Meanings of the most popular terms used in cricket matches

This web page contains a glossary of the terms used in a typical game of cricket:

Blob: A score of 0 or a batsman out on a duck.
Bunny Also known as Rabbit: A player of the team who is unable to bat and is chosen as a specialist bowler or wicketkeeper, and who nearly usually bats at No. 11. It may also refer to a player who frequently gets out to one bowler. Atherton was McGrath's rabbit.
Chinaman: A ball delivered by a left-arm slow bowler that twists into the batsman's right hand, effectively a left-arm legspinner. Puss Achong inspired the name.
Closing the face: Turning the bat's face inwards and striking the ball to the leg side as a result.
Cricket Max: Martin Crowe pioneered a shorter version of the game with unorthodox score systems in New Zealand in the late 1990s.
Hawk-Eye: Hawk-Eye, a tracking system that aids in explaining the complexities of the sport, can be useful in determining LBWs. It is now used mostly for arm-chair umpiring, although it may one day be employed in an official capacity.
Heavy ball: When a delivery is faster than it appears and strikes the bat harder or higher than expected.
In-ducker: A late inswinging delivery that advances into the batsman. Wasim Akram created lethal variations of the earlier ball.
King pair: If you get one of these, it's hardly worth showing up... out first ball for zero in both innings.
Lollipop: A 'gift' of a ball that is extremely easy to hit.
MCC - The Marylebone Cricket Club is located in St Johns Wood, London, and is the spiritual home of cricket at Lord's. The MCC, which was created in 1787, was the authoritarian arbitrator in cricket affairs throughout the majority of the game's formal existence. No legislation could be modified without the permission of the legislature. And, while global administration of the game has shifted to the International Cricket Council and the England and Wales Cricket Board in the United Kingdom, the MCC is still considered as the ultimate guardian of the game's laws, a sort of cricket Privy Council. For many years, English touring teams were known formally as the MCC, but as the 'great' has faded from Britain and her colonies, so has the MCC's influence. The initials of the Melbourne Cricket Club in Victoria are also used.
Middle: To strike the ball from the meat of the bat, or "to middle it," is to make a strong connection. The centre of the field is also where the majority of the action takes place.
Minefield: A challenging hitting surface. Because the surface is in such bad shape, it's nearly difficult to play "great" strokes because the ball pops up everywhere.
Obstruction - When a hitter blocks or distracts a fielder on purpose in order to prevent a catch or a run-out.
On the up: Contacting the ball before it reaches the peak of the bounce - hitting it on the rise. Viv Richards was a well-known proponent.
Pudding: A sluggish, stodgy pitch that will be tough to score on fast.
Return Crease: Both sides of the stumps have parallel white lines pointing down the pitch. If a bowler's rear foot does not land within this region, a no-ball is called.
Rip: Big turn for a spin bowler, particularly a legspinner, who may use the entire wrist movement to impart maximum revolutions on the ball. Late Shane Warne bowled a lot of rippers.
Rock: Another term used for the cricket ball.
Rope: Used to delineate the field's boundaries. A boundary will be signalled if the ball crosses or touches the rope.
Run-up: A bowler's preparation strides as they brace themselves for delivery. Also, the location where they conduct the action.
Sandshoe crusher: Yorker is a colloquial word for a full-pitched ball that is targeted for the batsman's toes and generally smashes them.
Shirtfront: A flat, lifeless, soul-destroying pitch that is adored by batters all around the world and despised by bowlers of all types. The Antigua Recreation Ground is an excellent example.
Sundries: Australian term for extra runs.
Tailender: Players that come in near the end of an inning, usually Nos. 8, 9, 10, and 11, and are not known for their hitting ability (although ideally they can bowl a bit by way of compensation).
Teapot (or double-teapot): A popular gesture among fast bowlers, particularly the grumpier types like Glenn McGrath and Angus Fraser. Both hands on the hips at the same moment, commonly in response to a dropped catch, edged boundary, or general misfield.
Ton: Another word for a century or 100 runs by a batsman in one innings.
Tonk: To deliver the ball a good wallop, termed after the sound a good hit produces onomatopoeically. Twat, biff, thwack, belt, spank, and leather are other terms for the same thing.
Two-paced: A wicket that is breaking apart, generally after three or four days of a Test match, resulting in some deliveries that jump off a length and others that slip through at shin-height.
Uncovered pitches: Pitches that were exposed to the weather for the duration of a match, developing a range of characteristics. The failures of a generation of English batters were ascribed to the 1970s decision to bring on the covers at the first sign of rain.
V - in the: The arc between mid-off and mid-on where straight-playing batsmen (according to the MCC Coaching Manual) tend to score the bulk of their runs. Modern aggressive players, like as Virender Sehwag, favour the V formation between the point and the third man.
Across the line: A shot in which the bat moves in the opposite direction of the ball's motion. When the batter is aiming square or behind square, this technique is used, although it necessitates good timing.
Agricultural shot: A scything slog across the line, played with little skill or footwork, especially one that destroys the pitch with the bat. It's possible that the ball will end up in cow corner.
Air: A spin bowler's delivery with a higher trajectory than normal, usually characterised as 'giving it some air.'
All out: An innings in which the batting side has run out of wickets, generally after 10 of the eleven batters have been removed.
All-rounder: A cricket player who can bat as well as bowl.
Amateur: A person who plays cricket non-professionally.
Anchor: A batsman who stays in for a long period, scoring at a modest rate while avoiding hazardous strokes and maintaining their wicket.
Appeal: A bowler or fielder who shouts 'howzat' (how's that?) to the umpire to remove the batter. 'Howzee' (How's he?) is one variation, as is just turning to the umpire and cheering.
Approach: The bowler's action before to bowling the ball; also known as the run-up.
Arm ball: A finger spinner bowls a variant that looks like their standard ball but does not spin.
Around the wicket (or round the wicket): A right-handed bowler passing to the right of the non-striker's stumps during run-up, and vice versa for the left side.
The Ashes: The trophy for the Test match series between England and Australia.
Asking rate: In a limited-overs game, the run rate at which the team batting second must score to catch the opponents' score.
Attacking field: A fielding configuration in which more fielders are closer to the pitch in order to catch more balls more easily, at the risk of allowing more runs to score.
Attacking shot: A batsman's aggressive or powerful hit intended to score runs.
Back foot: When batting, the foot closest to the stumps is used. The back foot of a right-handed batsman is the right foot, while the back foot of a left-handed batsman is the left foot. The back foot, which contacts the ground before the front foot, is the second contact before the ball is released in bowling.
Back foot contact: When the back foot lands on the ground just before the ball is released in a bowling action.
Back foot shot: A shot in which the batsman stands on his back foot.
Back spin: A backward-spin delivery in which the ball slows down or bounces lower after being pitched and skids on to the batsman.
Backing up: Before the ball is released, the non-striking batsman leaves their crease during the bowler's action. A fielder positions themselves on the opposite side of the wicket from a teammate who is attempting a run out by throwing the ball at the stumps.
Backlift: Getting ready to hit the ball by lifting the bat.
Badger: A cricketer who is particularly enthusiastic about the game and has a strong passion for it.
Bad light: In a daytime match, "bad light" refers to the umpires removing players from the field because the ambient light has dimmed to the point where it is difficult to see the ball.
Baggy green: Since around 1900, Australian Test cricketers have been wearing a myrtle green cricket cap.
