Got a question for you Will - if a batsman, ala Jacques Kallis in the one-dayer against Australia, is run out for nought having faced only one ball, and the runout is not effected on the first ball faced, has he still scored a golden duck? Technically he wasn’t out first ball.

I have played in a game where one batsman scored a platinum duck - run out without facing a ball.

Hi Hammy and Will, just had a chat with some of my scoring colleagues and the general consensus is that this would not be a Golden Duck. I know a player who was run out for 3 off the first ball and this was not a golden duck. The usual definition of a GD is that it should be out by the batsman’s fault. Furthermore, stumped off a wide first delivery is also not a GD as a wide is not a legal delivery, so the batsman hasn’t officially faced a ball - get it? Scorers don’t normally use the term “platinum duck”.
The exception to this rules - including run-outs, probably only applies if you are a member off the Primary Club and wish to donate cash.

Ok Worma, you’re right, I did not phrase that properly. There is nothing in the Laws about Golden Ducks. They are a humorous invention to give us a laugh when a player does something dumb first ball and gets out. It’s not a technical thing. If you DO want to get technical though, my definition would be that the batsman on strike had failed to defend his wicket (been stupid) at the first legal instance for doing so.
Stupidity is the main criterion, I believe. A batsman run out before he faces a ball is more to be pitied, than ridiculed.

I’ve never understood why it’s called a golden duck, I’m fine with duck, that’s a very ingenious terminology actually, but why golden, why not blue, red, green, or any other colour, why golden. I don’t like golden as a colour.

point taken, Worma

Zany, you get the idea of a duck meaning 0 as in 50-love in tennis, right? Comes from the French l’oeuf for egg. Gold is a precious metal, so getting someone out for 0 first ball is pretty well precious for the bowler. That’s all I suppose.