Glossary of Cricket Terms
by Ryan Bubear and Liam O'Hagan, Fox Soccer Channel
A
All-out: When the fielding team has dismissed 10 batsmen, the batting team is all out and their innings is over. The eleventh batsman is not out.
All-rounder: A player who can contribute as a batsman and bowler or batsman and wicketkeeper. These are especially important in limited-overs cricket.
Appeal: When the bowling team asks the umpire if the batsman is out, often using the phrase 'Howzat?', abbreviated from 'How is that?' PHOTO
B
Batsman: In baseball the term is "batter."
Batting Crease: A white line running across the pitch four feet in front of the stumps and parallel to the line running through the three stumps at the striking-batsman's end of the pitch. To avoid being stumped or run out part of the batsman's body or bat must be grounded behind the crease before the bails are removed from the adjacent stumps. The batting crease at the bowler's end is called the popping crease.
Beamer: A dangerous full-toss in the direction of the batsman's head.
Block: A defensive shot with a 'dead' vertical bat back down the wicket designed to defend the batman's stumps. PHOTO
Bouncer: An aggressive ball bowled short into the pitch designed to bounce up towards the batsman's head. Although bouncers are a legitimate, there are restrictions on the frequency bowlers can bowl them. In one-day cricket, bowlers are now allowed one bouncer per over. However, a ball that bounces above the batsman's head can be judged a wide by the umpire. PHOTO
Boundary (1): This is the perimeter of the field. A batsman who 'rattles the pickets' has hit a boundary. The traditional picket fence has been replaced by advertising hoardings or a rope.
Boundary (2): When the batman hits the ball to or over the boundary. 'He hit ten boundaries in his innings.'
Bowled: If the bowled ball hits the one of the stumps (wickets) and dislodges at least one of the two bails placed across the top of the stumps, the batsman is bowled out. This is usually because he missed the ball, but can be because he deflected the ball onto his stumps. This is represented on the scoreboard as "Batsman's name b. Bowler's name, Batsman's Score." PHOTO
Bowler: The equivalent to a pitcher in baseball. Each team has a number of specialist bowlers. One bowler balls an over from one end of the ground, a second bowler has an over from the other end, then the first has another over from his end, and so on. The captain decides what end a bowler will bowl from and for how many overs. In One-day cricket each bolwer may bowl a maximum of ten of the 50 overs.
Bump ball: A shot hit straight into the ground that bounces up and appears to be catchable from a distance.
Byes: When the ball passes the batsman without making contact with his person or equipment and a run is taken, it is known as a bye. The wicketkeeper is usually responsible for the error. PHOTO
C
Caught: A batsman is out caught if the ball is caught off the batsman's bat or gloves by the bowler (caught and bowled), a fielder or the wicketkeeper (caught behind) before it touches the ground. This is represented on the scoreboard as "Batsman's name c. Fielder's name b.Bowler's name, Batsman's Score" or if caught and bowled by the bowler "Batsman's name c. & b. Bowler's name, Batsman's Score." PHOTOCentury/Ton: When a batsman scores 100 runs.
Chinaman: A left-handed wrist-spinner's version of the googly.
Circle: An elliptical line painted 30 yards from the pitch that defines the infield and outfield in limited-overs cricket.
Cover: A fielding position at a 45-degree angle from the line between batsman and bowler on the off-side. The next fielder in an arc from mid on. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Cut: A shot with a horizontal bat square or behind square on the off-side. PHOTO
D
Declaration: When the captain of a team decides to end their innings before they are all out, it is known as a declaration, e.g. Australia scored 446 for eight declared. Teams often declare in order to make a result more likely.Deep:Used to indicate a fielding position pushed back toward the boundary.
Deep mid-wicket: A fielding position at a 45-degree angle from the line between batsman and bowler on the leg-side on the boundary. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Deep Square leg: A field position square of the batsman on the leg-side on the boundary. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Dismissal: Term for ending a batman's innings when he is 'out' in one of the six common ways (bowled, caught, lbw, run-out, stumped, hit wicket) or in one of the three less common ways (hit wicket, hit the ball twice, obstructing the field, timed out). PHOTOS
Doorsa: A relatively new delivery, a doorsa is an off-spinner's delivery that appears to be a regular off-break but instead turns from leg to off. A doorsa is similar in principle to a leg-spinner's googly.
Dot ball: A delivery that is not scored off. The scorer marks a small dot on the score-sheet to indicate that a dot ball has been bowled.
Drive: A shot with a vertical bat back down the wicket (straight drive) or forward of the square on the batman's off-side (cover-drive) or leg-side (on-drive). PHOTO
Duck: A batsman who is dismissed without scoring a run gets a duck. If a batsman is out on the first ball it's called a 'golden duck'.