Bail: One of the two small pieces of wood that form the wicket by lying on top of the stumps.
Cricket Ball: The bowler propels a spherical object towards the batsman, who may attempt to hit it with the bat. Leather is stitched around a cork core to create this bag. In timed matches (or day/night cricket), a red ball is used, while in limited overs cricket, a white ball is used. There are six (legal) balls in each over.
Ball tampering: Changing the condition of the ball illegally, usually by a fielder in order to facilitate swing bowling.
Ball tracking: A computer system program that can precisely determine the ball's location, track its motion, and predict its future path.
Bang (It) In: To bowl a delivery with more speed and force on a shorter length.
Cricket Bat: The batsman's wooden bat with which he hits the ball. The rectangular-sectioned blade and cylindrical handle are usually constructed in two pieces and joined at the splice.
Bat-pad: A fielder on the leg side of the batsman who catches the ball if it hits the bat and pad (in any order) and rises to a catchable height.
Batsman: A member of the batting side, or a player who specialises in batting, or one of the two batting side members currently at the crease.
Batter: Batter is a gender-neutral term mandated to be used for both male batsman and female batswoman by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Batting: The act of defending one's wicket while also scoring runs.
Batting average: A batsman's average number of runs scored per innings is calculated by dividing his total runs scored by the number of times he was out.
Batting collapse: When a number of batsmen are dismissed in quick succession for a small number of runs.
Batting for a draw: Defensive batting in a timed match by a team with little chance of winning and instead aiming for a draw.
Batting order: The order in which batsmen bat, starting with the openers and progressing through the top order, middle order, and lower order.
Beach cricket: A beach-based version of the game popular in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and other cricket-playing Caribbean countries.
Beamer: A delivery that does not bounce and reaches the batsman above waist height.
Beat the bat: When a batsman, through luck rather than skill, narrowly avoids touching the ball with the edge of his bat.
Beehive: A diagram that shows where a number of balls have passed the batsman, usually from a specific bowler.
Beer match: A friendly match was invented to fill in time in club cricket when the scheduled game ended early, originally because licencing hours would have prevented the teams from retiring to the pub, but also for the love of the game. A unique format is frequently used, such as "reverse batting order," "every outfielder must bowl," or "bats retire at 25."
Belter: A belter of a pitch is one that gives the batsman an advantage.
Bend the back: To put in extra effort as a pace bowler in order to extract extra speed or bounce.
Benefit season: A series of fundraising events held shortly before a long-serving player retires, usually for those who have played for a single county cricket team for over a decade.
Best bowling: The bowling analysis of the innings with the most wickets taken. This can be used to compare different bowlers in a single match or to highlight an individual's best performance over a longer period of time, such as a season or their entire career.
Biffer: A biffer is a defending player opposite a blocker.
Bite: The amount of turn a spin bowler can produce on a pitch.
Block: A defensive shot, or the act of making one.
Blocker: A defensive or slow-scoring batsman, the inverse of a biffer.
Block hole: The space between the bat's bottom and the batsman's toes.
Bodyline (or fast leg theory): A historical strategy involving fast bowling aimed at the batsman's body and a swarm of close fielders on the leg side.
Boot Hill: Another name for short leg, the most dangerous fielding position.
Bottom hand: The batsman's hand that is closest to the blade of the bat. Shots with the bottom hand are frequently hit in the air.
Bouncer: A quick, short-pitched delivery that rises near the batsman's head.
Bounce out: To get a batsman out using bounce, usually by catching them out.
Boundary: The field's perimeter, or a rope demarcating that perimeter, or a shot that reaches (or passes over) the boundary rope.
Bowled: This happens when a delivery hits the stumps and knocks out the bails.
Bowled around the legs: Out or bowled by a delivery that misses the batsman on the leg side before striking the wicket.
Bowler: A bowler is a player who specialises in bowling.
Bowling: Delivering the cricket ball to the batsman.
Bowl-out: A method of breaking a tie that was used in some limited overs matches during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Bowling action or action: The sequence of movements that a bowler goes through during a delivery.
Bowling analysis or bowling figures: A graphical representation of a bowler's performance. There are two common formats: the number of overs�maidens�runs conceded�wickets, or the shorter number of wickets/runs, such as 12-2-46-3 or 3/46, pronounced 'three for forty-six'.
Bowling average: The number of runs a bowler has given up divided by the number of wickets they have taken.
Box: A protective item shaped like a half-shell and worn underneath a player's (particularly a batsman's) trousers to protect their genitalia from the hard cricket ball. Abdominal protectors are also known as Hector protectors, ball boxes, protectors, athletic cups, protective cups, or cups.
Brace: Two wickets taken in two consecutive deliveries.
Break: A suffix indicating that the ball changed direction after pitching as a result of the bowler's spin or cut.
Bump ball: A ball that is hit off the bat and immediately falls to the ground, where it is caught by a fielder.
Bumper: A traditional name for a bouncer.
Bunsen: A pitch that allows spin bowlers to turn the ball inexorably.
Bye: Extras that are scored in the same manner as regular runs when the ball makes no contact with any part of the batsman (bat, protective gear, body parts).
Cafeteria or Buffet bowling: Poor quality bowling that is easy to hit, allowing batsmen to help themselves to runs in a manner akin to a self-service cafeteria or buffet.
Call: A fielder's shouted announcement while the ball is in the air, usually "mine," indicating that they are about to attempt a catch; or a batsman's shouted, usually single-word instruction to their partner indicating whether or not to attempt a run.
Cameo: A short but high-scoring inning.
Cap: Traditionally worn by fielders, a soft material hat.
Captain or Skipper: The player who has been designated as the team's leader.
Carrom ball: A slow bowling delivery style in which the ball is released by flicking it between the thumb and a bent middle finger to impart spin.
Carry: If the ball is hit in the air and reaches a fielder without touching the ground, the shot has carried (regardless of whether the fielder then successfully takes a catch); or, if the batsman does not play a shot, the distance a delivery bounces through to the wicket keeper.
Carry the bat or carry their bat: An opener who bats through an entire inning and is still not out at the end.
Cartwheel: When a stump is hit by a delivery, it rips out of the ground and flips end-over-end before landing, similar to a gymnastic cartwheel.
Catch: Before the ball can touch the ground, a fielder gains complete control of it in one or both hands.
Caught: A dismissal technique in which one of the fielders, including the bowler, catches the ball before it hits the ground after the batsman hits it (with either the bat or a glove that is in contact with the bat).
Caught and bowled: When a player is dismissed as a result of a bowler's catch.
Caught behind: Caught by the wicket-keeper specifically.
Centurion: A player who has surpassed the century mark.
Century: A single batsman's score of 100 runs.
Chance: A chance to get a batter out by a fielder making a catch, running out, or stumping.
Charge: When a batsman uses their feet to advance out of their batting crease towards the bowler, attempting to hit the ball forcefully.
Check upstairs: When the umpires on the ground consult with the third umpire, who is located in an elevated viewing position, to assist them in making a decision or because one of the teams invoked the DRS.
Cherry: Another name for the ball in Australia. Alternatively, the red mark left by the ball on the bat can be used.
Chest on (also front on or square on): At the moment of back foot contact, a chest on bowler's chest and hips are aligned towards the batsman; or, If a batsman's hips and shoulders face the bowler, he is said to be chest on.
Chin music: Pace bowlers using a series of bouncers to intimidate a batsman.
