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There are two sets of stumps with two bails at the
top at either end of the pitch. They are all made
of wood. Nowadays, one can read vertically the
names of the sponsors on the stumps. This
advertisement fetches them a lot of money as it can
be seen on the television screen.
The sight of the stump sent cartwheeling by the
bowler is very exciting, except for the poor
batsman and his teammates! For the record, Ernie
McCormick of Australia once sent a bail flying a
distance of 67 yards!
Sometimes two of the stumps are flattened, but
India's Madanlal had his off-stump and leg-stump
completely uprooted while the middle stump
surprisingly remained standing. This happened when
he was bowled by Mike Hendrick in the Old Trafford
Test in 1974.
Although the gap between adjacent stumps is
sufficient enough to prevent the ball from passing
through, a strange incident took place during a
Test between Pakistan and South Africa in 1998.
Mushtaq Ahmed of Pakistan 'bowled' Pat Symcox, but
the ball passed through the stumps without the
bails being dislodged! Symcox survived. But how did
that happen? Probably, the stumps (wickets) would
have been remade a little earlier after a run-out
attempt. While remaking the wicket, one of the
stumps (naturally the outer one) must have been
slightly loose at the base and slightly tilted,
which the umpire may not have noticed. The umpire
should always ensure that the stumps are perfectly
positioned when he 'remakes' them.
There have been instances in Test cricket wherein a
bail has jumped into the air, but has lodged back
into its original position. Neil Harvey of
Australia and Hanif Mohammed of Pakistan were the
beneficiaries. As per the law, mere disturbance of
the bail from the groove does not constitute a
broken wicket. It is necessary for the bail to get
completely dislodged from its original position at
the top of the stumps. Even if the bail gets lodged
between the two stumps, it is regarded as a broken
wicket.
In a Sheffield Shield match in the late 30's, it so
happened that a batsman was bowled. The ball hit
the middle stump and it tilted backwards, but the
bails remained intact. 'Not out' was the decision.
How did this happen? It was a brand new set of
stumps and bails. In the heat, the varnish of the
bails had melted and they had got stuck to each
other, a little above the level of the middle
stump! Of course, had the middle stump been
completely uprooted, the batsman would have been
declared out.
If, while in play, both bails get knocked out, the
fielding side can replace one bail and effect a
run-out or pull one stump out of the ground either
by throwing or with the ball in hand. If all the
three stumps are lying flat on the ground, then one
stump can be replaced and uprooted again with the
ball.
Sometimes, if it is windy and the bails are being
blown off frequently, the umpires could dispense
with the bails at both ends. In such circumstances,
a stump need not be uprooted. If the ball merely
kisses the stump, it is sufficient to regard as the
wicket being down. It is for the umpire to observe
and decide. However, the bails can be reintroduced
once the umpires feel that conditions have
improved. |