English around the world: hitting the middle stump

Heute geht es in unserer Rubrik „English around the world“ nach Pakistan. Lesen Sie, was es mit einer Wendung aus dem Cricket auf sich hat.

By Carol Richards

“I hit the middle stump.”

Pakistan

This expression means that you have taken an action and cannot do anything further. It comes from the sport of cricket. In cricket, there is a thing called a wicket, which is made of three stumps, which are long sticks. The stumps are hammered into the ground so that they are parallel to each other. Two bails, small wooden sticks, are placed on top of the stumps. If the bails fall, then the wicket is “broken.” If you hit the middle stump, then both bails fall. There isn’t any way to break the wicket further.

Photo: Picture Alliance