Chop on: To be bowled as a result of a ball deflecting off the inside or bottom edge of a bat and onto the stumps while playing a shot.
Chuck: To bend the elbow of a bowler instead of bowling with a straight arm; also chucker: a bowler who chucks; Also, chucking is an illegal bowling action.
Circle: On the field, a painted circle (or ellipse) with a radius of 30 yards (27 metres).
Clean bowled: Bowled without first striking the bat or pad.
Club: One or more teams are formed from a group of cricketers; or to strike the ball with great force but without grace. A weaker variant of slog.
Club cricket: When skilled amateur cricketers play the game. It is also thought to be a higher level of competition than purely recreational village cricket.
Collapse: A term used to describe a significant batting team failure, especially when several batsmen are removed quickly without scoring many runs.
Come to the crease: A batsman walking onto the playing arena and arriving at the cricket pitch in the middle of the ground to begin batting is referred to as "walking onto the playing arena and arriving at the cricket pitch in the middle of the ground."
Competitive Women's Cricket: The official name for the female versions of First-class, List A, and Twenty20 cricket.
Compulsory close (cc): When a team's innings are closed and completed in a way that isn't all out or declaring.
Conventional Swing: To reinforce the swing effect, a swing bowler aligns the seam and sides of the ball.
Contrived circumstances: Bowling extremely poorly on purpose to encourage a quick declaration etc.
Cordon (or slips cordon): The slips cordon refers to all players who are fielding in the slips at any given time.
Corridor of uncertainty: A hypothetical narrow area on and just outside a batsman's off stump is known as the corridor of uncertainty.
County cricket: England and Wales' highest level of domestic cricket.
Cover or the covers: A fielding position on the off side that is closer to point than mid-off; the ground crew using a waterproof sheet or tarpaulin to protect parts of the field from rain (usually the pitch, square and run ups).
Cow corner: The region of the field between deep mid-wicket and wide long-on (roughly).
Cow shot: A hard shot across the line of a full-pitched ball, usually in the air, with little regard for proper accepted technique, with the goal of hitting the ball over the boundary at cow corner.
Cricket: Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport played by two teams of eleven players on a field with a 22-yard (20-metre) pitch in the centre and a wicket at either end, each with two bails balanced on three stumps.
Cricket Crease: The popping crease is one of several lines on the pitch near the stumps (the "popping crease," the "return crease," and the "bowling crease").
Cricketer: A cricketer is a person who enjoys playing the game of cricket.
Cross-bat shot: A cut or a pull is a traditional shot made with the bat parallel to the ground.
Cross the rope: Batsmen starting or ending innings, players entering or exiting the field to begin a session of play, fielders attempting catches, and the ball when the batter scores a boundary are all examples of this phrase.
Cut: A shot played square on the off side, wide of off stump, to a short-pitched delivery.
Cutter: A fast or medium-pace bowler bowls a break delivery with similar action to a spin bowler, but at a faster pace.
Daddy hundred: A score that is significantly higher than one hundred, often defined as being over one hundred and fifty.
Daisy cutter: When a ball bounces more than twice or rolls along the pitch after being delivered.
Dancing (down the pitch): When a batsman approaches the bowler during the delivery, usually skipping once or twice down the wicket to gain momentum and hit the ball towards the boundary.
Day/night cricket: A cricket match with floodlights that starts during the day and ends after sunset.
Dead ball: The period of time between deliveries during which batsmen are not allowed to score runs or be dismissed; or the umpire's signal to indicate a dead ball situation.
Dead bat: A defensive shot made with a loose grip on the bat and/or with the bat angled towards the ground.
Dead rubber: A game in a series in which one team has established an unbeatable lead.
Death bowler: A bowler who bowls during the death overs of a limited overs match on a regular basis and has honed his skills at limiting the number of runs conceded at that time.
Death overs (also slog overs): In a limited-overs match, the final few overs of a team's innings, in which a batting side with wickets in hand will often try to bat very aggressively, and in which bowlers are usually hit for a lot of runs.
Death rattle: When a batsman is bowled, it's the sound of his wicket being broken.
Debenture: Some professional sports clubs, including some cricket clubs, use this financial instrument to raise funds.
Declaration: The act of a captain voluntarily ending his or her team's innings.
Declaration bowling: The fielding team intentionally bowls poorly (specifically Full tosses and Long hops) in order to allow the batsmen to score runs quickly and thus encourage the opposing captain to declare.
Deep: (of a fielding position) closer to the boundary and further away from the batsman.
Defensive field: A fielding configuration in which fielders are distributed throughout the field to more easily stop hit balls and reduce the number of runs (particularly boundaries) scored by batsmen.
Delivery: The act of bowling the ball; also, the quality of how a ball is bowled, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Devil's number (also Dreaded number): In Australian cricket, a score of 87 is considered unlucky. Batsmen in Australia are said to have a proclivity for being dismissed for 87 runs.
Diamond duck: A dismissal without facing a delivery (usually run out) or a dismissal (for zero) off the first ball of a team's innings.
Dibbly dobbly (also dibbly dobbler): A medium-paced delivery that is neither too fast nor too slow, with little variation; or a delivery that is simple to hit but difficult to score from quickly.
Dilscoop: A batsman goes on one knee and hits a good length or slightly short of length ball straight over the wicket keeper's head, usually to or over the boundary.
Dink: A deliberately gentle shot by a batsman to direct the ball into an unguarded field, using the ball's own momentum from the ball's delivery, without attempting power.
Dinner: During a day/night test, the second of two intervals taken during a full day of play.
Dipper: Before pitching, a delivery that curves into or away from the batsman.
Dismissal: To get one of the batsmen out and force them to stop batting.
Direct hit: A direct run out strike by a fielder that puts down a wicket (without first being caught by a fieldsman standing at the stumps).
Dobbing: Lancashire and some neighbouring counties use it as a synonym for Mankad.
Doctored pitch: A cricket pitch that has been purposefully prepared in a specific way to give the home team a competitive advantage.
Dolly: A dolly is a simple catch.
Donkey drop: Prior to bouncing, a ball with a very high trajectory.
Doosra: A finger spin bowler's delivery that turns in the opposite direction of a stock delivery.
Dorothy: Slang for a sixer, referring to Dorothy Dix, an author.
Dot ball: A delivery bowled without any runs scored, so named because it is marked with a single dot in the score book.
Double: Normally, in the same season, a player who scores 1000 runs and takes 100 wickets.
Down the pitch (also Down the wicket): A batsman's movement towards the bowler before or during the delivery in the hopes of turning a good length ball into a half-volley.
Drag: Bowlers' proclivity for releasing the ball with their back foot behind the crease.
Draw: In timed matches, a result in which the team batting last is not all out but falls short of their opponent's total.
Draw stumps: Declare the game, or a day's play, over; a reference to the umpire's removal of the stumps from the ground.
Drift: While the ball is in flight, a spinner extracts a slight lateral curved-path movement.
Drinks: A pre-determined short break in play, usually in the middle of a session.
Drinks waiter: A joking term for the twelfth man, referring to his job as a bartender.
Drive: A powerful shot hit along the ground or occasionally in the air in a direction between cover point on the off side and mid-wicket on the leg side, or in an arc between roughly thirty degrees on each side of the direction along the pitch.
Drop: An unintentional "dropping" of a ball that had been caught by a fielder; or, the act of excluding a player from a squad's selection.
Dropper: A different name for a lob ball.
Drop-in pitch: A temporary pitch that is grown away from the field, allowing other sports to share the field while reducing the risk of injury to the players.
