Stumps and bails: the dimensions in Law 8.

The wicket (Law 8.1, 2026 edition)

Two wickets stand opposite and parallel to each other, one at the centre of each bowling crease. Each wicket is 9 in / 22.86 cm wide and is made of three wooden stumps with two wooden bails resting on top.

Stumps (Law 8.2)

• Height: the tops of the stumps are 28 in / 71.12 cm above the playing surface.
• Shape: each top is dome-shaped, apart from the grooves for the bails, and above the playing surface each stump is cylindrical.
• Diameter: at least 1.38 in / 3.50 cm and at most 1.5 in / 3.81 cm.

Bails (Law 8.3)

• Law 8.3.1: when in place, the bails may not project more than 0.5 in / 1.27 cm above the stumps, and must fit without forcing the stumps out of vertical.
• Law 8.3.3: the two spigots and the barrel must share one centre line.

Appendix D

Appendix D of the 2026 edition shows the senior wicket as a diagram with the same figures: bails 4.31 in / 10.95 cm overall, stumps 28 in / 71.1 cm high and 1.38 to 1.5 in in diameter, and a wicket 9 in / 22.86 cm wide. The diagram rounds the stump height to one decimal place in centimetres, where Law 8.2 gives 71.12 cm.

Devices that limit how far a bail flies (Law 8.3.4)

Law 8.3.4 allows devices meant to protect players' safety by limiting how far a bail can fly off the stumps, as long as both the governing body for the match and the ground authority approve them. The same clause appears in the 3rd Edition (2022). This site does not describe or name any such device.

Junior cricket and playing without bails

• Law 8.4: for junior cricket, the national governing body sets the dimensions of the stumps and bails.
• Law 8.5: the umpires may agree to play without bails at both ends when it is necessary, and put them back as soon as conditions allow.

What changed in 2026

The MCC lists Law 8.1 among the 2026 changes only for wording. The phrase "pitch the stumps" was removed, so that in the 2026 edition the word "pitch" means only the 22 yards between the stumps. The MCC's list of 2026 changes records no change to the dimensions of stumps and bails. Separately, Law 12.3 (2026) means the umpires no longer have to remove the bails at a drinks interval.

Stumps and bails in international cricket

The ICC Clothing and Equipment Regulations (effective January 2024) list stumps as cricket equipment and set rules on how they look:

• Tests: no colour rule for stumps.
• ODIs and T20 internationals: the bails must be a colour that stands out from the stumps.
• Logos: event or sponsor logos may appear on stumps, but national logos may not.

Other ICC rules on how kit looks in international matches are on clothing and equipment rules.

A helmet falling on the stumps: the Laws and the ECB's 2021 rule

Under Law 29.2.1.4 of the 2026 edition, the wicket can be broken fairly by part of the striker's clothing or equipment becoming detached, but that detached equipment does not include the striker's protective helmet or any part of it as defined in Appendix A.2.3, which counts faceguards, grilles and neck guards as part of the helmet. The 3rd Edition (2022) has the same wording.

ESPNcricinfo reported on 31 March 2021 that from the 2021 season the ECB's playing conditions for all its competitions stopped a dislodged helmet or neck guard from causing a hit-wicket dismissal. The ECB gave player safety and encouraging the use of stem guards (neck guards) as the reasons. That is an ECB playing condition for its own competitions, separate from the Laws. Neck guards are covered on neck protectors.