by hitting the wicket with the ball, ~~and~~ in ~~particular~~, can prevent run-scoring ~~(off a ball that has not reached the boundary)~~ by ~~managing or~~ threatening to ~~[[run out]] batters~~.		The wicket can be thought of as a target for the fielding team, as the [[bowler (cricket)\|bowler]] and [[fielder (cricket)\|fielder]]s can [[dismissal (cricket)\|dismiss]] a batter by hitting the wicket with the ball, in certain circumstances, and can prevent [[Run (cricket)\|run]]-scoring by threatening to do so.

	For a batter to be dismissed by being [[bowled]], [[run out]], [[stumped]] or [[hit wicket]], their wicket needs to be put down, ~~potentially~~ when neither batter is in the [[batsman's ground\|ground]] of the wicket. This generally occurs when a fielder throws the ball at the wicket, or hits it with ball in hand. What ~~this~~ means is defined by Law 29. A wicket is put down if:		For a batter to be dismissed by being [[bowled]], [[run out]], [[stumped]] or [[hit wicket]], their wicket needs to be put down. For run out and stumped, this has to be when neither batter is in the [[batsman's ground\|ground]] of the wicket. This generally occurs when a fielder throws the ball at the wicket, or hits it with ball in hand.

			What 'putting down a wicket' means is defined by Law 29. A wicket is put down if:

	* A [[Bail (cricket)\|bail]] is completely removed from the top of the stumps		* A [[Bail (cricket)\|bail]] is completely removed from the top of the stumps
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	===Modern innovations===		===Modern innovations===
	{{Main\|Stump (cricket)#Modern innovations}}		{{Main\|Stump (cricket)#Modern innovations}}
	As per the ICC Playing Conditions, when using the [[LED wicket]]s, "the moment at which the wicket has been put down [...] shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the LED lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from the top of the stumps."<ref>{{cite web \|title=CC Men's One Day International Playing Conditions (incorporating the 2017 Code of the MCC Laws of Cricket) Effective 1 August 2019 \|url=https://icc-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/ICC/document/2020/02/18/50c52297-70b0-4c12-9a8e-e9068cfe0c71/ICC-Men-s-ODI-Playing-Conditions-2019.pdf \|access-date=19 February 2021}}</ref> The manufacturer is reviewing the LED wicket's performance after a number of international cricketers ~~criticized~~ the Zing bails during the [[2019 Cricket World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite news\|last=Sport\|first=Telegraph\|date=2019-06-11\|title=Manufacturers of 'Zing' bails left surprised by World Cup problems and will 'review' for future use\|language=en-GB\|work=The Telegraph\|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2019/06/11/manufacturers-zing-bails-left-surprised-world-cup-problems-will/\|access-date=2020-09-19\|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>		As per the ICC Playing Conditions, when using the [[LED wicket]]s, "the moment at which the wicket has been put down [...] shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the LED lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from the top of the stumps."<ref>{{cite web \|title=CC Men's One Day International Playing Conditions (incorporating the 2017 Code of the MCC Laws of Cricket) Effective 1 August 2019 \|url=https://icc-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/ICC/document/2020/02/18/50c52297-70b0-4c12-9a8e-e9068cfe0c71/ICC-Men-s-ODI-Playing-Conditions-2019.pdf \|access-date=19 February 2021 \|archive-date=29 August 2022 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829181216/https://icc-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/ICC/document/2020/02/18/50c52297-70b0-4c12-9a8e-e9068cfe0c71/ICC-Men-s-ODI-Playing-Conditions-2019.pdf \|url-status=dead }}</ref> The manufacturer is reviewing the LED wicket's performance after a number of international cricketers criticised the Zing bails during the [[2019 Cricket World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite news\|last=Sport\|first=Telegraph\|date=2019-06-11\|title=Manufacturers of 'Zing' bails left surprised by World Cup problems and will 'review' for future use\|language=en-GB\|work=The Telegraph\|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2019/06/11/manufacturers-zing-bails-left-surprised-world-cup-problems-will/\|access-date=2020-09-19\|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

