How to Use a Wicket

In the sport of cricket, a wicket consists of three wooden poles (stumps) and two wooden bails. The stumps are 28 inches tall and are driven into the ground along the batting crease with even spaces between each stump. The total width of the stumps should be 9 inches. Place the two wooden bails are placed on top of the stumps in specially designed grooves. The bails are 4 5/16 inches long and the two wickets used in cricket measure 66 feet apart.

Things You'll Need

  • Cricket pitch
  • Two teams of 11 players
  • Protective cricket equipment (pads, helmets, gloves and boxes)
  • Two umpires
  • Cricket ball
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Instructions

  1. Using a Wicket as a Batsman

    • 1

      Place the bottom of your bat in a perpendicular position along the crease where you perceive the middle stump to be.

    • 2

      Ask the umpire if the alignment is correct and adjust the position of the bat accordingly.

    • 3

      Scratch a line on the crease where the middle stump is using your feet or the bat to orientate yourself with your wicket.

    • 4

      Score as many runs as possible while protecting the bails of your wicket from being dislodged with the ball. Running one length between the wickets or hitting the ball to or over the perimeter constitutes 1, 4 and 6 runs. Note that if the bails are dislodged while you are between wickets and outside of your crease, you are out.

    Using a Wicket as a Bowler

    • 5

      Pace out a suitable run up to the wicket, ensuring that as you release the ball, your final planted foot is on or before the crease.

    • 6

      Run or walk (depending on your bowling style) up to the wicket, releasing the ball from either the left or the right of the wicket towards the wicket behind the batsman.

    • 7

      Dislodge the bails from the stumps behind the batsman or hitting his legs while in line with the wicket behind him through bowling the ball, in an attempt to eliminate the batsman from the game.