Duck: "He was out for a duck," as in "he was out for a nought (zero)."
Duck under delivery: A short pitched delivery that appears to be a bouncer, forcing the striker to duck to avoid being hit; however, instead of bouncing high, it has a low bounce, dismissing the batsman LBW or bowling him.
Duckworth-lewis method (or duckworth-lewis-stern method, dls): If a limited overs match cannot be completed or must be shortened due to bad weather, a mathematical formula rain rule is used to determine the winner, or to calculate a target score for a team batting second.
Dugout: A sheltered area just outside the boundary ropes where a team's non-active players and staff sit.
Economical: A bowler with a low economy rate, or one who concedes very few runs from their over(s).
Economy rate: In the bowler's spell, the average number of runs scored per over.
Edge (or snick or nick): A slight deviation of the ball from the bat's edge.
Eleven: Another name for a cricket team made up of eleven players.
End: A section of the ground directly behind one of the stumps that is used to indicate which end a bowler is on (e.g. the pavilion end).
End of an innings: When a wicket falls or a batsman retires, and the batting side has no more batsmen available to bat, the innings of the batting side comes to an end.
Expensive: A bowler who gives a lot of runs in his or her over(s).
Express pace: Bowling at speeds exceeding 150 km/h is known as an express pace bowling.
Extra: A run that is not credited to a specific batsman but is awarded to the batting team.
Fall: A verb that denotes a batsman's dismissal from the game.
Fall of wicket (FOW): The total score at which a batsman is dismissed.
Farm the strike (also shepherd the strike or farm the bowling): A batsman, usually because they are the more skilled of the two batsmen in facing the bowler's bowling style, contrive to receive the majority of the balls bowled.
Fast bowling: A bowling style in which the ball is delivered at high speeds, usually over 90 miles per hour (145 kilometres per hour).
Father of Cricket: William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 � 23 October 1915) aka the Doctor (since he was also a physician) is widely considered the Father of modern Cricket.
Feather: A slight inclination.
Featherbed: A soft, slow pitch with a consistent bounce.
Fence: The boundary is called the Fence in cricket.
Cricket Field: A large grass turf area that is part of the larger ground on which cricket is played.
Fielder (also, more traditionally, fieldsman): A fielding player who is neither the bowler nor the wicketkeeper, especially one who has just fielded the ball.
Fielding: In cricket, fielding is the action of fielders collecting the ball after it has been struck by the striking batsman in order to limit the number of runs scored.
Fill-up game: When a game finishes early, a new game is sometimes started to fill in the time and entertain the paying audience.
Find the gap(s): To play a shot or series of shots in the gaps between fielders along the ground.
Fine: The opposite of square, this position on the field is behind the batsman and closer to the pitch line (wicket-to-wicket).
Finger spin: A type of spin bowling in which the bowler's fingers are used to rotate the ball (contrast with wrist spin).
First-class cricket: The senior version of the game, which is usually played at the county, state, or international level.
First change: In an innings, it's third bowler.
First eleven: A club's best team of (eleven) players, chosen by the selector for the most important or high-profile games.
First innings points: In first-class competitions, standings are determined by a league table.
Fishing: It's reaching for a wide delivery and missing, or being tempted to throw the bat at a wider delivery outside off-stump and missing.
Five-wicket haul (also five-for, five-fer, fifer, shortened to 5WI or FWI): In an innings, when a bowler takes five or more wickets. The term "five-for" is an abbreviation of the standard way of writing bowling statistics, such as "5 for 100" or "5�100" for a bowler who takes five wickets and concedes 100 runs.
Flamingo Shot: A batter flicks deliveries from outside off-stump through mid-wicket in this shot.
Flash: To swing the bat aggressively, indiscriminately hitting good line and length deliveries.
Flat pitch: Due to predictable bounce, a pitch that favours batsmen while providing little or no assistance to bowlers. A "flat deck" is another name for it.
Flat hit: An aerial shot hit with significant power by the batsman that travels quickly enough to make the ball's ballistic trajectory appear flat.
Flat throw: The fielder throws a ball that is almost parallel to the ground.
Flat-track bully: A batsman at the top of the batting order who is exceptional only when the pitch does not help the bowlers.
Flick: A gentle wrist movement used to move the bat, often associated with leg-side shots.
Flight: A delivery thrown by a spinner with a more arched trajectory.
Flipper: Clarrie Grimmett invented a leg spin delivery with under-spin; so it bounces lower than normal.
Floater: A spinner's delivery that travels in a highly arched path and appears to 'float' in the air.
Fly slip: A position between the slips and third man that is deeper than the traditional slips.
Follow on: Following on is a term used to describe a team that bats first in the second innings after batting second in the first.
Follow through: After the ball is released, a bowler's body actions to stabilise their body.
Footmarks: The bowler creates a rough patch on the grass pitch where they land their foot and follow through after delivering the ball.
Footwork: The necessary foot movements that a batsman must make in order to be at a comfortable distance from where the ball has been pitched, just right to hit the ball anywhere they want while negating any spin or swing that a bowler attempts to extract after the ball has bounced.
Form: The recent performance quality of a cricket player.
Forty-Five (on the one): A fielding position similar to that of a short third baseman that is roughly halfway between the pitch and the boundary.
Forward defence (or forward defensive): A common defensive shot in which the batsman's weight is placed on the front foot and a straight bat is held stationary close to the pad.
Four: After touching the ground, a shot that reaches the boundary giving 4 runs to the batting team.
Four wickets (also 4WI): A bowler who takes four or more wickets in an innings.
Fourth stump: A spot or line one stump width outside the off stump, i.e. where the wicket's fourth stump would be if one existed.
Free hit: When a bowler bowls a front foot no-ball, a penalty is given in some forms of cricket.
French cricket: A more informal version of the game, usually played by kids.
French Cut (also referred to as a Chinese Cut, Surrey Cut, or Harrow Drive): A term used to describe an unintentionally poorly executed shot that results in an inside edge where the ball narrowly avoids hitting the stumps.
Fritz: To be out stumped as a result of the wicketkeeper's pads bouncing off the stumps.
Front foot: The front foot in a batsman's stance is the one closest to the bowler.
Front foot contact: It's the bowler's position when their front foot first touches the ground just before delivering the ball.
Front-foot shot: A shot in which the batsman's weight is placed on his front foot (i.e. the foot nearest the bowler).
Fruit Salad: When a bowler alternates between different types of deliveries rather than bowling at the same speed, length, and angle each time.
(Full) face of the bat: The front, or flat side, of the bat, especially where the manufacturer's insignia is written.
Full length: A delivery that comes closer to the batsman than a good-length ball, but farther away than a half-volley.
Full pint: When a delivery completely removes a stump from the ground.
Full toss (also full bunger in Australia): A delivery that does not bounce and reaches the batsman on the full.
Furniture: A different term for stumps.
Gardening: Between deliveries, a batsman prods the pitch with his bat, ostensibly to flatten a bump in the pitch.
Getting one's eye in: When first in, a batsman will play low-risk defensive shots while assessing the conditions and bowlers before attempting riskier scoring shots.
Give (it) the treatment: A batsman's ability to hit a poorly bowled ball for a boundary.
Given man: A skilled guest player, usually borrowed from the opposition, is added to a weak team to make the game more even.
Glance: A glance is a fine shot on the leg side.
Glove: A padded hand protection included in a batsman's kit.
