| The terms |
Description |
| The abbreviations |
(including a few other commonly used terms) |
| b |
bowled |
| batting |
in |
| c |
caught |
| C |
century (in Roman numerals) |
| c and b |
caught and bowled |
| CC |
cricket club |
| CC |
double century (in Roman numerals) |
| CCC |
County Cricket Club |
| D/L |
Duckworth/Lewis (method) |
| DRS |
Decision Review System |
| ECB |
England and Wales Cricket Board |
| eleven |
a side (of eleven players) |
| extra(s) |
bye(s), leg-bye(s), wide(s) or no-ball(s) |
| ICC |
International Cricket Council |
| IV |
four (in Roman numerals) |
| L |
half century (in Roman numerals) |
| lb |
leg bye(s) |
| lbw |
leg before wicket |
| leg |
on / leg side |
| M |
maiden (over) |
| MCC |
Marylebone Cricket Club – the tacitly accepted governing body of cricket until 1969, it continues to have primary responsibility for the game’s laws |
| nb |
no-ball(s) |
| n.o. |
not out |
| O |
duck |
| O |
over(s) |
| ODI |
one-day International – an official limited-over cricket match (typically 50 overs per team) between two accredited national teams |
| on |
leg / leg side |
| OO |
pair (of spectacles) |
| R |
run(s) |
| ro |
run out |
| st |
stumped |
| TMS |
Test Match Special |
| TON |
century |
| VI |
six (in Roman numerals) |
| W |
wicket |
| w |
wide(s) |
| XI |
a side of eleven players (in Roman numerals) |
| |
|
| The batting |
 |
| air shot |
a stroke that fails to connect with the ball |
| batting average |
the number of runs scored by a batsman for every time he is out |
| big hitter |
a player who hits the ball a long way |
| block |
stop a ball with a forward defensive shot |
| blockhole |
the place where a batsman rests the end of his bat when batting |
| break one’s duck |
make one’s first run |
| carry one’s bat / carry the bat |
of an opening batsman, to remain not-out at the end of a completed innings |
| cover drive |
a drive past cover point |
| cut |
an attacking stroke to the off played with a horizontal bat |
| draw |
deflect the ball with the inside edge of the bat |
| drive |
hit strongly in front of the wicket |
| edge |
hit with the edge of the bat |
| gardening |
the prodding of the wicket by a batsman in order to remedy perceived unevenness |
| glance |
a leg glance |
| glide |
similar to a leg glance |
| go in |
begin batting |
| guard |
the position of a batsman’s bat relative to the wicket when standing ready to receive a delivery |
| half-cock |
a stroke made by playing neither forward nor back |
| hook |
an attacking stroke played with a horizontal bat sending the ball from shoulder height or above onto the leg side behind the wicket |
| inside edge |
a deflection from the inner extremity of the bat |
| keep one’s end up |
be content to keep one’s wicket standing without trying to score |
| late cut |
a cut made with a delayed action so as to send the ball to the off side behind the wicket |
| leg glance |
a deliberate stroke in which the ball is deflected to leg only slightly from its line of flight |
| lofted drive |
a drive where the ball is hit in the air to clear infield or midfield positions. |
| maiden (test) century |
a batsman’s first (test) century |
| meat |
the middle of the blade of the bat |
| middle |
hit the ball with the middle of the bat |
| nurdle |
score runs by gently pushing or deflecting the ball with the bat rather than by hitting it hard |
| off drive |
a drive made to the off side |
| on drive |
a drive made to the on side |
| on strike |
(of a batsman) facing the bowling |
| on the up |
(of a stroke) played as the ball rises from its bounce |
| outside edge |
a deflection from the outer extremity of the bat |
| play on |
strike the ball onto one’s own wicket |
| pull |
an attacking stroke played with a horizontal bat where the batsman hits the ball from waist height round onto the leg side |
| reverse sweep |
a stroke made by swinging the bat in a horizontal arc from leg to off, normally whilst kneeling. |
| run rate |
the rate at which runs are being scored per over, in an innings |
| skier / skyer |
a delivery hit high into the air |
| snick |
a slight deflection off the edge of the bat |
| square cut |
a cut hit square on the offside |
| stonewall |
hold up progress by batting extremely defensively |
| strike |
the position of facing the bowling; licence to receive the next delivery |
| strike rate |
the number of runs scored by a batsman per delivery actually faced by him |
| stroke |
a particular way of hitting the ball |
| sweep |
a stroke in which the batsman goes down on one knee to play the ball to the leg side with a horizontal bat |
