Why is the cricket pitch such an odd length?

KohakuA cricket pitch is 22 yards, or 20.12 m. That does look like an odd number, doesn't it?

The answer in 30 seconds

Let me separate what is known from what is not yet known.

The pitch's 22 yards (20.12 m) is a tidy length in the old units: one chain. It is the same as the length of a surveyor's chain, but no record has been found that says why this length was chosen.

A cricket pitch stretching long and narrow from the stumps in front to the stumps far away — From the wicket in front to the wicket far away, the pitch is 22 yards (20.12 m).Photo: Sayan492005 / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

Odd in metres, tidy in old units

The cricket pitch is the long, narrow strip of ground between the bowler and the batter. Law 6.1 of the MCC (the club that looks after the Laws of Cricket) says it is 22 yards (20.12 m) long and 10 feet (3.05 m) wide. It looks odd in metres, but in the old yards and feet it is a tidy length.

One chain is 22 yards

In the early 1600s, the English mathematician Edmund Gunter designed a chain for measuring land. This Gunter's chain is 66 feet long and made of 100 links. Its length became a unit called one chain. Since 66 feet is 22 yards, one chain is the same as the length of the pitch.

Figure: The pitch is one chain

KohakuIsn't it interesting that it matches the length of a surveyor's chain?

A length found in the 1744 Laws

The earliest Laws of Cricket, from 1744, also say that the wickets are to be set 22 yards apart. A R Littlewood, who studied the history of the game, also pointed out that 22 yards is one tenth of a furlong, an old unit of farmland. But when, by whom and why this length was chosen is not clear.

How sure is the chain story?

It is sometimes said that the pitch was fixed to match a surveyor's chain, but no record that supports this could be confirmed. What is known is that in the 18th and 19th centuries, Gunter's chain was often used to measure out pitches and mark them.

Want to know more?

In the 1744 Laws, the distance from the wicket to the front line (the popping crease) was set at 3 feet 10 inches.
Gunter's chain had a brass tag at every 10 links, which made it easier to count.
Under the Laws, the two ends of the pitch are marked by the lines on the bowler's side (the bowling creases).

KohakuIn the old units, it is a tidy length. But why this length was chosen is still not clear.

Quick quiz: test yourself

Which unit equals the pitch length?

Show the answer

One furlong
One chain
One mile

One chain Gunter's chain is one chain long, which is 22 yards. That is the same length as the pitch.

Sources

6.1 Area of pitch (Law 6: The Pitch)MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club), Laws of Cricket
The measurements of cricket (A R Littlewood)ESPNcricinfo (Cricinfo archive)
Gunter type measuring chainScience Museum Group
Archaic Laws (the 1744 code)ESPNcricinfo (Cricinfo archive)

This article was written after checking the sources above as of 2026-10-03. Explanations may change as research progresses. Photo credits are shown below each photo.