Glovemanship (also glovework): A term used for praising or criticising a performance of the wicketkeeper.
Golden duck: A batsman's dismissal for naught (zero) on the first ball of his innings.
Golden pair (also King pair): A dismissal for nought (zero) runs in each of a batsman's two innings of a two-innings match.
Good length: The ideal spot for a stock delivery to pitch in its path from bowler to batsman.
Googly (also wrong'un or bosie): A wrist spin bowler's deceptive spinning delivery that spins in the opposite direction of the stock delivery.
Gouging: Intentionally destroying the pitch or the cricket ball.
Gozza: A batsman who is out on the first ball they receive in Australian cricket.
Grafting: Batting defensively with a focus on not being bowled out.
Grass: Allowing the ball to fall to the field's grass or dropping an easy catch.
Green top: A pitch with a disproportionately large amount of visible grass.
Grip: The rubber casings used on the bat's handle.
Ground: The pitch, field, pavilion, and any associated amenities, such as spectator seating.
Groundsman (or curator): A person in charge of keeping the cricket field in good condition and preparing the pitch.
Grubber: A barely bouncing bowling delivery.
(Taking) guard: The batsman aligning their bat with a stump (or between stumps) selected behind them.
Gully: A close fielder near the slip fielders, at an angle of about 100 to 140 degrees to the line connecting the two sets of stumps.
Hack: A batsman of average ability with an overly aggressive approach to batting.
Half century: A personal score of 50 or more but less than 100 (century).
Half-tracker: A long hop is another term for a long jump. The name comes from the fact that the ball roughly bounces halfway down the pitch.
Half-volley: A delivery that misses the block hole by a hair.
Handled the ball: When a batsman touches the ball with his hands (while not gripping the bat) while the ball is still alive, this is called a live ball.
Hat-trick: In a single match, a bowler taking a wicket off each of three consecutive deliveries.
Hat-trick ball: Bowling the third ball, after taking two wickets with the previous two deliveries.
Heavy Roller: A very heavy metal cylinder used by the ground staff to improve batting wickets.
Helicopter shot: A batting shot in which the ball is flicked through the air on the leg side, usually to avoid close fielders and try to hit a boundary.
Cricket Helmet: Batsmen who are facing pace bowling or fielders who are very close to the batsman wear this protective headgear.
High score: The number of runs a batsman has scored in a single innings.
Hip Clip: Brian Lara's signature shot involves a flick of the wrist whipping a ball at hip height at right angles past a fielder on square leg.
Hit the ball twice: A batsman is out if he or she strikes the ball a second time with their person or bat after striking it once with their person or bat (but not a hand not holding the bat).
Hit wicket: As they try to play the ball or set off for a run, a batsman gets out by dislodging the wicket bails behind them with their bat or body.
Hoick: An unpolished shot to the leg side, usually across the ball's line.
Hold up an end: A batsman who is consciously limiting their scoring and concentrating on defense while their batting partner scores runs on the other end of the field.
Hole out: To be dismissed by being caught, rather than being caught behind by the wicketkeeper, in the slips cordon, or by a leg trap fielder from edges or gloved balls, usually refers to a catch from a lofted shot (or attempt thereof) in the outfield or forward from the wicket.
Hoodoo: When a bowler has gotten a batsman out multiple times in their career, they are said to have the hoodoo on them.
Hook: A shot that looks like a pull but is played with the ball above the batsman's shoulder.
Hoop: A disproportionately large swing.
Hot Spot: Snicks and bat-pad catches are evaluated using this technology in television coverage.
Humpty: To bat ferociously and unusually fast.
Hundred: In 2021, The Hundred, a domestic competition in England using the 100-ball format, was launched.
Hutch: The pavilion, also known as the dressing room.
In: A batsman who is currently batting.
In/out field: The in/out field refers to a group of fielders who are either close to the batsman or close to the boundary.
Incoming batsman: The batsman who comes in next in the batting order.
Indian spin quartet: Four Indian spin bowlers from the 1960s and 1970s were given this name as a group: Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, leg spinner Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, and left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi.
Inswing or in-swinger: From off to leg, a delivery that curves into the batsman in the air.
In-cutter: After hitting the surface, a delivery that moves into the batsman.
Infield: The area of the cricket field within 30 yards of the 30-yard circle (27 m).
Innings: The turn of one player or one team to bat (or bowl).
Inside edge: The bat's edge that faces the batsman's legs.
Inside-out: When a batsman opens his chest and plays a ball down the pitch, usually aggressively and often dancing toward the covers.
It's (just) not cricket: An idiomatic expression objecting to actions that the speaker believes are unsporting, unfair, or contrary to the cricket game's spirit.
Jack: A batsman who bats at number eleven.
Jaffa (also corker): A superb bowling performance.
Jayadevan's system: A failed attempt at enacting a rain rule.
Jockstrap (also jock strap): Male cricketers' underwear.
Keep wicket: When a batting team tries to get as few of its batters out as possible.
Knock: The innings of a batsman.
Knuckle ball: A fast bowler's delivery in which the ball is held between the knuckles of their index and middle fingers.
Kolpak: A foreign player who participates in English domestic cricket as a result of the Kolpak ruling.
Kwik cricket: A children's cricket game that is played in an informal manner.
Lappa: An old term for a batting stroke somewhere between a pull and a sweep.
Laws: The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) established a set of rules that apply to cricket all over the world.
Leading edge: When playing a cross-bat shot like a pull, the ball hits the front edge of the bat rather than the face.
Leave: The batsman's action of not attempting to play at the ball.
Left arm: By convention, a bowler who bowls with their left hand is referred to as a 'left-arm' or 'left arm' bowler.
Left-arm orthodox spin: The left-arm equivalent of off spin; the style of spin bowling produced by left-arm finger spin.
Left-arm unorthodox spin: The left-arm wrist spin equivalent of leg spin; the style of spin bowling produced by left-arm wrist spin.
Left hand: A left-handed batsman is referred to as a 'left-hand' bat.
Leg before wicket (LBW): It's when the batsman is out if the ball hits any part of the batsman's body (usually the leg) before hitting or missing the bat and would have gone on to hit the stumps, in the opinion of the umpire.
Leg break: A spin bowling delivery that turns a right-handed batsman's leg side to his off side.
Leg bye: Extras are awarded when a delivery strikes any part of the batsman's body except the bat or the gloved hand that holds the bat.
Leg cutter: A fast or medium-pace bowler bowls a break delivery with similar action to a spin bowler, but at a faster pace.
Leg glance: A delicate shot played with the bat at a ball aimed slightly to the leg side, deflecting towards the square leg or fine leg area as the ball passes the batsman.
Leg side: As the batsman takes strike, the half of the field to the back of the batsman (also known as the on side).
Leg slip: A fielding position on the leg side that is similar to a slip.
Leg spin: Right-handed wrist spin produces this spin bowling style.
Leg theory: The bowler aims for a line on leg stump, and there are more fielders on the leg side than usual, especially in short catching positions. The batsman is unable to play shots on the off side as a result of this.
Leggie: A leggie is a leg spin bowler.
Length: The spot on the field where a pitch bounces.
Life: A batsman is given a reprieve because the fielding team made a mistake, such as dropping a catch, missing a run-out opportunity, or the wicket-keeper missing a stumping.
Limited overs match: A one-innings match in which each team is limited to a certain number of overs.
Line: The deviation of the point on the pitch where a delivery bounces off the wicket-to-wicket line.
