A Conversation for Ask h2g2
Batting on a sticky wicket
Captain Kebab Started conversation Feb 14, 2003
Batting on a sticky wicket is a phrase that obviously came from cricket, but how did it actually come about? Can a cricket pitch ever be described as 'sticky'?
Batting on a sticky wicket
There is only one thing worse than being Gosho, and that is not being Gosho Posted Feb 14, 2003
Before wickets were covered when it rains, a sticky wicket was one which had been allowed to get wet. After the rain had stopped, they would wait for the ground to become dry enough to allow play to resume, but the wicket would still be rather, er... muddy, therefore a little sticky, which helped the spin bowlers a whole heap and made batting very difficult.
Batting on a sticky wicket
Captain Kebab Posted Feb 15, 2003
Thanks Gosho - that was cheeringly straightforward. Quite uncricket-like, really - I assumed there would be some obscure rule last invoked in 1926. 
Batting on a sticky wicket
There is only one thing worse than being Gosho, and that is not being Gosho Posted Feb 15, 2003
Could be... you just never know cricket
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Batting on a sticky wicket
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