Cricket

Acronyms

Arm Ball: A ball bowled by a slow bowler which has no spin on it and so does not

turn as expected but which stays on a straight line ("goes on with the arm")

Asking rate: The runs required per over for a team to win - mostly relevant in a

one-dayer

All-rounder: A cricket all-rounder is a player who bats and bowls well.

Appeal: An appeal in cricket is the bowling and fielding team's act of asking the

umpire to give a batter out.

Average (batting): The batting average in cricket is the average number of runs a

batter scores per innings.

Bails- One of the wooden crosspieces that sits on top of adjacent pairs of stumps

to form a wicket

Bowled: 'Bowled', one of the ten ways of getting out in cricket, is when the

bowler hits the batter's stumps and dislodges a bail.

Bowler: Bowler is a player who is skilled at bowling and whose main objective is

to take wickets.

Bye: A bye (or byes) in cricket are any runs scored off a ball that does not touch

the bat or any part of the batter.

Caught: 'Caught', one of the ten ways of getting out in cricket, is when a batter's

shot is caught cleanly by a fielder before it touches the ground.

Bowling: Bowling in cricket is the act of propelling the ball towards the batter,

with the main aim of getting them out.

Beamer: A ball that does not bounce (usually accidently) and passes the batsman

at or about head height. If aimed straight at the batsman by a fast bowler, this is a

very dangerous delivery (and generally frowned on)

Bouncer: A short-pitched ball which passes the batsman at chest or head height

Boundary: The perimeter of a cricket field, or the act of the batsman scoring a

four or a six

Box: An abdominal protector worn by batsmen and wicketkeepers. It is also an

old term for a fielder in the gully region.

Bump Ball: A ball which is played off the bat almost instantly into the ground and

is caught by a fielder. Often this has the appearance of being a clean catch

Clean Bowled: When a batter is beaten by a ball and subsequently dismissed

through the stumps being broken.

Crease: One of the white lines marked on the pitch to denote different areas of

play; either the bowling crease, popping crease, or return crease.

Chest-on: used to describe a bowler who delivers the ball with his chest facing the

batsman, as opposed to being side on

Chinaman: A ball bowled by a left-arm slow bowler that turns into the right-hand

batsman, in effect a left-arm leg spinner.

Chucker: Another term for a bowler who throws the ball

Corridor of uncertainty: A term beloved by commentators which describes an

area just outside the batsman's off stump where he is unsure whether he has to

leave or play the ball

Century: A cricket century is a hundred runs by one player in a single innings.

Dead ball: A ball from which no runs can be scored or wickets taken.

Doosra: A Hindi/Urdu word which means "second" or "other", the doosra is the

off spinner's version of the googly, delivered out of the back of the hand and

turning away from the right-hand batsman

Drifter/ Floater: A delivery bowled by an off spinner which curves away from a

right-hander, and then carries straight on instead of turning

Death overs: The death overs are the last five to ten overs of a team's innings in a

limited over cricket match.

Duck: A score of 0

Duckworth Lewis: Named after Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, two

mathematicians who devised a system to help decide one-day cricket matches

when rain interrupts play.

Dot Balls: A dot ball in cricket is a delivery from which no runs are scored, and a

very important aspect of bowling.

Economy rate: The average number of runs a bowler concedes per over

Extras Runs: not scored by batsmen. There are four common extras - byes, leg

byes, wides and no-balls. In Australia these are known as sundries

Flipper: A variation for the leg spinner that appears to be pitching short but the

ball skids on quickly and often results in bowled or lbw. It is a delivery that is used

sparingly

Full toss: A ball that reaches the batsmen without bouncing. Above waist height it

becomes a beamer

Fast Bowling: Bowling technique that relies primarily on delivering the ball at high

speed.

Five-for: also known as a five-wicket bag, is five wickets taken by one bowler in a

single innings.

Four: a four is the scoring of four runs with a shot that bounces before touching

or crossing the boundary of the field.

Free hit: in cricket is a kind of wild card for batters to hit out without fear of being

caught or bowled out.

Good length: The ideal length that the bowler aims for, getting the batsman in

two minds as whether to play forwards or back

Googly: The leg spinner's variation that turns into the right-hander and away from

the left-hander

Golden duck: A golden duck is the dismissal of a batter in a cricket match for zero

runs off their first ball.

Half volley: A ball that is the perfect length for driving, fuller than a good length

but not a full-toss

Handled the ball: If the batsmen deliberately touches the ball with his hands he

can be given out.

Hit the ball twice: If a batsmen deliberately strikes the ball twice to gain runs he

can be given out. However, the batsman can knock the ball away from his stumps

with the bat

Hit Wicket: To strike and subsequently break the stumps with the bat resulting in

the batter’s dismissal.

Hat-trick: is three wickets in three consecutive balls bowled by a single bowler.