Line and length bowling: Bowling in such a way that the ball pitches on a good length and just outside off stump.
List A cricket: The equivalent of first-class cricket in limited-overs format.
Lob bowling: The ball being delivered with the hand below the waist.
Lofted shot: A shot in which the ball is struck in the air.
Lolly: A ball that a batsman can easily hit or a fielder can easily catch.
Long hop: A delivery that is far too short to be considered a good length delivery, but lacks the bouncer's sharp lift.
Long off: A fielding position on the off side near the boundary, in front of and relatively close to the wicket line.
Long on: A fielding position on the leg side near the boundary, in front of and relatively close to the wicket line.
Long stop or very fine leg: A fielding position on the boundary directly behind the wicket-keeper in order to recover any byes or wides that elude the keeper.
Look for two: The batsmen convey the sense (to each other, to the crowd, to the commentators) that they will attempt a second run by running a single with urgency, though no commitment is expected until after the turn.
Loop: The curved path of a spinner's bowled ball.
Loosener: A bad delivery delivered at the start of a bowler's spell.
Lost ball: When a fielding team is unable to retrieve a hit ball because it has been lost or is otherwise out of reach.
Lower order (the tail): Batsmen who bat between numbers 8 and 11 in the batting order and who may have some batting ability.
Lunch: The first of two intermissions during a full day's play, which usually takes place around 12:30 p.m. (local time).
Maiden over: No runs are scored off the bat, and no wides or no-balls are bowled in this over.
Maker's name: The entire bat's face, where the manufacturer's logo is usually found.
Man of the match: The highest-scoring batsman, leading wicket-taker, or best overall performer in a match may receive this award.
Manhattan also called the Skyline: It's a bar graph of the runs scored in each over of a one-day match, with dots indicating overs where wickets were taken.
Mankad: A non-striking batsman is run out when he leaves his crease before the bowler has released the ball.
Manufacturer: Typically, the company that manufactures a batsman's cricket bat.
Marillier shot: A shot made by holding the bat parallel to the pitch in front of the batsman and pointing the toe of the bat towards the bowler.
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC): Lord's Cricket Ground is owned by them, which is based in London NW8. It is the keeper of the cricket laws.
Match fixing: Illegally determining the outcome of a match in advance, such as by intentionally playing poorly in order to lose.
Match referee: An official whose job it is to keep the spirit of the cricket game alive.
Meat of the bat: The thickest part of the bat, from which the ball receives the most energy.
Mecca of cricket: The Lord's cricket ground, also known as the Home of Cricket, is usually referred to as this.
Medium-pace: A bowler who is slower than a pacer but faster than a spinner.
Middle of the bat: If that part of the bat hits the ball, that area of the bat's face imparts maximum power to a shot.
Middle order: Batsmen batting between 5 and 7 in the batting order.
Mid-off: A fielding position on the off side intended to save a run, located in front of and relatively close to the wicket line.
Mid-on: A fielding position on the leg side intended to save a run, located in front of and relatively close to the wicket line.
Mid-wicket: Between mid-on and square leg, this fielding position is used to save a run on the leg side.
Military medium: Bowling at a medium pace that isn't fast enough to trouble the batsman.
Milking (or milk the bowling): Using poor bowling or gaps in the field to score a steady stream of easy runs at a moderate rate with little risk of being out.
Mis-field: A fielder who fails to cleanly collect the ball, frequently fumbling or dropping a catch.
Negative bowling: A persistent line of bowling down a batsman's leg side to prevent him from scoring (particularly in Test matches).
Nelson: A total of 111 by a team or an individual batsman. The score is unlucky, according to an established superstition, and a batsman is likely to be dismissed at that point.
Nervous nineties: When a batsman's score is between 90 and 99. During this time, many bat nervously.
Nets: A netting-enclosed pitch used by batsmen and bowlers to practice their skills.
Net run rate (NRR): The difference between a team's average run rate and the average run rate scored against them in a game. The NRR of a team in a series is calculated as (total runs scored) / (total overs received) � (total runs conceded) / (total runs conceded) (total overs bowled).
New ball: At the start of each innings in professional cricket, a new ball is used.
Nibble: A small amount of ball movement away from the seam.
Nick: Another term for a snick or edge.
Nightwatchman: (in a first-class game) a lower-order batsman brought in as the light fades to finish the day's overs so that more valuable batsmen can be saved for the next day's play.
No: The batsman's decision not to run.
No-ball: An illegal delivery; the bowler must deliver another ball in the over, and the batsman cannot be dismissed by the bowler on a no-ball.
No man's land: A fielder cannot save a single or stop a boundary in this area of the field.
No result: The result of a limited-overs match in which neither team gets the minimum number of overs required to record a score.
Non-striker: Standing at the bowling end, a batsman.
Nothing shot: The batsman who takes an overly cautious shot.
Not out: The umpire's decision when denying a wicket appeal or a batsman who is in and has not yet been dismissed, especially when play has ceased.
Nurdle: To score runs, usually in singles, by gently nudging the ball into vacant areas of the field with low-risk shots.
Obstructing the field: If a batsman intentionally interferes with fielding, such as blocking a run out or preventing a fielder from taking a catch, he is dismissed.
Occupying the crease: The act of a batsman staying in for an extended period of time without attempting to score a large number of runs.
Odds match: A cricket game in which one team has a larger number of players than the other.
Off break: An off spin delivery that turns from the off side to the leg side for a right-arm bowler and a right-handed batsman (usually into the batsman).
Off cutter: A cutter that turns from the off side to the leg side for right-handed batsmen.
Off side: As the batsman takes strike, the half of the pitch in front of their body.
Off spin: Right-arm finger spin bowling is a type of spin bowling.
Off the mark: When a batsman scores the first run, the batsman is said to be off the mark.
Off theory: Most fielders are placed on the off side, and the bowler aims for a line wide of off stump. While most of the off side is covered by fielders, this prevents the batsman from playing shots on the leg side.
Offer the light: The act of umpires allowing batsmen to choose whether or not to leave the field when the light is bad.
On a length: A delivery that was thrown at a good length.
On strike: The batsman facing the bowling attack is said to be on strike at the moment.
On the [shot name]: A term used to describe the type of shot that fielders are placed to intercept.
On the up: A batsman who plays a shot, usually a drive, to a short ball that has already risen to knee height or more as the shot is being played.
One-day cricket: A condensed version of the game in which each team has only one innings, usually with a limited number of overs, and is played in one day.
One Day International (ODI): A match between two national teams in which each innings is limited to 50 overs and is played over the course of one day.
One down: A batsman who bats at number three.
One short: When a batsman fails to make contact with the ground beyond the popping crease and is forced to return for a second run.
Opener: An opening batsman or an opening bowler.
Opening batsman: One of the two batsmen who enter the cricket game at the start.
Opening bowler: One of the two bowlers who uses the new ball to start the innings.
Opposite number: A member of the opposing team who performs the same function.
Orthodox: Shots that follow the accepted "textbook" pattern, as well as batsmen who follow this pattern.
Out: A batsman's condition after being dismissed or, when the umpire responds affirmatively to a wicket appeal, he raises his index finger.
Out dipper: Before pitching, a dipper curves away from the batter.
Outswing: A delivery that bends away from the batter.
Outfield: The area of the field outside of the 30-yard (27-meter) circle measured from the pitch's centre.
Over: A bowler's delivery of six consecutive legal balls.
