The measurements of cricket | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo The history of the game The measurements of cricket Share on Facebook Share on Twitter The measurements of most sports are in round numbers, except for a few of those that have been converted to metric equivalents. The welter of precise measurements in cricket seems distinct, but in fact some have quite a simple origin. The earliest known Laws of Cricket, the "Code of 1744", give the length of the pitch as 22 yards. Over the centuries the often vague and regionally differing Saxon linear measurements becaine standardized to give a mile (a survival of the old Roman measurement of 1,000 double paces) as equal to 8 furlongs (i.e. "furrow long") or 320 perches (also called rods or poles) or 1,760 yards (from the Old English gyrd that meant stick or twig) or 5,280 feet or 63,360 inches or 190,080 barley corns (e.g.

in the thirteenth century a royal Assize of Weights and Measures prescribed "the Iron Yard of our Lord the King" at 3 feet of 12 inches or 36 barley corns). It will thus be seen that 22 yards is in fact one tenth of a furlong or length of a furrow. There was an equally vague Saxon square measurement of land, the hide (called also carucate, from the Latin for a plough, and ploughland) which was the area required by one free family with dependents and that could be ploughed with one plough and 8 oxen in one year. This was in turn divided into four yardlands or 100 acres, the definition of which was the amount of land that could be ploughed by one yoke of oxen in one day. In Norman times the acre became precisely defined as 40 by 4 perches, thus preserving the shape of the Saxon strip-acre, i.e. one furlong by one tenth of a furlong. The cricket pitch is therefore simply the breadth of the Saxon strip-acre.

It would be a mistake, however, to assume that cricket, which is believed to have had its origins on the Weald that was used primarily as grazing ground for sheep rather than ploughland, necessarily took the length of its pitch directly from this source, although the largest Saxon mete-wand or measuring rod, the gad, continued in use into the early days of cricket and was one perch in length, i.e. one quarter of the breadth of a furrow. In 1610 Edmund Gunter, an Oxford trained mathematician, now Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College, London, invented as an instrument of measurement the chain, taking its length from the breadth of the furrow and dividing it into 100 links of 7.92 inches each (i.e. 4 perches [not 40 as stated by the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th ed., vol. 19, p. 729, which is the length of the furrow]; By 1661 use of this chain had become sufficiently popular for the word to be used to designate the measurement itself}. This chain became the common measuring tool for land surveyors.

We do not know when cricketers first wished to standardize their pitch, but in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries at least pitches were often physically marked out with the use of Gunter's chain. The distance between the bowling crease and the popping crease (i.e. the crease over which the bat could be popped for safety) is given by the "Code of 1744" as 46 inches (increased to 48 inches sometime before 1821). Before creases were marked in whitewash in 1865 they were cut into the earth and were, as W.G. Grace remembered from his early days, one inch deep and one inch wide. With allowance made of 1/2 inch from the centre of each crease the distance between the inner edges of the creases was thus 45 inches, that is the length of an ell. This was another Saxon measurement that had been standardized by the time of Edward I who required that there should be an exact copy of his ell-wand in all the towns of his realm.

It was used regularly for measuring cloth (hence its later name of clothyard), and indeed the king's alnager had the duty of checking that all cloth for sale was one ell in width. It was thus a measurement that would have been very familiar to the cricketing folk of the sheep-rearing Weald. The ell's subdivision into 16 nails of 2 and 13/16 inches each probably accounts for the size of the early wicket. According to the "Code of 1744" "Ye Stumps must be 22 inches long, and ye Bail 6 inches". P.F. Thomas (who wrote under the pseudonymous H.P.-T.) convincingly argues that these figures are a rounding off by the gentlemen of London of the earlier rustic measurement of 8 nails by 2 nails, which would give a wicket of 22 and 1/2 by 5 and 5/8 inches. The addition of the third stump c. 1775 did not change the dimensions of the wicket but since 1798 a series of alterations has brought them to the present 28 by 9 inches.

The addition of the third stump did not immediately bring about the division of the single bail into two bails (first mentioned in the Maidstone edition of the Laws c. 1786 but not in a reputable edition until the early nineteenth century. It is InterestIng that even in the 1950s bails were often sold as a single piece to be cut at the discretion of the purchaser). There were no legal limits on the size of the bat until Shock White appeared in a match with a weapon the width of the wicket, unsporting behaviour that led two days later to his opponents, the Hambledon Club, writing the following minute: "In view of the performance of one White of Ryegate on September 23rd that ffour (sic) and quarter inches shall be the breadth forthwith. - this 25th day of September 1771". It is signed by its scribe Richard Nyren and by T. Brett and J. Small and was speedily accepted elsewhere, occuring already in the "Code of 1774".