Inside out: turning the batsman - A batsman aims to leg but the ball goes past the

off and he is forced to play the ball open-chested

Innings: The period of time spent batting by a team or individual.

Laws of Cricket: The Laws of Cricket are the official rules of the sport established

by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and updated by the International Cricket

Council (ICC).

Leg Before Wicket: If the ball hits the batsman without first hitting the bat, but

would have hit the wicket if the batsman was not there, and the ball does not

pitch on the leg side of the wicket the batsman will be out. However, if the ball

strikes the batsman outside the line of the off-stump, and the batsman was

attempting to play a stroke, he is not out.

Leading edge: When the batsman mis-hits the ball and edges it forward in the

opposite direction to which he was attempting to play

Leg-bye: When the ball deflects off the pad and the batsmen run. A shot must be

offered to the ball. Leg-byes do not count against the bowler

Leg-break/spin: When the ball pitches and turns from leg to off for a right-hander

Leg-cutter: A ball which cuts and moves away from the batsman towards the

offside (if he is a righthander)

Leg-side: The area of the pitch behind the batsman's legs

Length: Where the ball pitches down the wicket. Lengths can be generally short,

full or good

Line: The line of attack the bowler employs when he is bowling

Maiden: An over where no runs that are attributable to the bowler are scored

(byes or leg-byes may be scored in this over, though, as these don't count against

the bowler)

Match referee: match referee in international cricket matches oversees a match

from off the field and upholds the ICC Cricket Code of Conduct and Laws of

Cricket.

Net Run Rate: A system for separating sides who finish on level points in multi-

team tournaments. Click here for more details.

New ball: Can usually be taken every 80 overs. The advantage is to quick bowlers

who have a shiny and bouncy ball, but conversely it can result in an increase in

scoring rate as the ball comes off the bat faster

Nick: A faint edge off the bat

No-ball: An illegitimate delivery, usually when the bowler has overstepped on the

front crease

Non Striker: A term used to describe the batter waiting at the bowler’s end.

Not Out: A not out batter in a cricket innings has started batting but has not yet

been dismissed or retired.

Off-break/spin: A ball turning into the right hander- from off to leg (from left to

right)

Off-cutter: An offbreak delivered at speed

Off the mark: When the batsman scores his first run

Off-side: The side of the pitch which is to batsman's right (if right-handed), or left

(if left-handed)

On-side: The same as the leg-side

ODI: A one day international (ODI) is a 50-over-per-side cricket match between

two national teams, completed in a single day's play.

Out: There are ten possible ways of being out: bowled, caught, hit wicket, lbw,

stumped, timed out, handled the ball, obstruction, hit the ball twice, and run

out. To be out "retired out" is gaining in currency and popularity and counts as a

dismissal, unlike "retired hurt"

Outside edge: When the ball hits the edge of the bat which is furthest away from

his body

Outswing: When the ball swings away from the batsman and towards the slips

Over: Six fair deliveries completes one of these.

Opener: An opener in cricket is one of two batters who start, or 'open', a team's

innings.

Paddle: A sweep shot

Pair: A pair in cricket is the dismissal of a batter for a duck (zero runs) in both

innings of a match.

Pinch-hitters: Lower-order batsmen promoted in the line-up to try and hit up a

few quick runs. Used mostly when a team is chasing a huge total in a one-dayer -

the thinking being that a few quick runs will reduce the asking rate; and if the

pinch-hitter gets out, the specialist batsmen are still around

Pitch: The bounce of the ball - "it pitches on a good length". Also, the cut strip in

the centre of the field of play

Play on: When a batsman hits the ball but it goes on to hit the stumps and he is

bowled

Plumb: When the batsman is clearly LBW, even at full speed, he is said to be

plumb in front.

Powerplay: This was introduced by the ICC in 2005 to try to spruce up the middle

overs of one-day internationals by enforcing the bowling side to take three blocks

of overs in which they have to have extra fielders within the 30-yard circle. The

first Powerplay is mandatory through the first ten overs of the innings, the second

and third ones, of five overs each, can be taken at any other time. In rain-reduced

matches the duration of the second and third Powerplays is reduced in proportion

to the overall reduction.

Pull: A back-foot leg-side shot, distinct from the hook because the pull is played to

a ball that hasn't risen as high.

Reverse Sweep: The epitome of the type of shot you will not find in the MCC

coaching manual. This stroke is played by dropping to one knee and reversing

one's hands, so that you can swing the ball from leg to off, rather than the more

natural off to leg.

