wicket

Wicket is a term used in cricket and, in a non-sporting sense, in architecture. In cricket, a wicket consists of three vertical stumps topped by two small crosspieces called bails, forming the target at each end of the pitch. The stumps and bails together define the structure that bowlers aim to dismiss and that batsmen try to guard. At any time, there are two wickets in play, one at each end of the pitch.

The term wicket also denotes a dismissal. When a batsman is out, the batting side loses a wicket, and the team’s total score decreases by one for that dismissal. Common methods of taking a wicket include bowled, caught, leg before wicket (lbw), stumped, and run out. Other dismissals include hit wicket and obstructing the field; timed out is rare and typically occurs only in unusual circumstances.

Beyond cricket, a wicket refers to a small gate or opening in a fence or wall intended for pedestrians. A wicket gate provides a separate passage besides a main entrance and is common in gardens, parks, and property boundaries.

In summary, wicket can describe the physical gate-like structure at each end of a cricket pitch or the act of dismissing a batsman, and it also denotes a pedestrian gate in architecture and landscaping. The term is most widely recognized in cricket but has distinct uses in everyday architecture as well.