	{{anchor\|Dismissing_a_batsman}}		{{anchor\|Dismissing_a_batsman}}

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article

2023-09-17T14:00:26Z

Created a new article

New page

{{Short description|One of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of a cricket pitch}}
{{other uses}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
[[File:Wicket.jpg|thumb|200px|A wicket]]
In [[cricket]], the term '''wicket''' has several meanings:
* It is one of the two sets of three [[Stump (cricket)|stumps]] and two [[Bail (cricket)|bails]] at either end of the [[Cricket pitch|pitch]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lords.org/mcc/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-8-the-wickets/ |title=Law 8 – The wickets |publisher=MCC |access-date=29 September 2017}}</ref> The [[Fielding (cricket)|fielding]] team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a batter [[out (cricket)|out]].
** The wicket is guarded by a [[Batsman (cricket)|batter]] who, with their [[cricket bat|bat]] (and sometimes with their [[pads]], but see the laws on [[Leg before wicket|LBW]], leg before wicket), attempts to prevent the [[Cricket ball|ball]] from hitting the wicket (if it does, he is [[bowled out]]) and to [[Run (cricket)|score runs]] where possible.
* Through [[metonymic]] usage, the [[Dismissal (cricket)|dismissal]] of a batter is known as the ''taking of a wicket'',<ref name=cric>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/239756.html|title=A glossary of cricket terms|date=6 March 2006|publisher=ESPNcricinfo}}</ref>
* The [[cricket pitch]] itself is sometimes referred to as ''the wicket''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
In croquet, wooden or plastic balls are hit with a mallet through hoops embedded in a grass playing court. A hoop is commonly referred to as a wicket in North American English.

==History==
The origin of the word is from [[wicket gate]], a small gate. Originally, cricket wickets had only two stumps and one bail and looked like a gate, much like the wicket used in the North American game of [[wicket (sport)|wicket]]. The third (middle) stump was introduced in 1775, after [[Lumpy Stevens]] bowled three successive deliveries to [[John Small (cricketer)|John Small]] that went straight through the two stumps rather than hitting them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/z683qp3 |title=The origins of cricket jargon |work=BBC Bitesize |access-date=17 November 2018}}</ref>

==Stumps and bails==
{{main|Stump (cricket)|Bail (cricket)}}
[[Image:Cricket Stumps en.svg|right|thumb|260px|Each wicket consists of three [[stump (cricket)|stumps]], upright wooden poles that are hammered into the ground, topped with two wooden crosspieces, known as the [[bail (cricket)|bails]].]]

The size and shape of the wicket has changed several times during the last 300 years; its dimensions and placing is now determined by Law 8 in the ''[[Laws of Cricket]]'', thus:

* '''Law 8: The wickets'''. The wicket consists of three wooden stumps that are {{convert|28|in|cm|2}} tall. The stumps are placed along the batting crease with equal distances between each stump. They are positioned so they are {{convert|9|in|cm|2}} wide. Two wooden bails are placed in shallow grooves on top of the stumps. The bails must not project more than {{convert|0.5|in|cm|2}} above the stumps, and must, for cricket, be {{convert|4.31 |in|cm|2}} long.

There are also specified lengths for the barrel and spigots of the bail. There are different specifications for the wickets and bails for junior cricket. The umpires may dispense with the bails if conditions are unfit (e.g., if it is windy they might fall off by themselves).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/news/old_trafford_england_australia_bails_ashes.html |title=Strange sight at Old Trafford as England and Australia forced to play without bails |work=thecricketer.com |date=4 September 2019 |access-date=18 December 2019}}</ref> Further details on the specifications of the wickets are contained in Appendix D to the laws.

===Putting down a wicket===

The wicket can be thought of as the target of the fielding team, as the [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]] and [[fielder (cricket)|fielder]]s alike can [[dismissal (cricket)|dismiss]] the batter by hitting the wicket with the ball, and in particular, can prevent run-scoring (off a ball that has not reached the boundary) by managing or threatening to [[run out]] batters.

