Duck, Golden Duck and Diamond Duck in Cricket: Batting Milestones
A duck in cricket means a batter is dismissed without scoring. Golden ducks, silver ducks and diamond ducks indicate progressively earlier dismissals within an innings.
A duck in cricket is recorded when a batter is dismissed without scoring a single run — their innings total is zero (0). The term comes from the duck's egg, which resembles the numeral zero. A duck is one of the most deflating outcomes for a batter: all the preparation, the walk to the crease, the nerves and focus — ended in a single delivery. In Test cricket, ducks carry particular weight because they mean a batter has wasted a potentially match-influencing innings. In T20 cricket, a duck can be quickly forgotten but it means a missed scoring opportunity in a format where every delivery matters.
Types of Ducks
A standard duck means dismissed for zero, regardless of how many balls faced. A golden duck is out for zero on the very first ball faced — the batter arrives at the crease and is dismissed first ball. A silver duck is out on the second ball faced (one ball survived, dismissed on the second without scoring). A diamond duck — the most embarrassing — means out for zero without facing a ball at all: typically a run out when the batter at the non-striker's end is run out before facing a delivery. A platinum duck is used informally for the same scenario: dismissed without facing in the first innings, meaning the batter never gets a chance to score in their nominal team position.
Ducks in Cricket Records
The record for most ducks in Test cricket belongs to tail-enders who bat hundreds of times over long careers. Courtney Walsh of West Indies holds the all-time Test duck record with 43 ducks in 185 innings — reflecting that as a tail-ender he was frequently dismissed early when protecting wickets was not his priority. Among recognised batters, Shivnarine Chanderpaul had very few ducks relative to his innings count. In ODIs, Muttiah Muralitharan holds the duck record for the same tail-ender reason. Golden ducks are considered particularly embarrassing — being dismissed first ball at Test level means the bowler completely outclassed the batter with no chance to settle.
Frequently asked questions
What is a golden duck in cricket?
A golden duck is when a batter is dismissed on the very first ball they face — they score zero and are out first ball. It is considered among the worst outcomes for a batter at any level of cricket. In Test cricket, a golden duck from a top-order batter can be particularly damaging to team morale and match position.
What is a diamond duck?
A diamond duck (also sometimes called a platinum duck) is when a batter is dismissed without facing a single delivery — typically run out at the non-striker's end (a Mankad dismissal) or run out while backing up before they have had a chance to face. It is rarer than a golden duck and requires a very specific set of circumstances.
Who has the most Test ducks of all time?
Courtney Walsh of the West Indies holds the record for most ducks in Test cricket with 43 ducks in 185 innings. Walsh batted as a tail-ender throughout his career, and tail-enders are disproportionately represented in duck records because they often bat when the team needs quick runs rather than patient builds.