Over rate: The number of overs bowled per hour on average.
Over the wicket: In their run-up, a right-arm bowler passes to the left of the non-striker's stumps and vice versa for a left-arm bowler.
Overarm: The action of bowling with the arm swinging over the head from behind the body.
Overpitched delivery: A full-pitch delivery that bounces just in front of the batsman but isn't a yorker.
Overthrows: Extra runs scored as a result of a fielder's errant throw.
Pace bowling (also fast bowling): A bowling style in which the ball is delivered at a high rate.
Pads: Batsmen and wicketkeepers wear protective equipment that covers their legs.
Pad away or pad-play: To use the pads to intentionally deflect the ball away from the wicket.
Paddle sweep: A very fine sweep, almost as if the delivery was just a tickle pitched on the outside leg stump.
Paddle scoop: A shot in which a batsman scoops the ball over their shoulder to find a boundary behind the wicketkeeper or in the fine leg region.
Pair: In a two-innings match, a batsman who scores nought (zero) runs in both innings.
Partnership: The total number of runs a pair of batsmen score before one of them is dismissed.
Part-time bowler (or part-timer): A batsman who isn't known for bowling (or even a wicketkeeper).
Pavilion: A structure or grandstand that houses the players' locker rooms.
Peach: A fast bowler's delivery that is deemed unplayable.
Pea roller: Instead of being bowled over-arm, the ball is rolled along the ground.
Pegs: The Stumps are referred to as Pegs in slang.
Perfume ball: A bouncer that passes within inches of the batsman's face on or just outside off-stump.
Pick: To correctly identify the bowling variation delivered by a bowler (usually a spin bowler).
Pick of the bowlers: The bowler who had the best performance.
Picket fences: An over in which each delivery scores one run.
Pie Chucker (or Pie Thrower): A bad bowler, usually of slow to medium pace.
Pinch hitter/Slogger: To boost the run rate, a lower-order batsman promoted to the top of the batting order.
Pitch: The rectangular area in the middle of the field where the majority of the cricket action occurs.
Pitch (It) Up: To bowl a delivery that is longer in length.
Pitch map: A diagram depicting the location of a number of balls.
Placement: When the ball is hit in such a way that it bisects or trisects the fielders on the field.
Platinum duck: A player who is ejected before even touching the ball.
Play and miss: When a batsman swings but fails to make contact with the ball with his bat.
Playing on or chopping on or dragging on: To hit the ball with the bat but only manage to divert it towards the stumps.
Playing time: When the match begins, what intervals and/or drinks breaks occur, and how long play can continue are all defined by the playing time rules.
Plumb: LBW's decision to dismiss a batsman.
Point: A fielding position on the off side of the batsman.
Point of release: The bowler's position at the moment the ball is released.
Pongo: A large amount of run-making.
Popper: When bowled, a ball that rises sharply from the pitch.
Popping crease: One of two lines in the field that runs four feet in front of and parallel to the bowling crease at that end, where the wickets are placed.
Powerplay: Overs that give the batting side a temporary advantage in One Day Internationals.
Pro20: South African form of Twenty20.
Pro40: From 1969 to 2009, a 40-overs-per-side limited-overs competition was played in England.
Projapoti: A pace bowler's delivery that minimises the ball's rotation.
Protected area: A two-foot-wide area of the pitch that starts five feet from each popping crease and runs down the middle of the pitch.
Pull: Between mid-wicket and backward square-leg, a shot played to the leg side to a short-pitched delivery.
Push: A batsman's request for a run.
Put down: To put down (drop) a catch; often used in conjunction with the batsman.
Quarter seam: A smooth connection between leather pieces on the ball's surface.
Quick: A fast or pace bowler is referred to as a Quick.
Quick single: Two batsmen sprint between the wickets at breakneck speed.
Quota: In an ODI, the total number of overs allotted to a bowler (maximum 10).
Quotient (or runs per wicket ratio): In some first-class tournaments, a quantity used to break ties in league tables.
Rabbit: A particularly bad batter who is almost always a specialist bowler.
Rain delay: It is when rain has brought the cricket game to a halt, but it is not yet a washout.
Rain rule: Methods for determining which team wins a one-day match shortened by rain.
Red cherry: Nickname for the red cricket ball.
Referral: A request for the third umpire to review an on-field umpiring decision.
Release or point of release: When the bowler lets go of the ball during a bowling action.
Reserve day: A day off in a touring schedule that can be used to replay or reschedule a rained-out match.
Rest day: In the middle of a multi-day game, a non-playing day.
Result: The final result of a match A win/loss, a draw, or a tie are all possible outcomes.
Retire: Batsman to leave the field voluntarily during their innings.
Reverse sweep: Batsman who bats with his right hand like a left-handed batsman sweeping the ball.
Reverse swing: Swinging the ball in a way that is counter to how a ball is normally swung in the air.
Rib tickler: The batsman is struck in the midriff by a short-length ball that bounces up higher than expected.
Right arm: Bowler who uses their right hand to deliver the ball.
Right hand: Batsman who bats with his right hand.
Ring field: This cricket field is primarily used to save singles.
Road: The pitch is very hard and flat, making it ideal for batting.
Rogers: A club's or county's second XI.
Roller: Flattening pitch with a cylindrical tool.
Rotate the strike: To ensure that both batsmen are constantly facing deliveries, make singles whenever possible.
Rough: A section of the pitch that has become worn down as a result of bowlers' footmarks.
Roundarm bowling: The bowler's outstretched arm is perpendicular to their body when they release the ball in this bowling action.
Royal Duck: From the first ball faced, dismissal for nought (zero).
Run: A run is the scoring unit in cricket.
Run chase: In a limited-overs match, the act of batting second; in an unlimited-overs match, the act of batting fourth.
Run out: While the batsman is outside their crease, a member of the fielding side hits the wicket and dismisses the batsman.
Run rate: The number of runs scored on average per over.
Runner: Player from the batting side who runs between the wickets to assist an injured batsman.
Runs per wicket ratio: The Runs Per Wicket Ratio (also known as the Quotient) is a method of ranking teams in cricket league tables who are equal on all other criteria, such as points.
Runscorer or run scorer: A batsman who scores a lot of runs.
Safe: Batsmen are safe when they are in their ground, or when they have made their ground between the popping creases before a fielder can break the wicket.
Sawn off: A batsman who has been given out by an umpire inadvertently or incorrectly.
Scorer: Person in charge of keeping track of the game's scoring and detailed statistics.
Scramble seam: In seam bowling, the bowler causes the plane of the ball's seam to tumble, rather than remaining stable at a narrow angle to the delivery direction (seam up) or nearly perpendicular to the delivery direction (cross-seam).
Seam: Around the circumference of the ball, there is raised stitching called the Seam.
Seam bowling: A bowling style that makes use of the ball's uneven surface.
Seamer: A Seamer a seam bowler.
Season: Cricket season is the time of year when cricket is played.
Selector: A person who is in charge of selecting players for a cricket team.
Sent in: After losing the toss, the team that bats first.
Series: A series of cricket matches between the same two teams in the same format played a few days apart.
Session: From the beginning to the end of the game, from lunch to tea, and from tea to stumps.
Shelled a Dolly: To drop a very simple catch.
Shepherd the strike (also farm the strike): As a batsman, devise a strategy to play the majority of the balls bowled.
Shooter: A delivery that skids after pitching, making it impossible for a batsman to hit the ball cleanly.