For a batter to be dismissed by being [[bowled]], [[run out]], [[stumped]] or [[hit wicket]], their wicket needs to be put down, potentially when neither batter is in the [[batsman's ground|ground]] of the wicket. This generally occurs when a fielder throws the ball at the wicket, or hits it with ball in hand. What this means is defined by Law 29. A wicket is put down if:

* A [[Bail (cricket)|bail]] is completely removed from the top of the stumps
* A stump is struck out of the grounds by the ball, the striker's bat, the striker's person (or by any part of his clothing or equipment becoming detached from his person), a [[Fielding (cricket)|fielder]] (with his hand or arm, and provided that the ball is held in the hand or hands so used, or in the hand of the arm so used).
* A 2010 amendment to the Laws clarified the rare circumstance where a bat breaks during the course of a shot and the detached debris breaks the wicket; the wicket has been put down in this circumstance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lords.org/latest-news/news-archive/mcc-announces-eight-law-changes,1735,NS.html)|title=MCC announce eight Law changes|date=30 September 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221092414/http://www.lords.org/latest-news/news-archive/mcc-announces-eight-law-changes,1735,NS.html)|archive-date=21 February 2011}}</ref>
The wicket is also put down if a fielder pulls a stump out of the ground in the same manner.
[[File:Sutcliffe - bail stays put.jpg|thumb|200px|
A ball from [[Bill O'Reilly (cricketer)|Bill O'Reilly]] hits the stumps but does not dislodge the [[Bail (cricket)|bail]], [[English cricket team in Australia in 1932–33|Sydney, 1932]]. The wicket was not put down, and so the batter ([[Herbert Sutcliffe]]) was [[not out]].]]
Special situations:

*If one bail is off, removing the remaining bail or striking or pulling any stump out of the ground is sufficient to put the wicket down. A fielder may remake the wicket, if necessary, to put it down to have an opportunity of running out a batter.
*If both bails are off, a fielder must strike or pull any stump out of the ground with the ball, or pull it out of the ground with a hand or arm, provided that the ball is held in the hand(s) so used, or in the hand of the arm so used.

If the [[Umpire (cricket)|umpires]] have agreed to dispense with bails, because, for example, it is too windy for the bails to remain on the stumps, the decision as to whether the wicket has been put down is one for the umpire concerned to decide. After a decision to play without bails, the wicket has been put down if the umpire concerned is satisfied that the wicket has been struck by the ball, by the striker's [[Bat (cricket)|bat]], person, or items of his clothing or equipment separated from his person as described above, or by a fielder with the hand holding the ball or with the arm of the hand holding the ball.

===Modern innovations===
{{Main|Stump (cricket)#Modern innovations}}
As per the ICC Playing Conditions, when using the [[LED wicket]]s, "the moment at which the wicket has been put down [...] shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the LED lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from the top of the stumps."<ref>{{cite web |title=CC Men's One Day International Playing Conditions (incorporating the 2017 Code of the MCC Laws of Cricket) Effective 1 August 2019 |url=https://icc-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/ICC/document/2020/02/18/50c52297-70b0-4c12-9a8e-e9068cfe0c71/ICC-Men-s-ODI-Playing-Conditions-2019.pdf |access-date=19 February 2021}}</ref> The manufacturer is reviewing the LED wicket's performance after a number of international cricketers criticized the Zing bails during the [[2019 Cricket World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sport|first=Telegraph|date=2019-06-11|title=Manufacturers of 'Zing' bails left surprised by World Cup problems and will 'review' for future use|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2019/06/11/manufacturers-zing-bails-left-surprised-world-cup-problems-will/|access-date=2020-09-19|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

{{anchor|Dismissing_a_batsman}}
==Dismissal of a batter==
[[File:Loughton Cricket Club ground scoreboard at Loughton, Essex, England.jpg|thumb|300px|A scoreboard showing the total runs scored and wickets lost]]
{{Main article|Dismissal (cricket)}}
The [[Dismissal (cricket)|dismissal]] of a batter is known as the ''taking of a wicket''. The batter is said to have ''lost their wicket'', the batting side is said to have ''lost a wicket'', the fielding side to have ''taken a wicket'', and the [[bowler (cricket)|bowler]] is also said to have ''taken their'' (i.e. the batter's) ''wicket'', if the dismissal is one of the types for which the bowler receives credit. This language is used even if the dismissal did not actually involve the stumps and bails in any way (for example, a catch). The other four of the five most common methods of dismissal (bowled, LBW, run out, and stumped) involve the stumps and bails being put down (in the case of LBW, theoretically).