| take guard |
(of a batsman) ask the umpire for guidance in marking a position or guard |
| take strike |
(of a batsman) prepare to face the bowling |
| tickle |
a slight touch of the ball with the bat |
| tonk |
hit the ball hard |
| walk |
leave the pitch when dismissed, especially without waiting for the umpire to adjudicate on an appeal |
| yahoo |
an exuberant attempt to hit the ball hard, often with disappointing results |
| |
|
| The bowling |
|
| ball |
a delivery of the ball |
| beamer |
a fast, head-high delivery |
| bodyline bowling |
intimidatory short-pitched fast bowling delivered at the batsman’s body, especially directed towards the legside – see also leg theory |
| bouncer |
a short-pitched fast delivery bowled so as to bounce and rise sharply off the ground high enough to hit a batsman’s head or shoulders |
| bowling average |
the number of runs scored off a bowler for every wicket he takes |
| break |
the deviation of the ball on striking the pitch |
| bumper |
a bouncer |
| chinaman |
a delivery bowled by a left-arm bowler that spins in the opposite direction to the bowler’s usual delivery |
| creeper |
a delivery that stays low after bouncing |
| daisy-cutter |
a delivery bowled along the ground or that keeps low on pitching |
| delivery |
the act of bowling the ball |
| fast bowling |
bowling in which the ball is delivered fast – also called pace bowling4 |
| doosra |
a leg break bowled with an apparent off-break action by a right-arm bowler. |
| fizzer |
a very fast delivery |
| full pitch / full toss |
a delivery which does not or would not bounce before passing or hitting the batsman’s wicket |
| gazunder |
a low delivery |
| googly |
an off break bowled with an apparent leg-break action by a right-arm bowler to a right-handed batsman, or conversely for a left-arm bowler |
| hat trick |
the taking of three wickets with consecutive balls (so called because in the 17th century, a bowler who accomplished the feat was rewarded by an immediate bonus, collected by passing a hat among gathered spectators) |
| inswinger |
a delivery bowled so as to swerve from off to leg |
| jaffa |
a well-bowled delivery that is likely to take a wicket |
| leg break |
a delivery that breaks from leg towards off on pitching |
| leg-cutter |
a fast bowler’s delivery that moves from leg to off after pitching |
| leg spin |
spin imparted to the ball to cause a leg break |
| leg theory |
the policy of bowling short-pitched leg-side deliveries persistently at the batsman’s body with a large number of leg-side fielders close to the wicket |
| length |
a suitable distance for pitching the ball when bowling |
| long hop |
a short-pitched, high-bouncing, delivery that is easy to hit |
| maiden (over) |
a set of six deliveries from which no runs are scored off the bat |
| medium-paced bowling |
bowling in which the ball is delivered at a speed intermediate between spin and pace |
| no-ball |
a delivery bowled in such a way that it is disallowed by the rules, and which counts as one run (or possibly more) to the batting side |
| off break |
a delivery that breaks from off towards leg on pitching |
| off-cutter |
a fast bowler’s delivery that moves from off to leg after pitching |
| off spin |
spin imparted to the ball to cause an off break |
| outswinger |
a delivery bowled so as to swerve from leg to off |
| over |
a series of six deliveries after which play changes from one end to the other |
| over rate |
the rate at which overs are bowled |
| overpitch |
bowl the ball so that it bounces close enough to the batsman to be easily hit |
| pace bowling |
bowling in which the ball is delivered fast – also called fast bowling |
| pitch |
bowl the ball so as to strike the ground at a particular spot; bounce on the pitch |
| reverse swing |
a phenomenon that causes a ball that has become roughened on one side to swing in the opposite direction to a new ball |
| seam |
deviate after pitching on the seam |
| seam bowling |
fast or medium-paced bowling in which the seam of the ball is positioned so as to make it deviate after pitching |
| shoot |
(of a bowled ball) keep abnormally low after pitching |
| short |
(of a bowled ball) bouncing at some distance from the batsman |
| slow bowling |
bowling in which the ball is delivered slowly |
| spell |
a number of overs bowled consecutively by a bowler |
| spin |
impart spin, causing the ball to deviate after pitching |
| spin bowling |
slower bowling in which the ball is given a twisting motion by the bowler’s wrist or fingers, in order to make it deviate after striking the ground |
