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
History of United States cricket The earliest definite reference to American cricket is in the 1709 diaries of William Byrd of Westover on his James River estates in Virginia. By the American Revolution, the game was so popular that the troops at Valley Forge played matches; George Washington himself joined in at least one game of "wicket." John Adams told Congress that if leaders of simple cricket clubs could be called "presidents," the leader of the new nation might be called something more grand. Cricket continued to develop slowly as a recreational sport as America gained independence in 1783. Cricket enjoyed its greatest popularity along