Stump (cricket) Stump (cricket) In cricket, the stumps are the three vertical posts that support the bails and form the wicket. "Stumping" or "being stumped" is a method of dismissing a batsman. The umpire "calling stumps" means the play is over for the day. 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
Wicket 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. 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 billiards until well into the 18th century. Wicket In the sport of cricket, the wicket