Duckworth-Lewis method: A mathematically based rule that derives a target score for the side batting second in a rain-affected one-day match. For the 2007 Cricket World Cup, each side must have batted a minimum of 20 overs for this to apply.
E
Economy rate: An average of how many runs a bowler concedes per over bowled. The lower this figure is, the better for the bowler. This is especially important in one-day cricket.Edge: An uncontrolled shot, when the ball nicks off the bat and goes behind the wicket. PHOTO
Extras: Runs that are credited to a team score, but not to a batsman. They are usually bowling or fielding errors.
F
Fine-leg: A defensive fielding position on the boundary behind square on the leg-side. DIAGRAM: Cricket FieldFlipper: A spinner's delivery, perfected by Australian Shane Warne, which is pushed out of the front of the hand and rushes onto the batsman, with the intention of beating him for pace before he realizes what has happened.
Follow-on: In Test cricket, if the team batting second is all out and trailing the total of the team that batted first by more than 200 runs, they can be asked to follow-on or bat again.
Four: When a batsman hits the ball over the boundary on the bounce or on the ground, it is automatically four runs. PHOTO
Full-toss: A delivery that reaches the batsman without first pitching on the ground.
G
Golden Duck: A batsman who is dismissed without scoring a run gets a duck. If a batsman is out on the first ball it's called a 'golden duck'.Good length: A ball that bounces in front of the batsman leaving him little time to determine how it will move off the pitch.
Good line: A ball that pitches in line with or just outside the batsman's off-stump, forcing him to play at it.
Googly/Wrong 'un: A spinner's delivery that appears to be a leg-break but instead turns from off to leg to a right-handed batsman. The googly is said to be delivered 'out the back of the hand'.
Gully: A catching field position that is just behind the wicket, designed to collect a thick edge. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
H
Half-century: When a batsman scores 50 runs.Half-volley: A delivery that pitches about a yard in front of the batsman and is relatively easy to hit to the boundary.
Hat-trick: When a bowler takes wickets with three consecutive balls.
Hook/Pull: A shot off the back-foot with a horizontal bat square or behind square on the leg-side. PHOTO
I
In: A term for a team or individual's turn with the bat. As in the phrases "Australia won the toss and sent England in to bat" and "The batsman played himself in"
Innings: A term for a team or individual's turn with the bat. An innings usually lasts until the batsman is dismissed.
In the Field: The team that is not batting. DIAGRAM
J
Jaffa: An unplayable delivery that would dismiss almost any batsman.L
Late cut: A controlled shot, when the ball is sliced off the bat and goes fine behind the wicket on the off-side.Leg Before Wicket (lbw): If a batsman misses the bowled ball and it hits part of his body, usually his legs, the fielding team will often appeal for dismissal by lbw. This is one of the more contentious ways of getting out as the fate of the batsman depends on whether the umpire thinks the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps had the batsman not got in the way. Also, if in the opinion of the umpire the ball pitches outside the line of leg-stump, the batsman cannot be given out lbw. This is represented on the scoreboard as "Batsman's name lbw. Bowler's name, Batsman's Score." PHOTO
Leg-break: A spinner's delivery that turns from leg to off to a right-handed batsman. Spin is imparted on the ball with a flick of the wrist.
Leg-byes: When the ball hits the batsman's body or equipment, excluding the bat or gloves, and a run results, it is known as a leg-bye. PHOTO
Leg-cutter: A delivery that 'cuts' off the pitch from leg to off in much the same manner as a spinner's leg-break, only at a faster pace.
Leg-glance: A shot with a horizontal bat behind square on the leg-side. PHOTO
Leg-side or on-side: If the field was to be halved by drawing an imaginary line through the wickets on either end of the pitch, the leg-side would be the half on which the batsman's leg are placed. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Long-off: A fielding position similar to mid-on but closer to the boundary. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Long-on: A fielding position similar to mid-on, but closer to the boundary. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Lower-order: The last batsmen in the order. These are usually players in the team for their bowling prowess and are not expected to contribute much scoring. Also known as 'tail-enders'.
M
Maiden over: This occurs when the batsmen do not score a run off the bat during an over. This is something bowlers aim for.Middle-order: Batsmen who bat at positions 5-8 in the team's batting order. They include all-rounders and the last of the recognized batsmen.
Mid-off: A fielding position next to the bowler on the batsman's off-side. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Mid-on: A fielding position next to the bowler on the leg-side. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Mid-wicket: A fielding position at a 45-degree angle from the line between batsman and bowler on the leg-side. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
N
New ball: The ball wears down during the course of an innings, losing shine and hardness. After 90 overs in Test cricket, the fielding team can take a new ball, which generally favors the bowlers.Nelson: This occurs when the score is made up of the same three consecutive numbers, e.g. 111 or 222. Many superstitious players feel that this score is unlucky and that wickets often fall with the score on Nelson.
