Incricket, aduck is a batsman'sdismissal with a score ofzero. A batsman being dismissed off their first delivery faced is known as agolden duck.^[1]

The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began. When referring to the Prince of Wales' (the futureEdward VII) score of nought on 17 July 1866, a contemporary newspaper wrote that the Prince "retired to the royal pavilion on a 'duck's egg'".^[2] The name is believed to come from the shape of the number "0" being similar to that of a duck's egg, as in the case of the American slang term "goose-egg" popular in baseball and the tennis term "love", derived – according to one theory – from Frenchl'œuf ("the egg").The Concise Oxford Dictionary still cites "duck's egg" as an alternative version of the term.^[3]

The first duck in aTest match was made in the first Test, betweenAustralia andEngland atMelbourne in March 1877, whenNed Gregory wascaught byAndrew Greenwood off the bowling ofJames Lillywhite.^[4]As of 2017, the record for the most ducks in Test cricket is held byWest Indies playerCourtney Walsh, who was out for nought on 43 occasions,^[5]while the overallfirst-class record is 156, set byWorcestershire and England playerReg Perks.^[6]

One particularly high-profile example of a duck came in 1948, whenDon Bradman was playing his final Test match for Australia, against England atThe Oval. In Australia's first innings, Bradman wasbowled for a duck byEric Hollies, causing his Test average to fall from 101.39 to 99.94; had he scored just four runs, his average would have been 100. As things turned out, Australia won the matchby an innings, and so Bradman did not get to bat a second time (had he batted, he would have needed at least 104 runs if dismissed or at least four runs ifnot out to get his average back to 100).^[7]

In the first Test of Australia's tour of India in 1986, with the cumulative scores tied, Indian tailenderManinder Singh was trappedLBW byGreg Matthews for a four ball duck, ensuring just the secondtied Test in Test Cricket history.

Indianall-rounderAjit Agarkar earned the nickname "Bombay Duck" after being dismissed for ducks five consecutive times in test matches against Australia.^[8]

In a 1913 match againstGlastonbury Cricket Club in Somerset, all the batsmen forHuish andLangport CC scored ducks for a total of zero runs.^[9] A similar occurrence inindoor cricket happened inKent in 2016, whenBapchild Cricket Club were dismissed for zero againstCanterbury Christ Church University.^[10]

There are several variations used to describe specific types of duck. The usage or prevalence of many of these terms vary regionally, with one term having different meanings in different parts of the world. Even within commentary from ESPN Cricinfo or individual cricket board websites, there is no uniform application of some of these terms.

• A batsman who is dismissed by the first ball they face is said to have been dismissed for a golden duck. This term is applied uniformly throughout the cricket world.^[12]
• A batsman who is dismissed by the first ball of an innings is said to have been dismissed for a royal or platinum duck.^[13]
• A batsman who is dismissed without facing a ball (most usually run out from the non-striker's end, but alternatively stumped or run out off a wide delivery) is said to be out for a diamond duck,^[14][15][16] but in some regions that term has an alternative definition. If the batsman is one of the openers, that is said to be a titanium duck. If the batsman is timed out without making it to the crease, that is known as a diamond duck or a platinum duck.

To be dismissed for nought in bothinnings of the same two-innings match is to be dismissed for a pair,^[17]because the two noughts together are thought to resemble a pair ofspectacles; the longer form is occasionally used.^[18] To be dismissed first ball inboth innings (i.e., two golden ducks) is to suffer the indignity of making aking pair.^[12]

Two consecutive pairs, or (more generally) four consecutive ducks, are referred to as an Audi. The expression alludes to theGerman car manufacturer, the logo of which is four linked rings. A player who has been dismissed for three consecutive ducks and not yet scored in a further consecutive innings is said to be "on an Audi".^[19][20][21]

In 1992, Australian batterMark Waugh scored successive Test pairs againstSri Lanka, and was given the temporarynickname "Audi".^[20]In 2023, Australianwicket-keeper-batterAlyssa Healy almost completed a Test Audi when she feathered a ball fromKate Cross towardsAmy Jones during aWomen's Ashes match atTrent Bridge, but Jones did not take the proffered catch and Healy went on to score an even 50.^[22]

A player who has completed an Audi and is yet to score in yet another consecutive innings is said to be "on an Olympic", an expression alluding to the five interlockingOlympic rings.^[19][20][21] In Test cricket, three players have completed an Olympic:Bob Holland (1985),Ajit Agarkar (1999–2000) andMohammad Asif (2006).^[23]

• Glossary of cricket terms
• Daddles – Cartoon character
• Golden sombrero – Striking out four times in a single baseball game
• Hat-trick – Terminology in cricket for the dismissal of three batsmen from three consecutive balls
• Names for the number 0 in English
• Pairs in test and first-class cricket – Batter out without scoring in both inningsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

• Cricket terminology

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