Interview with cricket wickets

Their fall can set up a roar amongst the crowds or it can silence the most vociferous crowd. The strip between them is where the main battle takes place and they are witness to all the key incidents.

Yes, I am talking about none other than the set of cricket wickets on either end of the pitch. In an interview with Mr.Wicket. I came to know about his contributions and his personal insight in the game of cricket. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

First of all I would like to thank you for the precious time you have found out from your busy schedule. Tell me about your life on either side of the 22 yard pitch.

In one word, I would say ‘challenging’. You have to stand there for long hours without any break and hope that you don’t get uprooted by that red cherry or the white one in case of limited overs cricket. The players do get breaks, but we can only rest after the end of the day’s play or the completion of a game. Some of us are lucky enough to be collected as souvenirs.

However, a fascinating game of cricket makes it all worthwhile and we feel proud to be a witness of it. But thank god that I am accompanied by a couple of friends with whom i can share my tale without them it would be, well I don’t even want to think about it (he chuckles). We have also a pair of little brothers whom you call ‘bails’, standing like icing on the cake.

Give us an insight about your construction.

English ash is preferable to make us, however English willow is also frequently used.

We are made to stand straight perpendicular to the pitch, have pointed feet and a rounded top on which groves are cut to accommodate the bails. Our height from the ground is 2 inches with a uniform diameter which varies from 3.49cm to 3.81cm.

However, the combined width of the three of us should be nine inches leaving some space in between us. The ball does not pass through between us without dislodging the bails.

The last feature is marked with only one exception in international cricket where the ball passed between off and middle stump.

In the beginning, you said that you don’t like to be uprooted but then isn’t it a parcel of the game?

Yes it is a parcel of the game but I guess you would not like to be hit by a fast ball and to add salt to the wound the fielding team celebrates like they have won the world war. At times, a fast bowler sends me cartwheeling and then zooms across the pitch like a dragon spitting fire. I lay there in hapless condition until the umpire comes and puts me back again.

In certain instances, these pacers and fielders with throws for attempted run outs have even cracked my skeleton but they can’t crack my spirit. I don’t have any problems with the other rules of dismissing a batsman unless it involves disturbing us.

The person called wicket-keeper is the one who disturbs you the most. Would you call it ironic?

Oh, they are the most irritating. It is fine to stump when the batsman is outside the crease but many a time they do it even when the batsman is well within the crease.

MS Dhoni heads this stumping list and I fear he has some more years to continue doing so, but he is a gentleman. There are certain keepers who continuously sledge the batsman right from the first ball.

So tell me about your role in making cricket a fair game or rather to make sure it is only a battle between bat and ball.

In this aspect, I am helped by stump microphone and stump camera. We together are witness to a lot of key incidents which are reviewed later and accordingly apt punishment is given.

I must say the sledging has decreased a lot. Talking about the fairness of the game I think it is about the moral of the team or an individual. The introduction of DRS and hot spot made sure that correct decisions are taken all though to a certain extent only.

In recent times, we have seen the introduction of LED wickets. How do you look at it?

I love it, after all who doesn’t like dressing up? It is a wonderful innovation. It is costly and it is the organiser’s decision whether to install it or not.

It was lovely talking to you Mr.Wicket and I would certainly look forward to having another conversation with you. Have a nice time out there in the field in the meanwhile.

Thank you!!