The Hambledonians promptly made an iron gauge to check the implements of future opponents, but unfortunately it has been lost since it was purloined by "a gentleman who took a fancy to it". Other similar gauges were, however, manufactured, the one at Sheffield Park once catching out W.G. Grace. Approximately 4 and 1/4 inches is the standard width of all earlier known bats, the oldest being that owned by John Chitty of Knaphill now in the pavilion at Kennington Oval that is dated to 1729. There is tenuous evidence for an earlier period. The Roman Catholic College of Stonyhurst removed to France and later Belgium during the religious persecution of the sixteenth century and kept up a form of cricket that it brought back to England when forced to move by the French revolution. A teacher who left the school in 1871 remembers its bats as being blocks of probably alder wood about 3 feet long, "roughly oval in shape, about 4 and 1/2 in. wide and 2 in. thick". This distinctive Stonyhurst cricket had remarkable wickets, stones about 17 in. high, 13 in.

wide and 8 in. thick at the bottom. There has never been any limitation on the weight of the bat, one of 1771 weighing a monstrous 5 Ib. The "Code of 1744" prescribes that 'Ye Ball must weigh between 5 and 6 Ounces". Its circumference was not specified until May lOth 1838 when it was put as between 9 and 9 and 1/4 inches. This lack of precision corroborates what one might suspect, that a ball was the weight and size found convenient and that the difficulties of manufacture have precluded even today any precise specification. The size of the wicket and other laws have been frequently changed in attempts to be fair to both batsman and bowler. Is it not time for further revisions of measurements? The principal problems today are the ease with which even mis-hits go to the boundary and the sharply rising bouncers from tall fast bowlers.

It is impossible to push back the boundaries at most grounds (though Kennington Oval and Grace Road, Leicester, for instance, do not use all the available playing area for any one match), but a restriction on the weight of the bat would not only revive more refined batsmanship but also once more enable slow bowlers to tempt batsmen to their doom with catches in the deep. The length of the pitch was chosen by cricketers who bowled, that is propelled the ball under arm, and were on average shorter than their modern counterparts who can hurl their missile from far above their heads. Is it not time that the pitch should be lengthened, that the old Saxon strip-acre should at last be left fallow ? © AR Littlewood In cricket, what does 'wicket' mean? - Quora Quora Cricket (sport) In cricket, what does "wicket" mean? Is it the 22 yards on which the game is played or does it indicate the number batsmen who are dismissed or the 3 stumps that are placed on both ends of the 22 yards or is it all of the above? In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings: 1.

a set of stumps and bails; 2. the pitch; or 3. the dismissal of a batsman. stump is a term used in the sport of cricket where it has three meanings, part of the wicket , a manner of dismissing a batsman and the end of the day's play ("stumps"). Part of the wicket A wicket consists of three stumps that are inserted into the ground, and topped with two bails . The stumps are three vertical posts which support two bails . The stumps and bails are usually made of wood, most commonly ash , and together form a wicket at each end of the pitch . The overall width of each wicket is 9 inches (22.9 cm). Each stump is 28 inches (71.1 cm) tall with maximum and minimum diameters of 11⁄2 inches (3.81 cm) and 13⁄8 inches (3.49 cm). They have a spike at one end for inserting into the ground, and the other end has a U-shaped 'through groove' to provide a resting place for the bails. In junior cricket the items have lesser dimensions.

Each stump is referred to by a specific name: Off stump [ 4 ] is the stump on the off side of the wicket (the same side as the batsman's bat). Middle (Lie) stump [ 5 ] is the centre stump, the middle of the three stumps. Leg stump [ 6 ] is the stump on the on side of the wicket (the same side as the batsman's legs). These names are relative to the batsman, so a right-handed batsman's leg stump becomes the off stump when a left-handed player is batting. In modern professional play, the stumps are often emblazoned with a sponsor's logo. Although they are too far away from spectators to be seen, such logos are visible on television coverage. For professional matches, often one or more of the stumps is hollow and contains a small television camera. This is aligned vertically, but can view through a small window on the side of the stump via a mirror. The so-called stump-cam gives a unique view of play for action replays, particularly when a batsman is bowled.

