Duck (cricket)
Encyclopedia
In the sport of cricket
, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal
for a score of zero.
's egg
. The Concise Oxford Dictionary still cites "duck's egg" as an alternative version of the term.
was made in the very first Test of all, between Australia and England at Melbourne
in March 1877, when Ned Gregory
was caught by Andrew Greenwood
off the bowling of James Lillywhite
.
As of 2007, the record for the most ducks in Test cricket is held by West Indies player Courtney Walsh
, who was out for nought on 43 occasions,
while the overall first-class
record is 156, set by Worcestershire
and England player Reg Perks
.
One particularly high-profile example of a duck came in 1948, when Don Bradman was playing his final Test match for Australia, against England at The Oval
. In Australia's first innings, Bradman was bowled
for a duck by Eric Hollies
, causing his test average to fall from 101.39 to 99.94; had he scored just four runs, his average would have been 100. As things turned out, Australia won the match by an innings
, and so Bradman did not get to bat a second time (had he batted, he would have needed at least 104 runs if dismissed or at least four runs if not out
to get his average back to 100).
In the first test of Australia's tour of India in 1986, with the cumulative scores tied, Indian tailender Maninder Singh
was trapped LBW
by Greg Matthews
for a four ball duck, ensuring just the second tied test
in Test Cricket history.
of the same two-innings match is to be dismissed for a pair,
because the two noughts together are thought to resemble a pair of spectacles; the longer form is occasionally used.
To be dismissed first ball in both innings (i.e., two golden ducks) is to suffer the indignity of making a king pair.
MBE. Membership is open to any player who has been dismissed first ball in any game of cricket. Funds are raised through the selling of ties which should be worn on the Saturday of a Test match.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal
Dismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...
for a score of zero.
Origin of the term
The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began. When referring to the Prince of Wales's (the future Edward VII) score of nought on 17 July 1866, a contemporary newspaper wrote that the Prince "retired to the royal pavilion on a "duck's egg"". The name is believed to come from the shape of the number "0" being similar to that of a duckDuck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
's egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
. The Concise Oxford Dictionary still cites "duck's egg" as an alternative version of the term.
Significant ducks
The first duck in a Test matchTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
was made in the very first Test of all, between Australia and England at Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
in March 1877, when Ned Gregory
Ned Gregory
Edward James Gregory was an Australian cricketer who played in the first recognised Test in 1877 between Australia and England in Melbourne....
was caught by Andrew Greenwood
Andrew Greenwood
Andrew Greenwood was an English cricketer, who played in the first two cricket Tests. Greenwood was small in height, but a gutsy batsman, who was also noted for his fielding in the deep....
off the bowling of James Lillywhite
James Lillywhite
James Lillywhite was a first-class and Test cricketer and umpire. He was the first ever captain of the English cricket team in a Test match, captaining 2 Tests against Australia in 1876-77, losing the first, but winning the second.Lillywhite was born in Westhampnett in Sussex, the son of a...
.
As of 2007, the record for the most ducks in Test cricket is held by West Indies player Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh
Courtney Andrew Walsh is a former international cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches...
, who was out for nought on 43 occasions,
while the overall first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
record is 156, set by Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
and England player Reg Perks
Reg Perks
Reginald Thomas David "Reg" Perks was an English cricketer who played in 2 Tests in 1939, and was the mainstay of Worcestershire's bowling for a long period from the middle 1930s until the middle 1950s...
.
One particularly high-profile example of a duck came in 1948, when Don Bradman was playing his final Test match for Australia, against England at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
. In Australia's first innings, Bradman was bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...
for a duck by Eric Hollies
Eric Hollies
William Eric Hollies was an English cricketer, who is mainly remembered for taking the wicket of Donald Bradman for a duck in Bradman's final Test match innings, in which only four was needed for a Test average of 100...
, causing his test average to fall from 101.39 to 99.94; had he scored just four runs, his average would have been 100. As things turned out, Australia won the match by an innings
The result in cricket
The result in a game of cricket may be a win for one of the two teams playing, a draw or a tie. In the case of a limited overs game, the game can also end with no result...