The word ''wicket'' has this meaning in the following contexts:

===Scoring===
A team's [[Scoring (cricket)|score]] is described in terms of the total number of [[run (cricket)|runs]] scored and the total number of wickets lost.

===Bowling analyses===
The number of wickets taken is a primary measure of an individual bowler's ability, and a key part of a [[bowling analysis]].

===Batting partnerships===
The sequence of time over which two particular batters bat together, a [[partnership (cricket)|partnership]], is referred to as a specifically numbered wicket when discriminating it from other partnerships in the [[innings]]. This can be thought of as saying "this was the number of runs scored while this team had lost [''n''-1] wickets and had yet to lose their ''n''th wicket."
*The '''first wicket partnership''' is from the start of the innings until the team loses its first wicket, i.e. one of the first two batters is dismissed.
* The '''second wicket partnership''' is from when the third batter starts batting until the team loses its second wicket, i.e. the time from when they have lost one wicket until the time they have lost a second wicket, which happens when a second batter is dismissed.
* etc...
* The '''tenth wicket''' or '''last wicket partnership''' is from when the eleventh (last) batter starts batting until the team loses its tenth (last) wicket, i.e. a tenth (last) batter is dismissed.

===Winning by number of wickets===
A team can win a match by a certain number of wickets. This means that they were batting last, and reached the winning target with a certain number of batsmen still not dismissed. For example, if the side scored the required number of runs to win with only three batters dismissed, they are said to have won by seven wickets (as a team's innings ends when ten batters are dismissed).

==The pitch==
The word ''wicket'' is also sometimes used to refer to the [[cricket pitch]] itself.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/wicket|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925134541/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/wicket|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 September 2016|title=wicket – Definition of wicket in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries – English}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/wicket|title=Wicket definition and meaning – Collins English Dictionary|website=collinsdictionary.com}}</ref> According to the ''Laws of Cricket'', this usage is incorrect{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}, but it is in common usage and commonly understood by cricket followers.
The term ''[[sticky wicket]]'' refers to a situation in which the pitch has become damp, typically due to rain or high humidity. This makes the path of the ball more unpredictable thus making the job of defending the stumps that much more difficult. The full phrase is thought to have originally been "to bat on a sticky wicket." Such pitches were commonplace at all levels of the game (i.e. up to Test match level) until the late 1950s.

==In other sports==
Even though it is a cricket term, the arches used in [[croquet]] and [[roque]] are sometimes referred to as ''wickets'', especially in [[American English]]. These arches descend from the ancestral game of [[ground billiards]] (which may also be related to cricket), and were formerly called the ''hoop'', ''arch'' or ''port''. The port remained a prominent feature of indoor table [[Cue sport|billiards]] until well into the 18th century.<ref name="Clare">{{Cite book
|title=Billiards and Snooker Bygones
|last=Clare
|first=Norman
|publisher=Shire Publications
|location=[[Princes Risborough]], England
|year=1996 | orig-year = 1985
|edition=amended
|isbn=0-85263-730-6
|pages=3, 6, 7
}}</ref>

In [[baseball]], the [[strike zone]] is similar to the wicket, in that a batter who fails to hit a ball that is going towards the strike zone is at risk of being out.

==See also==
{{Portal|Cricket}}
*[[Cricket terminology]]

==References==
{{Commons category|Wickets}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Cricket statistics}}

[[Category:Cricket terminology]]
[[Category:Cricket equipment]]
[[Category:Cricket laws and regulations]]
[[Category:Cricket]]