Manner of dismissing a batsman In cricket , a batsman can be out stumped if: the wicket-keeper puts down the wicket, while the batsman is:out of his ground (because he has moved down the pitch beyond the popping crease , usually in an attempt to hit the ball); andnot attempting a run. Being "out of his ground" is defined as not having any part of the batsman's body or his bat touching the ground behind the crease - i.e., if his bat is slightly elevated from the floor despite being behind the crease, or if his foot is on the crease line itself but not completely across it and touching the ground behind it, then he would be considered out (if stumped). One of the fielding team (such as the wicket-keeper himself) must appeal for the wicket by asking the umpire. The appeal is normally directed to the square-leg umpire, who would be in the best position to adjudicate on the appeal. wicketDefinitions Each wicket consists of three stumps , upright wooden poles that are hammered into the ground, topped with two wooden crosspieces, known as the bails .

Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch . The wicket is guarded by a batsman who, with his bat , attempts to prevent the ball from hitting the wicket. The origin of the word is from the standard definition of wicket as a small gate. Historically, cricket wickets had only two stumps and one bail and looked like a gate. The third (middle) stump was introduced in 1775. The size and shape of the wicket has changed several times during the last 300 years and 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 28 inches (71 cm) tall. The stumps are placed along the batting crease with equal distances between each stump. They are positioned so they are 9 inches (23 cm) wide. Two wooden bails are placed on top of the stumps.

The bails must not project more than 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) above the stumps, and must, for men's cricket, be 4 5⁄16 inches (10.95 cm) 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). Further details on the specifications of the wickets are contained in Appendix A to the laws. Dismissing a batsman Wicket also refers to the event of a batsman getting out. The batsman is said to have lost his wicket. If dismissed by a bowler , the bowler is said to have taken his wicket. The number of wickets taken is the primary measure of a bowler's ability. For a batsman to be dismissed by being bowled , run out , stumped or hit wicket , his wicket needs to be put down. What this means is defined by Law 28 of the Laws of cricket .

crickets wicket is put down if a bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or 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 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. The wicket is also put down if a fielder pulls a stump out of the ground in the same manner. A ball from Bill O'Reilly hits the stumps but does not dislodge the bail , Sydney, 1932 . The wicket was not put down, and so the batsman ( Herbert Sutcliffe ) was not out . If one bail is off, removing the remaining bail or striking or pulling any of the three stumps out of the ground is sufficient to put the wicket down.

A fielder may remake the wicket, if necessary, in order to put it down to have an opportunity of running out a batsman. If however both bails are off, a fielder must remove one of the three stumps 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 or hands so used, or in the hand of the arm so used. If the 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 , 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.

Partnership The sequence of time over which two particular batsmen bat together, a partnership , is referred to as a specifically numbered wicket when discriminating it from other partnerships in the innings . The first wicket partnership is from the start of the innings until one of the first two batsmen gets out. The second wicket partnership is from when the third batsman gets in until a second batsman gets out. etc... The tenth wicket or last wicket partnership is from when the eleventh (last) batsman gets in until a tenth (last) batsman gets out. 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. A team's innings ends when ten batsmen are dismissed, so, for example, if the side scored the required number of runs to win with only three batsmen dismissed, they are said to have won by seven wickets. The pitch The word wicket is also sometimes used to refer to the cricket pitch itself. According to the Laws of Cricket , this usage is incorrect, but it is in common usage and commonly understood by cricket followers.

This usage probably derives from the days when the outfield was kept short by grazing sheep on it and the playing surface, which was specially prepared, was protected from them by a light wicker fence around it. Since many regular grounds had resident bat-makers it is quite possible that the branches cut off from the willow wood used for the bats formed all or part of this fence. 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. Source Credits ::-WikipediA. English The Free Encyclopedia Few other which may be heplful LAW 8 (THE WICKETS) 1. Width and pitching Two sets of wickets shall be pitched opposite and parallel to each other at a distance of 22 yards/20.12 m between the centres of the two middle stumps.

