Wicket facts for kids

In cricket, a wicket is a very important word with a few different meanings! It can be:

• An object made of three wooden sticks, called stumps, pushed into the ground. Two smaller sticks, called bails, sit on top of the stumps. This object is a target for the team trying to get players out.
• When a batter gets out. If a team has "lost 5 wickets," it means 5 of their batters have been dismissed.
• The cricket pitch itself, which is the central strip of the field where the main action happens.

What is a Wicket Object?

There are two wicket objects on a cricket field, one at each end of the cricket pitch. They are like goals for the team that is bowling and fielding. The fielding team tries to hit the wicket with the ball to get a batter out.

A wicket is "put down" when any of its five pieces (the three stumps or two bails) fall to the ground. This usually happens when the ball hits it or a player holding the ball touches it. If a wicket is put down, it can be set back up again for more play.

Sides of the Field

The cricket field is split into two main halves: the "off side" and the "leg side" (also called the "on side"). An imaginary line connects the middle stump of both wickets to divide these sides.

For a right-handed batter facing the bowler, the off side is to their right, and the leg side is to their left. If the batter is left-handed, these sides are reversed.

When a Batter Gets Out

When a batter is dismissed, people say they have "lost their wicket." This means they can no longer bat in that part of the game.

Images for kids

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  A ball hits the stumps, but the bail stays on top. This means the batter was not out.

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  A scoreboard showing how many runs have been scored and how many wickets have been lost.

See also

In Spanish: Wicket (críquet) para niños