Part of The Wicket
The stumps are three vertical posts which support two bails. The stumps and bails are usually made of wood, and together form a wicket at each end of the pitch.
The overall width of each wicket is 9 inches (22.9 cm). Each stump is 28 inches (71.1 cm) tall with maximum and minimum diameters of 1½ inches (3.81 cm) and 1⅜ inches (3.49 cm). They have a spike at one end for inserting into the ground, and the other end has a U-shaped 'through groove' to provide a resting place for the bails.
Each stump is referred to by a specific name:
- Off stump is the stump on the off side of the wicket (the same side as the batsman's bat).
- Middle (Lie) stump is the centre stump, on the lie of the wicket.
- Leg stump is the stump on the on side of the wicket (the same side as the batsman's legs).
These names are relative to the batsman, so a right-handed batsman's leg stump becomes the off stump when a left-handed player is batting.
In modern professional play, the stumps are often emblazoned with a sponsor's logo. Although they are too far away from spectators to be seen, such logos are visible on television coverage.
For professional matches, often one or more of the stumps is hollow and contains a small television camera. This is aligned vertically, but can view through a small window on the side of the stump via a mirror. The so-called stump-cam gives a unique view of play for action replays, particularly when a batsman is bowled.
Read more about this topic: Stump (cricket)
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