“Duck” is a terminology used in Cricket. We all know that duck out means a batsman’s dismissal for a score of ‘0’. But in English duck is used for a water bird. So, have you ever wondered what is the relationship between ‘0’ and a duck? Why is it called?
Here is the actual reason:
The term duck is a short form of “duck’s egg out” which is being used even before Test cricket began. The name duck is believed to have come from the shape of the number “0” which is similar to that of “duck’s egg”.
The first use of duck’s egg was in 1886 while referring to the score of ‘0’ by Prince of Whales’ on 17th July 1886, a local newspaper wrote that the Prince “retired to the royal pavilion on a duck’s egg”. The following headline meant Prince returned to the pavilion by scoring a number which is similar to duck’s egg i.e 0. After this incident, duck out has been used on a number of occasions in newspapers thereby it became popular.
There are different types of ducks in cricket : (Usage may vary regionally):-
- Batsmen who are dismissed on the very first ball they faced are said to be dismissed for a golden duck.
- Batsmen who are dismissed on 2nd or 3rd ball they faced are said to be dismissed for silver duck and bronze duck respectively.
- A batsman who is dismissed without facing a delivery (mostly run out from non-striker’s end or stumped off a wide delivery) is said to be dismissed for a diamond duck.
- A batsman who is dismissed for a duck on the very first ball of the innings or team’s first match of the season is said to be dismissed for a Palladium duck.
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