Each set shall be 9 in/22.86 cm wide and shall consist of three wooden stumps with two wooden bails on top. See Appendix A. 2. Size of stumps The tops of the stumps shall be 28 in/71.1 cm above the playing surface and shall be dome shaped except for the bail grooves. The portion of a stump above the playing surface shall be cylindrical apart from the domed top, with circular section of diameter not less than 1⅜ in/3.49 cm nor more than 1½ in/3.81 cm. See Appendix A. 3. The bails (a) The bails, when in position on top of the stumps, (i) shall not project more than ½ in/1.27 cm above them. (ii) shall fit between the stumps without forcing them out of the vertical. (b) Each bail shall conform to the following specifications. See Appendix A.

Overall length 45/16 in/10.95 cm Length of barrel 21/8 in /5.40 cm Longer spigot 1⅜ in/3.49 cm Shorter spigot 13/16 in/2.06 cm 4. Junior cricket In junior cricket, the same definitions of the wickets shall apply subject to the following measurements being used. Width 8 in/20.32 cm Pitched for under 13 21 yards/19.20 m Pitched for under 11 20 yards/18.29 m Pitched for under 9 18 yards/16.46 m Height above playing surface 27 in/68.58 cm Each stump Diameter not less than 1¼ in/3.18 cm nor more than 1⅜ in/3.49 cm Each bail Longer spigot 1¼ in/3.18 cm Shorter spigot ¾ in/1.91 cm 5. Dispensing with bails The umpires may agree to dispense with the use of bails, if necessary.

If they so agree then no bails shall be used at either end. The use of bails shall be resumed as soon as conditions permit. See Law 28.4 (Dispensing with bails). LAW 28 (THE WICKET IS DOWN) 1. Wicket put down (a) The wicket is put down if a bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or a stump is struck out of the ground, (i) by the ball, or (ii) by the striker’s bat if he is holding it or by any part of his bat that he is holding, or (iii) notwithstanding the provisions of Law 6.8(a), by the striker’s bat in falling if he has let go of it, or by any part of his bat becoming detached, An explanation of the 2010 change to Law 28 or (iv) by the striker’s person or by any part of his clothing or equipment becoming detached from his person, or (v) by a fielder with his hand or arm, providing that the ball is held in the hand or hands so used, or in the hand of the arm so used.

The wicket is also put down if a fielder strikes or pulls a stump out of the ground in the same manner. (b) The disturbance of a bail, whether temporary or not, shall not constitute its complete removal from the top of the stumps, but if a bail in falling lodges between two of the stumps this shall be regarded as complete removal. 2. One bail off If one bail is off, it shall be sufficient for the purpose of putting the wicket down to remove the remaining bail or to strike or pull any of the three stumps out of the ground, in any of the ways stated in 1 above. 3. Remaking wicket If a wicket is broken or put down while the ball is in play, it shall not be remade by an umpire until the ball is dead. See Law 23 (Dead ball). Any fielder may, however, while the ball is in play, (i) replace a bail or bails on top of the stumps. (ii) put back one or more stumps into the ground where the wicket originally stood. 4.

Dispensing with bails If the umpires have agreed to dispense with bails in accordance with Law 8.5 (Dispensing with bails), it is for the umpire concerned to decide whether or not the wicket has been put down. (a) 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, person or items of his clothing or equipment as described in 1(a) (ii), (iii) or (iv) above, or by a fielder in the manner described in 1(a)(v) above. (b) If the wicket has already been broken or put down, (a) above shall apply to any stump or stumps still in the ground. Any fielder may replace a stump or stumps, in accordance with 3 above, in order to have an opportunity of putting the wicket down.

Measurements of Pitch, Stumps and Creases | CricketFundas.com - Part 584 You are here: Home » Cricket Coaching » Measurements of Pitch, Stumps and Creases Measurements of Pitch, Stumps and Creases Updated on December 21, 2006 By newsfundas Leave a comment Hello friends, welcome to the Cricket Coaching Section of CricketFundas.com. I am M.R.Baig, Senior Cricket Coach of the M.L.Jaisimha Cricket Academy, Hyderabad, India. In this episode, I would be talking about the measurements of the Pitch, Stumps and Creases. Most of you might be knowing all these, but this episode is primarily for the people who do not have the opportunity of knowing about these things, in particular for people who want to learn cricket in the non-cricket playing countries. Feel free to drop in your queries, feedback about the lessons, I will try my best to answer all of these. Email your queries to our editor at bvswagath@yahoo.com . Stumps or Wickets : There are two set of stumps/wickets placed on a cricket ground. Each set consists of three wickets – off stump, middle stump and leg stump.