, and so Bradman did not get to bat a second time (had he batted, he would have needed at least 104 runs if dismissed or at least four runs if not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
to get his average back to 100).
In the first test of Australia's tour of India in 1986, with the cumulative scores tied, Indian tailender Maninder Singh
Maninder Singh
Maninder Singh is a former international cricket player who represented India in 35 Test matches and 59 One Day Internationals. With his slow left-arm orthodox spin, Maninder was considered as an heir to Bishan Singh Bedi, who then held the record as India's leading spinner in terms of wickets....
was trapped LBW
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
by Greg Matthews
Greg Matthews
Gregory Richard John "Mo" Matthews is a former New South Wales and Australian cricketer who is now a television cricket commentator....
for a four ball duck, ensuring just the second tied test
Tied Test
Tied Test refers to a rare result in Test cricket. Only two ties have occurred in the 2,000 Tests played since 1877. The first was in 1960 and the second in 1986...
in Test Cricket history.
Variations
There are several variations used to describe specific types of duck. The usage or prevalence of many of these terms vary regionally, with one term having different meanings in different parts of the world. Even within commentary from ESPN Cricinfo or individual cricket board websites, there is no uniform application of some of these terms.- Players who are dismissed by the first ball they face are said to have been dismissed for a golden duck. This term is applied uniformly throughout the cricket world.
- As an extension of the golden duck, a silver duck and bronze duck can refer to being dismissed for nought on the second ball and third ball respectively. There are no alternative names for these ducks, but these terms are not nearly as common as golden duck.
- A batsman who is dismissed without facing a ball (most usually run out from the non-striker's end, but alternatively stumped or run out off a wide delivery) is said to be out for a diamond duck, but in some regions that term has an alternative definition.
- An opening batsman who is dismissed on the first ball of a team's innings is said to be out for a diamond duck, platinum duck or royal duck, depending upon the regional usage.
- Alternatively, the term royal duck may be reserved an opening batsman who is dismissed on the first ball of the first innings of a match.
- The term titanium duck can be used to refer to a combination of the above variations, namely a run out without facing a ball from the first delivery of the innings.
Pair
To be dismissed for nought in both inningsInnings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
of the same two-innings match is to be dismissed for a pair,
because the two noughts together are thought to resemble a pair of spectacles; the longer form is occasionally used.
To be dismissed first ball in both innings (i.e., two golden ducks) is to suffer the indignity of making a king pair.
The Primary Club
A "golden duck" is also known as a 'Primary'. In 1955 several young members of Beckenham Cricket Club in Kent who had been dismissed first ball that season, formed a club dedicated to supporting a charity to help blind cricketers. The Primary Club has grown into an international charity making annual donations in excess of £100,000 to a variety of schools and clubs for the blind and partially sighted. Their patron is former England and Kent cricketer Derek UnderwoodDerek Underwood
Derek Underwood MBE is an English former international cricketer, and a former President of the MCC....
MBE. Membership is open to any player who has been dismissed first ball in any game of cricket. Funds are raised through the selling of ties which should be worn on the Saturday of a Test match.
See also
- Names for the number 0 in English
- Pairs in test and first class cricketPairs in test and first class cricket-Most pairs in a Test career:New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin has been dismissed without scoring in both innings during six test matches, two more than any other player. Five players have been dismissed for four pairs of ducks in Tests...
- Golden sombreroGolden sombreroIn baseball, golden sombrero is a slang term used to describe a player's inglorious feat of striking out four times in a single game.-Origin:The term derives from hat trick, and since four is bigger than three, the rationale was that a four-strikeout performance should be referred to by a bigger...
, an equally inglorious batting feat in baseball - DaddlesDaddlesDaddles, also known as Daddles the duck, is the name of an animated duck who was first introduced in 1977, used in the television coverage of cricket by Channel 9 in Australia....