What is Bail (cricket)?

Information about Bail (cricket)

In the sport of cricket, a bail is one of the two smaller sticks placed on top of the three stumps to form a wicket. The bails are used to determine when the wicket is broken, which in turn is one of the critical factors in determining whether a batsman is out bowled, stumped, run out or hit wicket.

The wicket is considered to be broken if either or both of the bails fall from the stumps, or a stump is struck out of the ground, by:
  • the ball,
  • the striking batsman's bat, or any part of the striker's body or clothing (even if it falls off), or
  • a fielder with the hand or arm holding the ball.
This means, for example, that if the ball hits the wicket directly from the bowler's delivery, the batsman is only out bowled if a bail falls off, so a ball can actually brush or rest against the stumps without the batsman being out.

If a bail falls off the stumps for any other reason while the ball is still in play, and a later incident such as a run out attempt requires the wicket to be broken, then the other bail can be removed (if it has not yet fallen off), or a stump can be struck out of the ground or pulled up, as described above.

Each bail is made of a single cylindrically shaped piece of wood which has two smaller cylinders of wood protruding from each end. The large central cylinder is called the barrel and the smaller protrusions are the spigots. The spigots are of unequal length: the longer rests alone on one stump, while the shorter rests on the middle stump together with the short spigot of the other bail.

Special heavy bails made of denser wood (usually lignum vitae) are sometimes used in windy conditions if the normal light bails are likely to be blown off the stumps. The umpires can decide to dispense with the bails completely (for example, where strong gusts of wind would remove even the heavy bails), in which case the umpires will adjudge whether or not the wicket is broken.

Quotation

An excerpt from Law 8(3)(b) of the Laws of Cricket:

Each bail shall conform to the following specifications:
*Overall length:- 4 5/16 in/10.95cm
*Length of barrel:- 2 1/8 in/5.40cm
*Longer spigot:- 1 3/8 in/3.49cm
*Shorter spigot:- 13/16 in/2.06cm

See also

External links

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Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport contested by two teams, usually of eleven players each.[1] A cricket match is played on a grass field, roughly oval in shape, in the centre of which is a flat strip of ground 22 yards (20.12 m) long, called a cricket pitch.
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stump has three different meanings:

1. part of the wicket, 2. a manner of dismissing a batsman, and 3. the end of the day's play ("stumps").

Part of the wicket

The stumps are three vertical posts which support two bails.
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wicket has several distinct meanings:

Meanings of wicket

Set of stumps

Primarily, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch.
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batsman in the sport of cricket is, depending on context:
  • Any player in the act of batting.
  • A player whose speciality in the game is batting.

The batting role


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A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket.

Manufacture

Cricket balls are made from a core of cork, which is layered with tightly wound string, and covered by a leather case with a slightly raised sewn seam.
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A cricket bat is used by batsmen in the sport of cricket. It is usually made of willow wood.

Shape

This specialised bat is shaped something like a paddle, consisting of a padded handle
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Fielding in the sport of cricket is what fielders do to collect the ball when it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.
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A bowler in the sport of cricket is usually a player whose speciality is bowling, analogous to a pitcher in baseball. A bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder.
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batsman in the sport of cricket is, depending on context:
  • Any player in the act of batting.
  • A player whose speciality in the game is batting.

The batting role


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cylinder is a quadric surface, with the following equation in Cartesian coordinates:



This equation is for an elliptic cylinder, a generalization of the ordinary, circular cylinder (a = b).
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Lignum vitae is the heartwood of species of the genus Guaiacum, the trees of which are usually called guayacan. The name is Latin for "wood of life", and derives from its medicinal uses.
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An umpire in cricket (from the Old French Nompere meaning not equal, i.e. not a member of one of the teams, impartial) is a person who has the authority to make decisions on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket.
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The laws of cricket are a set of rules framed by the Marylebone Cricket Club which serve to standardise the format of cricket matches across the world to ensure uniformity and fairness.
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Cricket is a team sport played between two teams of eleven. It is known for its rich terminology. Some terms are often thought to be arcane and humorous by those not familiar with the game.

This is a general glossary of the terminology used in the sport of cricket.
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