| swerve |
cause the ball to swerve in the air |
| swing |
cause the ball to swerve in the air |
| swing bowling |
bowling in which the ball swerves in the air |
| throw |
bowl a ball while bending illegally and straightening the arm during delivery |
| wicket maiden |
a set of six deliveries from which one or more wickets are credited to the bowler and no runs are scored off the bat |
| wide |
a delivery bowled in such a way that the ball it is judged by the umpire to be out of reach of the batsman, and which counts as one run (or possibly more) to the batting side |
| work |
spin given to a ball by a bowler to cause it to break on pitching |
| wrong ‘un |
a googly |
| yorker |
a delivery bowled so as to pitch on the popping crease and pass under the bat |
| |
|
| The club and ground |
|
| boundary |
a line marking the limit of a cricket field |
| bowling crease |
a line marked perpendicularly across the pitch at the level of the wicket, from astride which the bowler must bowl |
| carpet |
the surface of the ground |
| clubhouse |
the premises occupied by a cricket club |
| country |
old name for the outfield |
| crease |
a line that regulates the positions of batsman and bowler at the wicket; see also bowling crease, popping crease and return crease |
| cricket club |
an association of people who get together to play cricket, usually against other clubs |
| field |
the disposition of fielders |
| ground |
an area of land associated with the activity of playing the game; the space behind the popping crease with which the batsman must be in touch by bat or person if he is not to be stumped or run out |
| infield |
the part of the field near the wicket |
| leg / leg side / legside |
that half of the field on the side on which the batsman stands when waiting to receive – for fielding, usually used to describe positions level with or behind the batsman (same as on / on side / onside) |
| midfield |
loosely, that part of the field between the infield and the outfield |
| net / net practice |
a practice session within nets |
| nets |
a practice pitch surrounded by nets |
| off / off side / offside |
that half of the field on the opposite side to that on which the batsman stands when waiting to receive, separated from the leg side by an imaginary line drawn from wicket to wicket |
| on / on side / onside |
that half of the field on the side on which the batsman stands when waiting to receive – for fielding, usually used to describe positions in front of the batsman (same as leg / leg side / legside) |
| outfield |
the outer part of the field |
| pitch |
the ground between the wickets |
| plumb |
(of a cricket pitch) level, true |
| popping crease |
a line marked perpendicularly across the pitch four feet in front of the bowling crease, at which the batsman plays and behind which he must have a foot or bat in order not to be run out or stumped |
| powerplay |
a period in a limited-overs cricket match during which there are special restrictions on where fielders may be positioned |
| put down |
drop a catch |
| return crease |
a line marked at right angles to the bowling crease and popping crease on either side of the wicket, inside which the bowler must bowl the ball |
| scoreboard |
a board on which the score is exhibited |
| sightscreen |
a large (usu white) screen placed on the boundary behind the bowler, providing a backdrop against which the batsman can more easily see the approaching ball |
| square |
a rectangular area in the centre of the cricket ground, on which the wickets are prepared |
| Test Match Special |
a British radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (long wave), Five Live Sports Extra (digital) and the internet, providing ball-by-ball coverage of most Test cricket, One Day International, and Twenty20 matches and tournaments involving the England cricket team |
| wicket |
the strip of field between the two sets of stumps; the pitch, especially in respect of its condition; see also wicket under dismissals |
| |
|
| The dismissals |
|
| appeal |
a claim that a batsman has been dismissed. (umpires will not signal “out” unless an appeal is made) |
| bowled |
a dismissal from a delivery which hits the stumps, whether or not touched by the bat, and dislodges one or both bails |
| caught |
a dismissal from a delivery which is hit by the batsman and caught by a fielder before it touches the ground |
| caught and bowled |
a dismissal from a delivery which is hit by the batsman and caught by the bowler before it touches the ground |
