When you first start following cricket, you may hear the term 'Wicket' in cricket over and over again. It is used by commentators, enthusiastic audiences and even cricketers! You may be wondering what exactly this term means and when is it used? In this article, we will help you understand all about it!
A "Wicket" is a set of three wooden sticks perpendicular to the ground, known as stumps, together with two small pieces of wood resting on them, known as bails. In cricket, there are two sets of wickets on either side of the pitch.
In other words, a set of 3 stumps and 2 bails together make a wicket. While this is the primary meaning of a wicket, the term is often used to represent other elements at play as well. Let's see when and where the term is used.
Other term of Wicket and how it is used
As mentioned earlier, the term "wicket" has multiple uses in the game of cricket and can have different meanings depending on the context in which it is used.
The Pitch
One of the other most common uses of the term wicket in cricket is to represent the cricket pitch itself. It is the area across the 22 yards between the two sets of wickets.
Although the use of the term wicket to represent the field of play is incorrect under the laws of cricket. However, over the years this sense of the term has become more common among fans and supporters due to common usage by commentators and the development of television and sports broadcasting.
Dismissal of a Batsman
Another use of the term Wicket in Cricket is when a batsman is dismissed. To the batting side, this phenomenon is also known as "losing a wicket".
As you may know, the batsman's aim is to protect his wickets when a bowler bowls a ball. The batsman must try to score as many runs as possible. The bowling team's objective is to dismiss a batsman and send him back to the pavilion. When this occurs, the bowling team has taken a wicket, whereas a batting team has been known to lose a wicket.
Partnership for a Wicket
Another common use of the term "Wicket" is to represent the partnership of a group of batsmen. Although the partnership is measured in the number of runs scored, the term "Partnership for a wicket" is used to mean which wicket the partnership is measured for.
When you hear the term "2nd Wicket Partnership" it would mean the number of runs scored by the two batsmen together after the 1st wicket has been lost by the batting side. In such a scenario, the 2nd wicket partnership starts immediately after the first batsman is dismissed.
Match Outcome
Another common use of the term wicket you may come across is to represent the result of the game. You may often find that the result is displayed as "Team B won the match by 5 wickets".
As long as the match ends in a win for either team, the result can be declared as either the team with X runs wins or the team with X wickets wins. If the team batting second wins the match, the winning margin is given by the match won and the number of wickets remaining.
The side which a bowler delivers a ball
The terms "Round the Wicket" or "Over the Wicket" may not be heard often when broadcasting a match, but they are used significantly during every single match. These are terms that any cricketer, especially a bowler, or umpire will associate.
These terms are used when selecting a side of the wicket from which a bowler is batting. If you look at the stumps on a cricket pitch, the bowler has space and the option to play on the left side of the stumps or the right side of the stumps.
Fall of Wickets
Another meaning of the term wickets is demonstrated by the use of the term "Fall of Wickets" (often rendered as FOW). This is somewhat similar to using for partnerships. The Fall of Wickets represents the specific score at which a team has lost each of its wickets. On a scorecard the fall of wicket can be shown as 10/1, 20/2, 50/3, 100/4 etc. These indicate scores where the team has lost its 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th wicket respectively.
Conclusion
I hope this blog gives you a better understanding of the meaning of the term "Wicket" in the game of Cricket and its various uses. Keep updated for more Cricket News and Cricket matches only here at 11ic - the most trusted sports betting site in India.