How high should a stump be according to the laws of cricket?

In cricket, the stumps are the three vertical posts, which support two bails, thus forming the wicket. Usually made from ash wood, each stump is 28 inches (71.1 cm) tall with maximum and minimum diameters of 1.5 inches (3.81 cm) and 1.3 inches (3.49 cm). Each stump has a spike at one end for inserting into the ground.

Stumps and bails are important for dismissing a batter in the game of cricket. Wicket-keepers can dislodge stumps or bails with the ball to dismiss a batsman when he tries to run down the pitch. This is known as “Stumping”. A bowler dismisses a batsman by hitting the stumps directly while bowling, which is referred to as being “Bowled”. If a fielder throws the ball at the stumps while the batsman attempts to take a run and the ball hits the stumps before the batsman returns, then that dismissal is referred to being “Run out”.

The urn won at the end of the Ashes, a Test cricket series played between England and Australia, allegedly contains the ashes of one of the wooden bails that sat upon the stumps. This claim, however, is often disputed.