| clean bowled |
dismissed by a delivery which hits the stumps without hitting the bat or pad |
| handled ball |
a dismissal from handling the ball |
| hit ball twice |
a dismissal from hitting the ball twice (unless the ball would otherwise have hit the wicket) |
| hit wicket |
a dismissal from striking the wicket with the bat or part of the body and dislodging the bails |
| leg before / leg before wicket |
a dismissal from the ball striking the batsman’s legs, or another part of his body, without having made contact with the bat, and would otherwise have hit the wicket |
| not out |
still in at the end of the innings without having been dismissed |
| obstructing the field |
a dismissal from deliberately hindering a fieldsman or interfering with the ball in order to avoid being out |
| plumb |
unquestionably in a leg-before-wicket position |
| run out |
a dismissal by a ball, thrown by a fielder, which hits the stumps while a batsman is out of his ground |
| stumped |
a dismissal where the wicketkeeper hits the stumps with the ball while the batsman is out of his ground |
| timed out |
a dismissal from failure to take up guard within a specified time of the dismissal of the previous batsman |
| wicket |
a dismissal |
| |
|
| The equipment |
|
| bail |
one of the crosspieces that lie on top of the stumps to form the wicket |
| ball |
a solid spherical object that is bowled towards the batsman, who tries to strike it with his bat |
| bat |
a flattish club for striking the ball |
| blade |
a wooden block that is generally flat on the striking face and with a ridge on the reverse (back) which concentrates wood in the middle where the ball is generally hit |
| box |
a light, usually padded, shield covering the genitals |
| cherry |
a new ball |
| handle |
the handle of a cricket bat, typically made of cane |
| helmet |
headwear worn by some batsmen and fielders to protect themselves from injury by the cricket ball |
| new ball |
at certain stages of the game the fielding side may request that the ball be replaced with a new one |
| peg |
a stump (slang) |
| quilt |
the inner part of a cricket ball |
| splice |
the part of the handle of a cricket bat that fits into the blade |
| spring |
one of the strips of rubber, steel or wood inserted in and running down the handle of a cricket bat |
| stump |
one of the three wooden sticks forming (with the bails) the wickets |
| timbers |
the stumps |
| whites |
white clothes worn for cricket |
| wicket(s) |
the upright arrangement of three stumps with two bails on top which the batsman defends against the bowling |
| wicketkeeping gloves |
protective gloves worn by a wicketkeeper, to cushion the hands when repeatedly catching the ball |
| willow |
a cricket bat; the wood from which a cricket bat is traditionally |
| |
|
| The fielding positions |
|
| cover / cover point |
off side, between point and extra cover |
| deep |
in the outfield, not close to the batsman |
| extra cover |
off side, between cover point and mid-off |
| fine |
behind the wicket and close to the line of flight of the ball when it is bowled |
| fine leg |
on or near the leg side boundary, at a more acute angle to the batsman than long leg |
| fly slip |
off side, some distance behind the batsman |
| gully |
off side, between point and slips |
| leg slip |
leg side, slightly behind the batsman |
| long |
on or near the boundary – see long leg, long off and long on |
| long leg |
on or near the leg side boundary, behind the batsman |
| long off |
on or near the off side boundary, behind the bowler |
| long on |
on or near the on side boundary, behind the bowler |
| mid-off |
off side, behind the bowler |
| mid-on |
on side, behind the bowler |
| mid-wicket |
on side, about midway between mid-on and square leg |
| point |
off side, fairly near the batsman in line with the popping crease |
| short |
relatively near the batsman – see short leg |
| short leg |
leg side, very near and in line with the batsman |
| silly |
very near the batsman |
| silly mid-off |
off side, very near and in front of the batsman |
| silly mid-on |
on side, very near and in front of the batsman |
| silly-point |
off side, very near the batsman in line with the popping crease |
| slip(s) |
off side, slightly behind the batsman |
| square leg |
leg side in line with the popping crease |
| third man |
on or near the off side boundary, behind the slips |
| wicket |
immediately behind the batsman |
| |
|
| The game |
|
| appeal |
ask for the umpire’s decision esp as to whether a player is out |
| the Ashes |
