A wicket gate is an entry feature of a building which is a part of a larger door or a gate. In the sport of cricket, the combination of stumps and bails is thus called a wicket. A pair of three stumps with two bails are a mandatory feature on a cricket field. But were they always three in number?
Before the mid-1770s, all cricket matches featured two stumps with a single bail connecting them from the top. This gave it a gate-like appearance. Controversy struck in 1775, when a match between Kent and Surrey witnessed an incident that decided the blueprint of the modern appearance of the wickets.
John Small survived three successive deliveries bowled by Lumpy Stevens. Each of these balls went between the stumps. However, since the Laws of Cricket state that it is mandatory for the bails to be dislodged for a batter to be out, Small was not out each time. This incident led to the introduction of the middle stump.
The middle stump’s introduction also meant that now the stumps needed two small bails instead of a solo long one. The new modifications standardized the stumps to be 28 inches high and 9 inches wide. The bails on the stumps are no taller than 0.5 inches and their length was designated to 4.31 inches.
Stumps play an unparalleled role in cricket. The batter’s role is to guard the three vertical posts and score runs. Off-stump, middle stump, and leg stump are the three names that constitute the wickets. The stump that is in line with the batter’s bat is the off stump. The one corresponding to the batter’s leg is the leg stump, and the one between the leg and off stump is the middle stump. The cylindrical stumps have a groove for the two bails to settle in. The other end of the stump is conical that allows them to be penetrated within the ground for retention.
The bails are grossly cylindrical, but have two defining parts. The central portion is the barrel, that is thicker than the ends called the spigots. These spigots have different lengths. The smaller spigot is placed towards the middle stump.
Zing bails were a prominent innovation in cricket equipment in 2014. Instead of the traditional wood, they were made of composite plastic. They contain LED lights that illuminate when the bails are dislodged. This feature enabled the umpires to improve their decision-making.
A test cricket match lasts five days. The umpires remove the bails from both sets of wickets upon conclusion of a day’s play. This is called “Stumps”, indicating the cessation of the day’s play.
