Just envision that you are a new batter, and you lose your wicket on the very first ball without hitting a single run. Being out on the first ball you face especially when you haven’t scored—feels like a knockout, doesn’t it?
This is just one of the scenarios that many batsmen have experienced, getting first-ball ducks, more commonly called golden ducks. Analyzing the situation of such people, it can be said that whenever a batsman is out on the first ball of his or her innings and has not scored any runs, then that particular batsman has got a golden duck.
Now, let’s talk about how the term golden duck came to be in the first place?
There is no answer to the question of how the term falls exactly under the sport. In the old days when a player got out without scoring no matter how many balls he faced, it was considered a duck.
Read Also:- What Is a Duck In Cricket?
Eventually, different varieties of ducks came up—the generic duck, the golden duck, the silver duck, the diamond duck and so on. And there is one theory regarding the golden duck term which supports the theory of its emergence.
A duck gets its name from the ‘duck’s egg’ which is round and white and looks similar to that of a zero (0). So to say that a player has been dismissed for a first-ball duck is infrequent as the actual golden egg. Hence the term golden duck is used for such dismissals.
What is the Process of Happening a Golden Duck in Cricket?
No player desires to be out on the first ball, but it may happen that he or she get a golden duck, either as a consequence of his or her own fault or due to the bowler’s expertise.
The player might misjudge the line and length of the ball and consequently get bowled, LBW out, or just handed out a catch. On the other hand, it can be a case of a well-thought-out dismissal in which the bowler has already identified the weakness of the batter before actually delivering the ball.
Which Batsmen have the Most Golden Ducks in cricket?
Muthiah Muralidaran, the magician spinner who had batters dancing on his finger tips, is unfortunate to win this battle for most ducks in Test cricket. The great offie has to his name 14 golden ducks in the longest form.
Another Lankan is at the top clock in the One Day International (ODI) format. The King of Yorkers, Lasith Malinga, registered 13 first-ball ducks in ODIs.
In T20 International cricket, it is Rwanda’s Kevin Irakoze who is the ruler of the chart with more than 9 golden ducks in his career.