Nervous Nineties: The term to describe the play of some batsmen as they approach the milestone of 100 individual runs and the pressure starts to show in their stroke making.
Net Run Rate: Is a tiebreaking statistic in multi-team One-day tournaments, equivalent to Goal Difference in soccer. It is the Team's run-scoring rate (average runs/over) less it's run-conceding rate (average runs conceded per over bowled). Note: If a team is dismissed before its alotted number of overs the scoring run rate is usually calculated based on the number of overs allotted and not those actually batted.
Night watchman: A lower-order batsman asked to bat a limited time before stumps to protect higher-order batsman from possible dismissals.
No-ball: When the bowler steps over the crease at his end of the pitch while delivering the ball, the umpire will declare a no-ball, resulting in an extra run to the batting team and an additional ball in the over. A no-ball can also be called if the ball reaches the batsman on the full above waist-height. The batsman can only be run-out off a no-ball. PHOTO
Not out: When a batsman is not dismissed at the end of his team's innings. This is represented on the scoreboard as "Batsman's name n.o., Batsman's Score."
O
Off-break: A spinner's delivery that turns from off to leg to a right-handed batsman. Spin is imparted by cutting the fingers down one side of the ball.Off-cutter: A delivery that 'cuts' off the pitch from off to leg in much the same manner as a spinner's off-break, only at a faster pace.
Off-side: This is the other half of the field, on the open side of the batsman in his stance. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
One-day international (limited-overs cricket): The more commercial version of the game, where each team has 50 overs in which to score has many runs as possible. This form was originally called ‘Pajama Cricket' because the players wore colored uniforms instead of the traditional white. They use a white ball.
Openers: The pair of specialist batsmen who open the innings.
Out: The determine used to describe a batsman's dismissal.
Over-throws: A fielding error that results in runs being credited to a batsman, usually when the fielding team attempts a run-out, but throws the ball beyond the wickets, allowing the batsman to take an extra run or more.
P
Partnership: Batsmen bat in pairs, called a partnership, so there are always two batsmen 'in'. They stand at opposite ends of the pitch. One is on strike and the other is the non-striker. They rotate the strike by scoring runs or at the end of each over. When one batsman is out his partner starts a new partnership with the batsman who replaced him.Pitch/Wicket: Terms for the 22-yard grass strip the bowler engages the batsmen on. The wicket is hard and usually mown to appear grassless, although groundsmen tend to prepare wickets that will favor the local bowlers. The term Wicket had other meanings in cricket. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Plumb: A batsman is 'plumb' leg before wicket (lbw) when there is absolutely no doubt about the decision.
Power play: A a recent innovation in one-day cricket. There are two five-over power plays in fifty-over game, when the fielding teams is allowed no-more than two players outside the 30-yard circle. The timing of these are at the discretion of the fielding captain, but they are taken some time after the first 10 overs which are subject to even tighter fielding restrictions.
Point: A field position square to the batsman on the off-side. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Popping Crease: A white line running across the pitch four feet in front of the stumps and parallel to the line running through the three stumps at the bowler's end. To avoid a no ball part of the bowlers front foot must be behind this line when he bowls. It is also used to judge run outs at the bowler's end, and gets its name from the time batsmen had to 'pop' their bats in a small hole on the crease to complete a run. The popping crease at the batsman's end is called the Batting Crease.
Pull/Hook: A shot off the back-foot with a horizontal bat square or behind square on the leg-side. PHOTO
R
Retired Hurt: When a batsman is replaced by a teammate because he is injured in the play. He can return later in the innings and bat again if required.Run: When the ball his hit between fielders but not over the boundary, the batsmen can run between the wickets at either end of the pitch to complete a run. After completing a single run, the batsman who started at the bowler's end will be on strike and face the next ball, and the batsman who hit the run will be at the non-striker's (bowler's) end of the pitch. After completing two runs the batsman who hit the ball will remain on strike.
Run out: Just in front of the stumps at either end of the pitch is a line called the popping crease. If a batsman attempting to take a run doesn't have part of his bat or body on the ground inside the crease before the fielding team has removed the bails on the adjacent stumps with the ball, the batsman will be run out. This is represented on the scoreboard as "Batsman's name r.o. Fielder's name, Batsman's Score." PHOTO
Run Rate: The average number of runs a team scores per over. A run rate of five or above is desired in One-day cricket.
S
Score (1): An individual's score is expressed as the number of runs he has scores.
Score (2): The team score is expressed as Team Runs for wickets lost. "275/8" means a team has scored 275 runs but lost eight wickets. Variations include: "275 all out" (instead of 275/10) and "275/6 declared" which means the team declared its innings closed having scored 275 runs and lost 6 wickets.