a trophy in the form of a small urn competed for by the cricket teams of England and Australia (from a mock obituary of English cricket after the Australian victory in 1882, after which the trophy purporting to contain the ashes of English cricket was devised); a series of test matches for this trophy |
| bat |
hit with a bat; a turn at batting (as in to have a bat) |
| bat on |
continue to play |
| batting |
taking turns at hitting with the bat as distinguished from bowling or fielding |
| bowl |
deliver a ball to the batsman at the wicket; a turn at bowling (as in to have a bowl) |
| bowl (a side) out |
get an entire team out |
| bowling |
taking turns at delivering the ball as distinguished from batting |
| cap |
a cap awarded as a sign of membership of a particular sports team, especially a county or national team |
| catch |
hold the ball after the batsman has hit it and before it touches the ground |
| come in |
start an innings |
| county cricket |
cricket played in matches between clubs representing counties |
| Decision Review System |
a technology-based system used to review controversial decisions made by the on-field umpires in the case of a batsman being dismissed or not |
| declaration / declare |
end an innings voluntarily before ten wickets have fallen and put the other side in to bat – usually done to allow enough time to win a game |
| deep |
the outfield, not close to the wickets |
| dismiss |
end the innings of a batsman or a team |
| dismissal |
the end of a batsman’s innings |
| dolly |
a slow, easy catch |
| draw stumps |
end play by removing the wickets |
| Duckworth–Lewis (method) |
a method of determining the runs total needed to win a one-day cricket match that is affected by rain or other interruptions – named after the English statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis who invented the method |
| draw |
in an unlimited-overs game of one OR two innings, a situation where neither side wins….the first team’s total is not surpassed, but the innings are not completed. (No draws are allowed in limited-over games). |
| field |
catch or stop the ball and return it to the principal playing area; stand in position for catching or stopping the ball |
| fielding |
playing in the field as distinguished from batting |
| follow on |
start a second innings immediately after the first, as the result of scoring a total that is lower than that of the opposing team by more than a predetermined amount |
| gaper |
an easy catch |
| how’s that / howzat |
the appeal of the fielding side to the umpire to give the batsman out |
| in |
being in the middle of an innings |
| innings |
an individual batsman’s or team’s turn at batting; the total number of runs scored by a team during its time batting |
| knock |
an innings, a spell at batting |
| limited over games |
games where the number of overs bowled by each side is restricted |
| match |
a game of cricket – see also test match |
| misfield |
field badly or ineffectively |
| not out |
(of a side or batsman) having begun an innings and not been dismissed. |
| overthrow |
a return of the ball to the wicket that is missed by the fielders there |
| out |
no longer batting; having had one’s innings ended by the fielding side: |
| partnership |
the number of runs added by a pair of batsmen before one of them is dismissed or the innings ends |
| rubber |
a series of games |
| skittle out |
dismiss (a batsman or team) for a low score, usually quickly |
| sledge |
seek to upset the batsman’s concentration by making offensive remarks |
| stand |
the partnership of any two batsmen at the wicket; the period of time of the partnership; the runs made during a partnership |
| stumps |
see draw stumps |
| test (match) |
an official two-innings per side match between two accredited national teams |
| throw |
dismiss a batsman by throwing the ball at, and hitting, the wicket |
| Twenty20 |
a fast-paced form of cricket in which each side can bat for a maximum of 20 overs |
| uncapped |
not having been awarded the cap given to regular members of a county side |
| wicket |
a batsman’s innings or stay at the wicket, or his joint stay there with another |
| win by x runs |
the number of runs by which the team batting second falls short of the mark set by the first team |
| win by x wickets |
the number of wickets that the team batting second has in hand when it passes the first team’s total score |
| |
|
| The players and officials |
|
| all rounder |
a player who can both bat and bowl |
| bat |
a batsman |
| batsman |
a player who bats |
| bowler |
