Stumps: how do they get them lined up so perfectly in first-class cricket?
On the few occasions that friends and I get together for a game in the park the stumps are erratically aligned to say the least - bashed in with the handle of an upturned bat they're never vertical, seldom anything like the same height above ground, and the space between each is usually far too small, as we err on the side of caution. They also get progressively wonky as the hole they get squirmed into grows with each hit from the ball.
Do first class pitches come complete with a pre-cast frame that the stumps just slot into? Or do groundstaff diligently tap them in with mallets and then get out the spirit levels? And do the umpires pack the holes with plasticene each time the ash gets scattered, to keep them proud and erect?
On the few occasions that friends and I get together for a game in the park the stumps are erratically aligned to say the least - bashed in with the handle of an upturned bat they're never vertical, seldom anything like the same height above ground, and the space between each is usually far too small, as we err on the side of caution. They also get progressively wonky as the hole they get squirmed into grows with each hit from the ball.
Do first class pitches come complete with a pre-cast frame that the stumps just slot into? Or do groundstaff diligently tap them in with mallets and then get out the spirit levels? And do the umpires pack the holes with plasticene each time the ash gets scattered, to keep them proud and erect?
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