Duck (cricket)

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In cricket, a duck denotes a batsman getting out for a score of zero and usually used in the saying "Out for a duck". Originally called a "duck's egg" because of the "0" shape in the scorebook.

1 Ducks
2 Pairs
3 See Also

[edit] Ducks

The duck is a relatively common occurrence in all forms of cricket. Often, ducks are further described by the number of balls taken for the wicket to fall, so expressions such as a third-ball duck or a seven-ball duck are common.

Special classifications of ducks also exist, although their usage often varies between cricketing nations and clubs:

[edit] Golden ducks

The term golden duck refers to a batsman who is out for nought on the first ball he faces. (It does not apply to a batsman who faces one ball without scoring, and is then subsequently run out without facing another ball).

[edit] Zero-ball ducks

A zero-ball duck occurs when a batsman begins his innings at the non-strikers' end, and is the run out before he has the chance to face a single ball. Cricket fans all agree that this type of duck has its own special name, but there is no consensus regarding exactly what that name is. Names used include diamond duck, black duck, glass duck, sapphire duck. Historically, golden duck was also used in this context, before it was used to apply to a first-ball duck.

[edit] Irregular ducks

These types of ducks are all based upon highly irregular circumstances, and many cricket fans would argue that no special names exist for them. Among these types of duck are:

The opening batsman goes out for a golden duck on the first ball of the innings – sometimes known as a black duck, diamond duck or royal duck.
A batsman is run out for a zero-ball duck on his first ball at the crease – sometimes known as a sapphire duck or platinum duck.
A batsman is out for a golden duck in the first innings of the first game of the season – sometimes known as a platinum duck.

[edit] Pairs

A pair is recorded when a batsman is out for a duck in both innings of a two-innings game. The name pair is derived from "pair of spectacles," the shape formed by placing the batsman's two noughts next to each other. Simply scoring two ducks in a row does not constitute a pair; both ducks must be in the same game.

A king pair is a very rare pair formed by two golden ducks.