If by "wicket" you mean the cricket pitch, its official length is 22 yards, which equals 20.12 metres or 66 feet. The pitch is also 10 feet, or 3.05 metres, wide under the MCC Laws of Cricket.
But technically, the wicket and the pitch are two different things. A wicket is the set of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch. Each wicket is 9 inches, or 22.86 cm, wide, while the stumps stand 28 inches, or 71.12 cm, above the playing surface.
Personally, I think this distinction is worth knowing because we casually hear commentators say things like "the wicket is slow" or "it's a difficult wicket." They're usually talking about the pitch, not the actual stumps.
Pitch vs. Wicket
Here's the simplest way to separate them:
Cricket term | What it actually means |
|---|---|
Pitch | 22-yard central playing strip |
Wicket | Three stumps with two bails |
Pitch length | 22 yards / 20.12 m |
Pitch width | 10 ft / 3.05 m |
Wicket width | 9 in / 22.86 cm |
Stump height | 28 in / 71.12 cm |
MCC treats them separately too. Law 6 covers the pitch, while Law 8 covers the wickets.
Official Dimensions
According to MCC Law 6, the cricket pitch is:
22 yards = 20.12 metres = 66 feet long
10 feet = 3.05 metres wide.
At each end is a wicket consisting of three wooden stumps with two bails resting on top. The entire set of stumps measures 9 inches across.
When you actually watch cricket, 22 yards doesn't look particularly long. But that distance is enough for a fast bowler's delivery to become extremely difficult to react to, which gives you a much better appreciation of how quick international cricket really is.
How the Pitch Is Measured
The official 22-yard pitch extends between the two bowling creases. The wickets are positioned opposite and parallel to each other at the centers of those bowling creases.
The popping crease at each end is 4 feet, or 1.22 metres, in front of the bowling crease.
This arrangement matters for several parts of cricket, including no-balls, run-outs, and stumpings.
Different Cricket Formats
One thing people sometimes ask is whether T20 cricket uses a shorter pitch because the game itself is shorter.
It doesn't.
Senior Test, ODI and T20 cricket use the standard 22-yard pitch. Current ICC playing conditions retain the 22-yard or 20.12-metre measurement.
So Virat Kohli facing a delivery in a T20 and a batter defending all day in a Test are working with the same basic pitch length.
Junior cricket can be different. MCC Law 6 allows the governing body in the relevant country to determine appropriate pitch lengths for junior cricket.
Why 22 Yards?
The 22-yard measurement has deep historical roots in cricket.
Twenty-two yards equals one chain, an old British unit of measurement. A chain contained 100 links and measured 66 feet.
That's one of those cricket facts I personally find interesting because the sport looks incredibly modern today, with DRS, ball tracking, LED stumps and ultra-slow-motion cameras, yet the fundamental playing distance still reflects an old British measurement system.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How long is a cricket pitch in metres?
A standard cricket pitch is 20.12 metres long.
2. How many feet is a 22-yard cricket pitch?
It is 66 feet long.
3. How wide is a cricket wicket?
A wicket is 9 inches, or 22.86 cm, wide.
4. Is the cricket pitch shorter in T20?
No. Standard senior T20 cricket uses the same 22-yard pitch length.
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