On top of these three wickets, usually two bails are placed in the grooves of the wickets depending on their availability. The stumps and bails are made from willow. The height a stump according to the official regulations is 28 inches or 71.12 cms. The distance between the starting point of the off stump to the ending point of the leg stump should be 9 inches or 22.86 cms. Three stumps of standard sizes along with bails The Pitch : This is the area where much of the action takes place in a cricket match. This is the centre of action where there is a contest between the bat and the ball, or in other words, the batsman gets to face the bowler in this region of the cricket ground. The Pitch is a rectangular area of 22 yards or 66 feet length and 10 feet in width. Test and ODI Cricket along with First Class Matches are played on Turf wickets. Other levels of Cricket are played not only on turf but also on matting, astro turf, cement and other artificial surfaces. There have been instances of Test Matches played on matting wickets but that was only long way before.

The Pitch can also be defined as the distance between one set of stumps at one end to the stumps at the other end. Creases : Four white lines are drawn at the each end of the pitch. They include one popping crease or the batting crease, one bowling crease and two return creases. Seen are three creases – Bowling crease, then batting crease in front of it and then in the sides, the return creases. Bowling Crease : A bowling crease is 8 feet 8 inches wide which is equally divided along each side of the middle stump. The bowling crease stretches to the return crease. No fielders are allowed to encroach this area when a ball is being bowled to the batsman. In previous times, if a bowler’s back foot had crossed this crease, then a no-ball was declared for overstepping. In modern cricket, no-ball for overstepping is declared when the bowler doesn’t have any part of his foot behind the popping crease. Batting Crease or Popping Crease : This crease is drawn parallel to the bowling crease at a distance of 4 feet or 121.92 cms.

A run is completed each time the two batsmen cross this crease at their opposite ends. As mentioned above for a Bowling Crease, if a bowler oversteps this crease in his delivery stride then the delivery is declared as a no-ball. This crease comes into picture during the ruling of run outs and stump outs. A batsman has a choice of standing outside the batting crease. He can be stumped out by the wicket keeper if he is out of this crease or on it after playing a delivery as long as the ball is in play. Batting Crease or Popping Crease – the parallel lines drawn infront of the Stumps at both the ends Return Crease : The return creases end the bowling crease at right angles on either side of the middle stump at a distance of 4 feet 4 inches. A no-ball can be declared if the bowler’s back foot is touching or outside the return crease. What are the measurements of a cricket wicket? | Reference.com What are the measurements of a cricket wicket?

A: Quick Answer A cricket wicket is 28 inches high and 9 inches wide, and the bails on a wicket are 4 3/8 inches long on top. Placement of the wickets is approximately 65 feet apart, located at each end of the pitch. Full Answer The game of cricket takes place on a field known as the cricket pitch. In most cases, the pitch is a flat grass. Some pitches are made using artificial turf placed atop concrete, but almost never for professional matches. Batters stand to one side or the other of the pitch and wait to be delivered the ball. This occurs on one bounce from a bowler who stands in the center of the pitch. Cricket Playing Field Dimensions & Layout - SportsCourtDimensions.com Home / Cricket Cricket Cricket, like the baseball and softball, is a game of bat-and-ball played between two teams of 11 players. Players play this game on a field which there is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. Like baseball and softball, each team takes its turn to bat, attempt to score runs, while the other teams will defend by fielding. The objective of the game is for a team to score runs more than its opponents.

This game is very popular in Asia, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Parts of the Cricket Playing Field A typical cricket field is a large oval/elliptical shaped field with a rectangular strip at the center. This rectangular strip at the center of the field is the pitch were all the cricket actions takes place. More details about the cricket field will be discussed in this page, but let’s talk about the basic parts of the cricket field. Cricket entire field Cricket pitch The entire oval bounded by the boundary lines is the playing area of the cricket. This oval is divided into two ovals. The infield is the smaller inner oval in the cricket field. It is in this area where the pitch and close-infield areas are designated. The pitch is where the bowler throws the ball to the batter. This pitch is bounded in the end by creases, which are marked white with chalk. Creases are safe zones for the batter who runs back and forth to score. Also in that rectangular strip, you will find the wickets placed behind the batter. When the batter hits the ball, but the ball then hits these wickets, then he is dismissed and not allowed to bat anymore.