a player who bowls |
| bowler’s end umpire |
the umpire who stands behind the stumps at the bowler’s end of the pitch |
| captain |
a player selected to lead the team |
| eleven |
a side (of eleven players) |
| fast bowler |
a bowler who bowls at a fast pace – also called a pace bowler |
| fielder |
a player who fields |
| groundsman |
a person whose job is to take care of a cricket ground |
| leg spinner |
a player who bowls leg breaks |
| night watchman |
in matches lasting two or more days, a relatively unskilled batsman who is sent in to bat towards the end of the day’s play in order to prevent a more skilled batsman from having to go in |
| off spinner |
a player who bowls off breaks |
| opener / opening batsman |
one of the first two batsmen sent in to start a team’s innings. |
| pace bowler / paceman |
a bowler who bowls at a fast pace – also called a fast bowler |
| pinch-hitter |
a player promoted in the batting order with a view to him scoring quickly |
| rabbit |
an inferior player, almost invariably a tail-ender, particularly when facing fast bowling (a rabbit in the headlights) |
| runner |
a player who runs between the wickets in place of an injured teammate who is able to bat but not run |
| scorer |
a person who records the score for the team and the individual batsmen and bowlers |
| seam bowler / seamer |
a bowler who makes the ball deviate by bouncing on its seam |
| side |
a group of eleven players |
| slip / slip fielder |
any of several fielders (eg first slip, second slip, etc) positioned on the off side in a row next to the wicketkeeper |
| spin bowler / spinner |
a bowler who imparts spin on the ball, causing it to deviate after pitching |
| square-leg umpire |
the umpire who stands at or near square leg |
| striker |
the batsman facing the bowling |
| tail |
the weaker batsmen at the end of a team’s batting order; the tail “wags” if these batsmen manage to score a significant amount of runs! |
| tail-ender |
one of the weaker batsmen at the end of a team’s batting order |
| team |
a side |
| twelfth man |
a player selected beyond the necessary eleven to play if required as a substitute fielder |
| umpire |
an impartial person chosen to supervise the game, enforce the rules, and decide disputes |
| wicketkeeper / keeper |
the fieldsman who stands immediately behind the batsman’s wicket and whose object is to stop balls missed by the batsman |
| |
|
| The scoring |
|
| blob |
a score of zero, a duck |
| boundary |
see four, six |
| bye(s) |
run(s) which are credited to the batsman’s team as a result of a ball that passes the batsman but is not hit or touched by him |
| century |
an individual score of 100 runs or more by a batsman |
| dot ball |
a ball from which no runs are scored (conventionally recorded on a scorecard with a dot) |
| double century |
an individual score of 200 runs or more by a batsman. |
| duck |
a dismissal for a score of zero (originally duck’s egg for zero (0), on a scoresheet) |
| extra(s) |
run(s) – bye(s), leg-bye(s), wide(s) or no-ball(s) – which are credited to the batsman’s team but not his individual score (no-balls are only counted as extras if not hit by the batsman) |
| four |
a ball that reaches the boundary after bouncing and scores four runs |
| golden duck |
a duck achieved on the first ball of a batsman’s innings |
| half century |
an individual score of 50 runs or more by a batsman |
| king pair |
out without scoring to the first ball in both innings of a two-innings match |
| leg bye(s) |
run(s) which are credited to the batsman’s team when the ball hits the batsman’s legs, and not his bat |
| nelson |
a score of 111, sometimes considered to be unlucky (supposedly from the belief that Lord Nelson had one eye, one arm and one leg) |
| no-ball(s) |
run(s) which are credited to the batsman’s team as a result of a delivery bowled in such a way that it is disallowed by the rules – if the batsman hits the ball, any additional runs scored are credited to him |
| pair (of spectacles) |
out without scoring in both innings of a two-innings match |
| run(s) |
the basic score where a batsman hits the ball and both he and his partner successfully reach the ends opposite to where they started |
| single |
a hit for one run |
| ton |
an individual score of 100 runs or more by a batsman |
| six |
a ball that reaches the boundary without bouncing and scores six runs |
| wide(s) |
run(s) which are credited to the batsman’s team as a result of a delivery bowled in such a way that the ball it is judged by the umpire to be out of reach of the batsman |