Score (3): The final score of the match is determinedby comparing the team scores. If Australia scored 300/6 and England scored 225 all out, then Australia beat England by 275 runs, but if If Australia scored 300/6 and England scored 301/8, then England beat Australia by two (10-8) wickets.
Short:Used to indicate a fielding position closer to the wicket, usually a catching position.
Short ball: A ball that bounces too far in front of the batsman giving him time to see how it will move off the pitch and play an attacking stroke.
Short leg: A fielding positon close to the batsman on the leg-side. Again, this fielder often wears a helmet.
Silly:Used to indicate a catching fielding position that is very close to the wicket and puts the fielder at risk of being hit by the batsman.
Silly mid-off: A catching position close to the batman's on the off-side, designed to catch balls that the batman can't control. This player usually wears a helmet as he is in the line of fire. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Silly mid-on: A catching position close to the batman on the leg side, designed to catch balls that the batman's can't control. Once again, this player usually wears a helmet. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Single: One run. Taking quick singles is important to keep the score accumulating and the fielders under pressure.
Six: When a batsman hits the ball over the boundary on the full, it is automatically six runs. PHOTO
Slip: A catching field position behind the wicket on the off-side designed to catch edges. Slips are numbered by their proximity to the wicketkeeper. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Square: Used to indicate a field position that is perpendicular to the wicket, or to describe a shot that is played into that region.
Square leg: A field position square of the batsman on the leg-side, next to the umpire. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Strike Rate: i) batting: An average of how many runs a batsman scores per 100 balls faced. The higher this figure is, the faster a batsman scores his runs. ii) Bowling: The average number of balls bowled per wicket claimed.
Stumps (1): Three wooden poles at either end of the pitch the batsman tries to defend from the fielding team. They are the off-stump, middle-stump and leg-stump respectively.
Stumps (2): The end of each day's play in a test match, as in the expression "England was 25 for 2 at stumps."
Stumped: If the batsman moves outside of his crease as the ball is delivered and misses the ball, allowing the wicketkeeper to catch the ball and remove the bails before the batsman has returned to his ground, he is stumped. Usually only possible with a slow bowler when the wicketkeeper can stand at the stumps. This is represented on the scoreboard as "Batsman's name st. Bowler's name, Batsman's Score." PHOTO
Sweep: A shot off the front-foot with a horizontal bat square or behind square on the leg-side. The batsman lowers his horizontal bat close to the ground and often goes down on one knee. PHOTO
T
Test Match: The traditional five-day version of the game, in which each team has two innings, players dress in white and use a red ball.12th man: There are 11 players on a cricket team. The 12th man is a substitute fielder; he cannot bat or bowl.
Third-man: A defensive field position on the boundary behind the gully and slips, designed to field any balls that elude the forward positions. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Ton/Century: When a batsman scores 100 runs.
Top-order: Specialist batsmen who either open the innings or come in when the first couple of wickets fall.
Top-spinner: A delivery bowled by a leg-spinner that goes straight on, picking up speed after it pitches.
Twenty-20 cricket: A contracted version of one-day cricket where each team bats for 20 overs. Games last about three hours, which considered TV-friendly.
U
Umpires: There are two umpires on the field: One stands behind the wickets at the bowler's end of the stumps and adjudicates lbw, caught behind, wide and no-ball decisions, as well as run-outs at the bowler's end. The square-leg umpire stands perpendicular to the wickets at the batman's end and adjudicates stumpings, run-outs at the batman's end and some cases of no-balls, if height is a factor.W
Wickets/Stumps: Three wooden poles at either end of the pitch the batsman tries to defend from the fielding team. They are the off-stump, middle-stump and leg-stump respectively.Wicket (2): Wicket or pitch is also a term for the 22-yard grass strip the bowler engages the batsmen on. The wicket is hard and usually mown to appear grassless, although groundsmen tend to prepare wickets that will favor the local bowlers. DIAGRAM: Cricket Field
Wicket (3): Also used to describe the number of batmen dismissed in an innings. 'A bowler took five wickets', 'wickets fell regularly' and 'a batsman didn't give up his wicket easily' are all common phrases in cricket.
Wicketkeeper: A specialist position behind the batsman to collect balls that a batman misses or gets a fine edge to. Wicketkeepers wear pads and gloves.
Wide: When the umpire judges the bowler has bowled the ball out of reach of the batsman he can call it a wide, resulting in an extra run to the batting team and an additional ball in the over. PHOTO
Wrong 'un/Googly: A spinner's delivery that appears to be a leg-break but instead turns from off to leg to a right-handed batsman. The googly is said to be delivered 'out the back of the hand'.
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