Duck in Cricket – 8 Types of Duck Explained

Cricket is a very unpredictable game. One day a batter can score a lot of runs in an innings, maybe score a century or a match-winning knock, but on the next day or in the next innings he may get out at a very low score or even without scoring – called duck in cricket.

Similarly, a bowler may bowl a match-winning spell in one game, probably take a five wickets haul or more, and then in the next game may go wicketless and/or leak a lot of runs.

Given this uncertainty, it is very much a possibility that a batsman gets out without scoring any runs, it may be an unfortunate or unlucky dismissal, or the bowler got the better of him.

In this article, we discuss everything related to a batsman getting out for no runs which we call a duck in cricket. Also, the types of ducks in cricket; it’s interesting.

What is a Duck in Cricket?

According to ICC, when a batsman gets dismissed without scoring any run, that is when a batsman gets out for zero, it is said that the batsman has gone out for a duck.

Based on after facing how many balls the batsman has been dismissed without scoring a run, there are different types of ducks, which are as follows –

Types of Ducks in Cricket

1. Normal or Regular Duck

When a batsman gets out for zero after facing more than 3 balls, that is a minimum of 4 deliveries, then the batsman is said to have got out for a regular or normal duck. 

2. Golden Duck

When a batsman gets out for a duck in the very first ball he faces, it is called a ‘golden duck’. Meaning, that here the batsman scores 0 runs off just 1 ball.

3. Diamond Duck

When a batsman gets out for zero without even facing a single ball, it is called a ‘diamond duck. It typically occurs when the new batsman comes in and stands at the non-striker’s end, and unfortunately somehow gets run out and goes back to the pavilion without even facing a single delivery.

The above 3 types of ducks are the most commonly known ones as they are spelled out by the commentators on a regular basis. The following are the ones that are comparatively lesser known-

4. Silver Duck

If the batsman gets out in the second ball that he faces, then he is said to have been dismissed for a ‘silver duck’. His score would read like 0 (2), that is 0 runs scored out of the 2 balls that he has faced.

5. Bronze Duck

Consequently, if the batsman gets out without scoring any run and on the third ball of his innings, then he is gone for a ‘bronze duck’.

6. Titanium Duck

A titanium duck is also a diamond duck where the batsman gets out for zero without even facing a single ball, but the only difference between the diamond duck and the titanium duck is that if the batsman gets out for zero without facing a delivery on the very first ball of the team’s batting innings, then it is called a ‘titanium duck’. It is one of the rarest of occasions.

7. Golden Goose

‘Golden goose’ is also one of the rarest of occasions where the batsman gets out for a golden duck in the first match of his team’s new season. 

8. Pair and King’s Pair

Pair and King’s pair happen in Test Cricket.

In Test cricket, batsmen get the chance to bat twice in a match. So, if the batsman scores a regular or normal duck in both innings of a test match, then is said to have been dismissed for a ‘pair’.

Similarly, in both innings, if the batsman gets out for a golden duck, then he is said to have been dismissed on a ‘king’s pair’.

These were the types of ducks in cricket.

Recommended Read: Cricket Fielding Drills – Types and Activities Explained

Following is the table featuring batsmen who scored the most number of ducks in international cricket (Test, ODI, and T20I combined) –

10 Batsmen With The Most Ducks in International Cricket (Test, ODI, and T20I Combined) –

Sl. No.	Player	Country	Span	Total Matches	Total Innings	Total Ducks
1	Muttiah Muralidaran	Sri Lanka	1992 – 2011	495	328	59
2	Courtney Walsh	West Indies	1984 – 2001	337	264	54
3	Sanath Jayasuriya	Sri Lanka	1989 – 2011	586	651	53
4	Glenn McGrath	Australia	1993 – 2007	376	207	49
5	Stuart Broad	England	2006 – Present	333	322	49
6	Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	1997 – 2015	652	725	47
7	Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	1997 – 2015	442	383	46
458	Wasim Akram	Pakistan	1984 – 2003	460	427	45
9	Zaheer Khan	India	2000 – 2014	309	232	44
10	Shane Warne	Australia	1992 – 2007	339	306	44

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