A pair in cricket refers to when a batsman is dismissed for a duck (without scoring) in both innings. It is called a 'king pair' if the batsman gets out for a golden duck (getting out on the first ball he faced) in both innings. The name originates from the two noughts together being thought to resemble a pair of spectacles; the longer form is occasionally used.

Most pairs in a Test career

New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin has been dismissed without scoring in both innings during seven Test matches, three more than any other player. Five players have been dismissed for four pairs of ducks in Tests. Four are bowlers with no great pretensions towards batsmanship – Bhagwat Chandrasekhar of India, Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and West Indians Mervyn Dillon and Courtney Walsh – but the fifth is top order batsman Marvan Atapattu of Sri Lanka. He started his Test career with just one run in six innings – including two pairs – and has bagged two more since.

Pairs on Test debut

45 batsmen have been dismissed for a pair on their debut in Test cricket:

Consecutive pairs

These batsmen all bagged pairs in two Tests in a row. In recognition of his consecutive Test pairs, Mark Waugh, who had scored a century on his Test debut, was temporarily nicknamed "Audi", after the car-maker with the four-circle logo. His teammates pointed out that if he had scored five Test ducks in a row, he could have been nicknamed "Olympic". Both expressions have since become part of the terminology of the game, and in Test cricket, three players have actually completed an Olympic: Bob Holland (Australia, 1985), Ajit Agarkar (India, 1999–2000) and Mohammad Asif (Pakistan, 2006).

Pairs by Test captains

25 captains have been dismissed for a pair. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Faf du Plessis made pairs in the same match, the first time this had happened in the same Test.

Pairs by designated Wicket-keepers in Tests

52 wicket-keepers have been dismissed for a pair. In July 2019, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Wilson were dismissed without scoring in both innings of the same Test match. It was the first instance of both designated wicket-keepers being dismissed for a pair in a completed Test.

King pairs in Test cricket

If a batsman is out first ball he has made a golden duck and if a batsman is dismissed first ball in both innings he has achieved a king pair. This worst of all batting fates has befallen 24 players in the history of Test cricket so far.

Notable pairs in first-class cricket

King Pairs have been 'bagged' by many players in first-class cricket. Mick Norman of Northamptonshire bagged a king pair in a single day against Glamorgan at St. Helen's in Swansea in June 1964. When Glamorgan followed on against the Indians at Cardiff Arms Park in June 1946, last man Peter Judge was bowled for a duck by Chandra Sarwate to end the county's first innings. Invited to follow-on, Glamorgan's captain Johnny Clay, who was the non-striker, decided to waive the 10-minute interval between innings, remained in the middle with Judge, and reversed the entire batting order. Sarwate then bowled Judge again, second ball, incidentally with the same ball, and Judge thus achieved the fastest pair in the history of first-class cricket. Zimbabwe opening bat Hamilton Masakadza completed an unusual pair when he was dismissed for a Test duck twice on the same day, 28 January 2012, when his team's two innings were completed within a day. Another notable pair was made by Neil Harvey on 27 July 1956. Playing in the test where Jim Laker took 19 for 90, Harvey completed a pair within about 2 hours on the second day.

Unofficial pairs in Twenty20 cricket

In limited overs games decided by a Super Over, it is possible for a batsman to be dismissed for a duck in both the regular innings and the super over. Since runs made in super overs are not counted towards a player's statistical record, this is sometimes referred to an "unofficial pair". On 25 July 2013, Shoaib Malik scored an unofficial golden pair for Pakistan International Airlines against Habib Bank Limited, while on 10 January 2014, Moisés Henriques scored an unofficial pair playing for the Sydney Sixers against the Perth Scorchers. On 20 September 2020, during the second match of the 2020 Indian Premier League, Nicholas Pooran scored an unofficial pair playing for Kings XI Punjab against the Delhi Capitals.