Reverse Swing: When the ball is 50 overs old and the pitch is as flat as a pancake,

this phenomenon is often a bowling side's saving grace. First mastered by the

Pakistani quicks of the 1980s and 1990s, it involves sideways movement of the

ball through the air that is contrary to your average everyday laws of physics. If it

sounds like rocket science, that is because it is

Rough: The area of a pitch that is scuffed up and loosened by the action of a

bowler running through in his follow-through. Usually, this will be situated a foot

or so outside leg stump, and consequently it becomes a tasty target for spin

bowlers, who can exploit the extra turn to make life a misery for the batsmen

Run-chase: Generally the fourth innings of a first-class or Test match, and the

latter stages of a one-day game, when the match situation has been reduced to a

set figure for victory, in a set time or maximum number of overs

Run-rate: Of particular importance in a one-day game, this is the average number

of runs scored per over, and is used as a guide to a team's progress

Run-up: The preparatory strides taken by a bowler as they steady themselves for

delivery. Also the area in which they perform said action

Runner: A player who is called upon by a batsman who might otherwise need to

retire hurt. He is required to wear the same padding and stands at square leg or

the non-striker's end to perform the duty of running between the wickets. Often

the cause of endless confusion and inevitable run-outs

Run: The method of scoring during a game of cricket. Also a single unit of score.

Run out: A way of being out in cricket. If either batsman is attempting to take a

run, or to return to his crease after an aborted run, and a fielder breaks that

batsman's wicket with the ball while he is out of the crease.

Striker: The name given to the batter who is facing the bowler. The batter is said

to be "on strike".

Stumps: Wooden uprights of which there are three on which the bails are

balanced to form the wicket.

Sitter: The easiest, most innocuous and undroppable catch that a fielder can ever

receive. To drop one of these is to invite a whole world of pain from the crowd

and constant embarrassment from the giant replay screen (see dolly).

Six: Scoring of six runs with a shot that does not bounce before touching or

crossing the boundary of the field.

Strike rate: A bowler's strike rate in cricket is the average number of balls they

bowl per wicket.

Super Over: A super over is a one-over-per-side contest to decide the winner of a

tie in a Twenty20 cricket match.

Sledging: Not the act of travelling downhill at speed on a toboggan, but the act of

verbally abusing or unsettling a batsman, in an attempt to make him lose

concentration and give his wicket away. Often offensive, occasionally amusing,

always a topic of conversation

Slog: Used to describe a shot which is not in the coaching book

Slogger: Exponent of the slog

Slog-sweep: A heave to the leg side, played like the sweep, but a lofted shot

Strike rate The number of runs a batsman scores per 100 balls; the number of

deliveries a bowler needs to take his wickets

Swing: A ball that curves through the air, as opposed to off the seam. See also,

reverse swing

Tailender: Players who come in towards the end of an innings, generally Nos. 8, 9,

10 and 11, who are not noted for their batting prowess (although ideally they can

bowl a bit by way of compensation)

Ton: A century (100 runs by a single batsman in one innings)

Twelfth man: A substitute fielder (and drinks waiter) for the chosen eleven. If

called upon to play, he is permitted to field wherever he is needed, but can

neither bat nor bowl

TEST: A Test match in cricket is a five-day match between two top-level national

representative cricket teams, during which each team bats two innings. A cricket

match of International standard scheduled to last for 5 days.

Tail: Cricket batting order is the last three or four players listed, usually the

weakest batters in the team.

Tie: A tie is a rare result in cricket where both teams have scored exactly the same

number of runs when the team batting last completes its innings.

Toss: The toss is the flipping of a coin to decide which team will bat first.

Twenty20: Twenty20 is a short form of cricket in which each team bats for 20

overs.

Umpire: A cricket umpire is an impartial authority responsible for making

judgements on the field in accordance with the Laws of Cricket.

Wide: A delivery that pitches too far away from the batsman and so proves

impossible to score off. The umpire will single this by stretching his arms out

horizontally, an extra will be added to the total and the ball will be bowled again

Wrist spin: The version of spin bowling in which the revolutions on the ball are

imparted via a flick of the wrist, rather than a tweak of the fingers. As a general

rule, a right-arm wrist spinner's action turns the ball from leg to off (leg spin)

while a left-armer turns it from off to leg

Wrong 'un: Australian term for a googly - a leg spinner's delivery that turns in the

opposite direction, ie from off to leg

Wicket (dismissal): The first definition of 'wicket' in cricket is the dismissal of a

batter, who is said to have 'lost their wicket'.

Wicket (stumps): The second definition of 'wicket' in cricket is the set of three

stumps and two bails defended by the batter at each end of the 22-yard pitch.

Wicket (pitch): The cricket pitch, or the 22-yard area in which the ball is bowled,

can also be referred to as the wicket.

Wicket Maiden: An over in which the bowler has taken a wicket without a batter

scoring runs.

Wicket Keeper: Player who wears fielding gloves and stands behind the batter’s

wicket ready to catch the ball if the batter misses it.

Win: In Test and first-class cricket, a team achieves a win when it scores more

runs than the opposition and dismisses its opponents twice. In ODI and Twenty20

cricket, a win is achieved by scoring more runs than the opposition.

Yorker: A full-pitched delivery that is aimed at the batsman's toes and/or the base

of the stumps. If the ball is swinging, these can be the most lethal delivery in the

game