The term "leg stumps" refers to the two upright wooden posts that form part of the wicket in cricket. It is spelled as /lɛɡ/ /stʌmps/ in IPA phonetic transcription. The first part, "leg," is pronounced with a short e sound followed by a hard g sound. The second part, "stumps," features a short u sound and a hard p sound. This term is essential to the game of cricket, as hitting the leg stumps can result in the batsman being given out.
Leg stumps are a set of three wooden posts, stumps, or poles that are part of a cricket wicket, located at the batting end of the pitch. The leg stumps are positioned at equal distances from each other, forming a triangular arrangement with the middle stump at the center. They are usually made of wood, and each stump measures approximately 28 inches in height.
The leg stumps play a crucial role in cricket, serving as a target for the bowler to aim and attempting to dislodge during their delivery. The primary objective of the bowler is to hit or target the leg stumps, as doing so increases the chances of dismissing the batsman. When the ball comes into contact with the leg stumps, it can result in various dismissals, such as bowled, where the ball knocks down the stumps directly, or leg before wicket (LBW), where the ball hits the batsman's leg before hitting the leg stumps.
The leg stumps, along with the off stump and the middle stump, create the complete set of three stumps, forming a wicket. These stumps act as a visual and physical representation of the boundary within which the batsman must defend and ensure the bowler does not dislodge them. The leg stumps are an integral part of the game, contributing to the strategy, tactics, and excitement of cricket matches.
The term "leg stumps" is commonly used in the sport of cricket to refer to one of the three wooden stumps that are placed in the ground to form the wicket. The etymology of "leg stumps" can be understood by breaking down the term into its two components: "leg" and "stumps".
1. Leg: In cricket, the term "leg" refers to the lower limb of a player's body, specifically the part between the hip and the ankle. It is also commonly used to describe the side of the wicket that is closer to the batsman's leg.
2. Stumps: In cricket, "stumps" refers to the three vertical wooden posts that are placed in the ground to serve as targets for the bowler to hit. The stumps are usually made of wood and are approximately 28 inches tall.