SSC
What is the height of the stumps in cricket?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — 28 inches
Detailed Solution
Under the Laws of Cricket, the stumps must be 28 inches (71.12 cm) high above the playing surface.
Measurements of the wicket:
- Each wicket consists of three wooden stumps with two bails placed on top.
- The total width of the wicket is 9 inches (22.86 cm).
- The bails must not project more than 0.5 inch above the top of the stumps.
The two wickets are placed 22 yards (20.12 m) apart, which is the length of the pitch. The pitch is 10 feet (3.05 m) wide.
The popping crease is 4 feet in front of the stumps. The batsman must ground his bat or body behind it to be "in" his ground.
The bowling crease is in line with the stumps, and the return creases are at right angles to it.
Names of the stumps: the off stump, the middle stump and the leg stump. The two bails rest in grooves on top.
Many international matches now use "LED stumps" (Zing bails), which light up when the bails are dislodged.
The ball and bat:
A men's cricket ball weighs 155.9 to 163 grams (5.5 to 5.75 ounces) and has a circumference of 22.4 to 22.9 cm.
The bat must be no longer than 38 inches (96.52 cm) and no wider than 4.25 inches (10.8 cm). Good bats are made from English willow (Salix alba var. caerulea).
Laws of Cricket:
The Laws are written and maintained by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), founded in 1787 at Lord's, London. The ICC enforces the Laws in international cricket through its playing conditions.
Why not the other options?
- ✗22 inches is not a cricket measurement (the pitch is 22 yards long).
- ✗32 inches and 36 inches are too high for the stumps.
Quick tip
Remember: Stumps = 28 inches high, wicket 9 inches wide; pitch = 22 yards; popping crease = 4 feet in front; bat max = 38 inches long, 4.25 inches wide; Laws made by MCC (1787).
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Sports Questions
View all ›More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Sports — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Sports, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers sports GK: major tournaments and their venues, trophies and cups associated with each sport, sports terms, the number of players in a team, sports awards in India, Olympic and Asian Games facts, and famous sportspersons and their achievements. Common questions ask which sport a trophy belongs to (such as the Durand Cup for football or the Ranji Trophy for cricket), which term is used in which sport, and where a tournament was held. Records and results change after every season, so pair static facts such as team sizes and terms with recent results from current affairs. Practise the sports questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.