The outfield, on the other hand, is the area outside but still within the boundary line. Playing Field Dimensions and Layout ICC Logo The court dimensions are designated and follows a set of rule called the Laws of Cricket. These are the set of rules are established by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is dismissed, through to specifications on how the pitch is to be prepared and maintained. The MCC is a private club based in London in England and is no longer the game’s official governing body since International Cricket Council (ICC) takes over to govern the world in cricket. However, the MCC retains the copyright in the laws of the game and only the MCC may change the laws, although nowadays this would usually only be done after discussions with the ICC.

The Cricket Pitch The pitch is a rectangular area of the ground 22 yards/20.12m in length and 10ft/3.05m in width.It is bounded at either end by the bowling creases and on either side by imaginary lines, one each side of the imaginary line joining the centers of the two middle stumps, each parallel to it and 5ft/1.52m from it. (Law 7.1) Pitch Markings Law 7 and Law 9 Two white lines are made between the two stumps a the distance of 122cm (1.22m) from each stump known as creases. The bowling crease, which is the back edge of the crease marking, shall be the line through the centres of the three stumps at that end. It shall be 8ft 8 in/2.64m in length, with the stumps in the centre. (Law 9.2) The popping crease, which is the back edge of the crease marking, shall be in front of and parallel to the bowling crease and shall be 4ft/1.22m from it.

The popping crease shall be marked to a minimum of 6ft/1.83m on either side of the imaginary line joining the centres of the middle stumps and shall be considered to be unlimited in length. (Law 9.3) The return creases, which are the inside edges of the crease markings, shall be at right angles to the popping crease at a distance of 4ft 4 in/1.32m either side of the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps. Each return crease shall be marked from the popping crease to a minimum of 8ft/2.44m behind it and shall be considered to be unlimited in length. (Law 9.4) Two sets of wickets shall be pitched opposite and parallel to each other at a distance of 22 yards/20.12m between the centres of the two middle stumps. Each set shall be 9 in/22.86cm wide and shall consist of three wooden stumps with two wooden bails on top.

(Law 8.1) Bails and Stumps/Wrickets (Law 8) The tops of the stumps shall be 28 in/71.1cm above the playing surface and shall be dome shaped except for the bail grooves. The portion of a stump above the playing surface shall be cylindrical, apart from the domed top, with circular section of diameter not less than 1 3/8 in/3.49cm nor more than 1 1/2 in/3.81cm (Law 8.2) Stumps conforms to the following specifications: For Seniors: Height (labeled “d” in the bail and stumps image) is 71.1cm (28 inches); Width (labeled “e” in the bail and stumps image) is 3.81cm (1 inch) max, 3.49cm (13 /8 inches) min; Overall width of Wicket (labeled “f”) is 22.86cm (9 inches).

For Juniors: Height is 68.58cm (27 inches); Width is 3.49cm (1 3 /8 inches) max, 3.18cm (1 inch) min; Overall width of Wicket is 20.32cm (8 inches). The bails when in position on the top of the stumps, shall not project more than 1/2 in/1.27cm above them and shall fit between the stumps without forcing them out of the vertical.

(Law 8.3) Bails specifications are as follows: For Seniors: Overall (a+b+c) is 10.95cm (45 /16 inches); Longer Spigot (a) is 3.49cm (13 /8 inches); Length of Barrel (b) is 5.40 cm (21 /8 inches); Shorter Spigot is 2.06cm (13/16 inches) For Juniors: Overall is 9.68cm (313/16 inches); Longer Spigot is 3.18cm (11 /14 inches); Length of Barrel is 4.60cm (113/16 inches); Shorter Spigot is 1.91cm (3 /4 inches) The Field There is no standard size of about how large is the playing area, but playing area with a low eccentricty field is prohibited.

The playing area shall be a minimum of 150 yards (137.16 meters) from boundary to boundary square of the pitch, with the shorter of the two square boundaries being a minimum 65 yards (59.43 meters), according to Law 19.1 of ICC Test Match Conditions. The law also states that the straight boundary on both ends of the pitch are supposed to be no less than 70 yards (64.00 meters) in length. The center of the pitch is the starting point for measurements. Whole cricket field. Infield area not shown

Question: How wide, in inches, is the width of  a wicket in a game of cricket?
Answer: 9 inches