Short: Close to the batsman, but not so close as silly.
Short-pitched: A delivery that bounces in close proximity to the bowler.
Short of a length: Short-pitched delivery that is not so short as a bouncer.
Shot: The batsman's act of striking the ball with his bat.
Short Stop: A Short Stop is a fielder who is placed directly behind the wicket keeper.
Shoulder Arms: To keep their bat and hand out of harm's way, the batsman lifts their bat high above their shoulder.
Side on: Side on bowler has back foot, chest and hips aligned towards the batsman at the instant of back foot contact.
Sight screen: A large board that is placed beyond the boundary behind the bowler.
Silly: Fielding in unusually close proximity to the batter.
Single: Batsmen score a run by physically running between the wickets.
Single wicket: In which two competitors bat and bowl against each other, with neutral fielders on both sides.
Sitter: A sitter is a very easy catch in cricket.
Six (or Sixer): It's called a six-run shot because it passes over or touches the boundary without bouncing or rolling.
Skiddy: Skiddy is a term used to describe a pace bowler whose delivery has a low bounce.
Skier: A mistimed shot nearly flew straight up into the sky.
Skipper: Captain's unofficial title.
Skyline: Alternative name for Manhattan.
Slash: A cut shot that is played aggressively, if not recklessly.
Sledging: Verbal confrontations between opposing players.
Slice: A cut shot is a shot made with the bat at an obtuse angle.
Slider: Backspin is applied to the ball by a wrist spinner.
Slingy: A pace bowler whose delivery has a high bounce.
Slip: On the off-side, fielder behind the batsman, next to the wicket-keeper.
Slip catching cradle: This is a large piece of training equipment that is used to practice quick-reaction catches.
Slog: A powerful shot in which the batsman attempts to reach the boundary by hitting the ball high and long.
Slog sweep: A slog in which a sweep shot is fired hard and in the air over the same boundary as a hook shot.
Slower ball: Bowl delivery at a moderate speed.
Slow left armer: Left-arm, orthodox, finger spin bowler.
Snick (also edge): Slight deviation of the ball from the bat's edge.
Snickometer: A television graphic that can also be used by the third umpire to determine whether or not the batsman has snicked the ball on replay.
Soft hands (batting) (also soft bat): The term "bat with soft hands" refers to holding the bat loosely or with relaxed hands so that it absorbs the ball's momentum.
Soft hands (fielding): Using soft hands to catch the ball means relaxing the hands and following the motion of the ball in the air, allowing the ball to gently hit the hands rather than risking it bouncing out.
Specialist: A team member chosen primarily for a single skill.
Spectacles: Another word for a pair; basically getting out on zero twice 0-0.
Spell: The number of overs a bowler bowls in a row before being relieved.
Spider Graph (also Wagon Wheel): A graphical representation of the ball's trajectory from each scoring stroke.
Spin bowling: A spin bowler (also known as a "spinner") attempts to deceive the batsman by imparting spin on the ball with his fingers or wrist.
Spirit of cricket (or spirit of the game): Fair play, sportsmanship, mutual respect, and acceptance of the umpires' decisions are all examples of the Spirit of cricket.
Splice: The connection between a bat's handle and blade.
Square: Position on the field, perpendicular to the line of the pitch.
Square leg: On the on side, fielding position is roughly at right angles to the batsman.
Square-cut: A cut shot, played square, perpendicular to the bowler's delivery.
Stance (also batting stance): A batsman's posture while holding his bat.
Partnership (cricket): Two batsmen always bat in tandem, even if only one is the striker at any given time.
Standing up: When a slow (or, on rare occasions, medium) pace bowler is in action, a wicket-keeper takes a position close to the stumps.
Start: When a batsman avoids being dismissed for a few runs, they are said to be off to a good start.
Steaming in: A bowler who runs up to bowl quickly is said to be steaming in.
Sticky dog: It's a wet or damp cricket pitch that's extremely difficult to bat on.
Sticky wicket: A challenging wet pitch.
Stock bowler: A bowler whose primary responsibility is to limit scoring rather than to take wickets.
Stock delivery or stock ball: The bowler's standard delivery; the one he or she uses the most.
Stodger: Batsman whose job it is to defend and score at a mediocre rate.
Stonewaller: An extreme example of a blocker.
Straight bat: The bat when held vertically or swung in a vertical arc.
Straight up-and-down: A fast or medium-paced bowler who is unable to swing or seam the ball.
Stranded: If a batsman falls short of a century, they are said to be stranded on their score.
Strangled: When a batsman tries to play a very fine glance to a leg-side ball, he gets an inside edge, which is caught by the wicket-keeper.
Street: It's a pitch that's easy for batsmen but tough for bowlers.
Strike: As a batsman facing the bowler, rather than as a non-striker.
Strike bowler: Rather than limiting scoring, an attacking bowler's role is to take wickets.
Strike rate: The number of runs scored by a batsman divided by the number of balls faced equals a percentage.
Striker: A batsman's attempt to play at a delivery.
Stump: A single of the wicket's three vertical posts.
Stump-cam: To provide images of the game, a small television camera placed inside the middle stump.
Substitute: On the fielding side, a player who can fill in for another.
Sun ball: Bowling technique in which the ball is intentionally bowled at a high elevation and at a slow pace.
Supersub: A supersub is a player who can enter the cricket game at any time and replace any other player.
Super Over: In some limited overs matches, this method is used for breaking a tie game.
Sweep: Shot with a good length on a slow delivery.
Sweet spot: When the ball is hit with it, a small area on the bat's face provides maximum power for minimal effort.
Swing: Fast and medium-pace bowlers typically use this bowling style.
Swish: The batsman's attacking stroke can be quick or careless.
Switch hit: A batsman's shot in which he reverses his stance and grip during the bowler's run-up.
Tail: Lower half of a batting order is called a tail.
Tail-ender: A batsman who comes in at the bottom of the batting order.
Ball Tampering: Outside of the normal wear and tear; scratching, scuffing, or otherwise altering the cricket ball.
Tape ball: Wrapping a tennis ball in electrical tape produces a cricket tape ball.
Target: The minimum score that the team batting last must achieve in order to defeat their opponents.
Tea: Due to its timing around tea time, the tea interval is the second of two intervals during a full day's play.
Teesra: A finger spin bowler delivers back spin.
Ten-wicket match: A two-innings match in which a bowler takes a total of ten or more wickets.
Test cricket (also Test match): Two cricket innings per side are played in timed matches that can last up to five days.
Textbook shot: When the batsmen plays a shot with perfect orthodox technique.
Third man: On the off-side; to take a position behind the wicketkeeper.
Third umpire: When the two on-field umpires are in doubt, they can seek the assistance of an off-field umpire who is equipped with a television monitor.
Through the gate: A ball that passes between the bat and the pads before hitting the wicket dismisses the batsman.
Throwing: During the delivery, the arm is straightened, which is an illegal bowling action. Also referred to as chucking.
Tice: An old name for a yorker.
Tickle: Edge to the wicket-keeper or slips.
Tie: A cricket match in which both teams have equal scores and the team batting last is all out.
Tied down: The bowling side is limiting the batsman's or batting team's ability to score runs.
Timber: To get a Bowled dismissal, you must first "hit the timber," or simply "Timber!"
Timed match: A match that lasts a certain amount of time rather than a certain number of overs.
Timed out: If a batsman does not occupy the crease within a certain amount of time after a wicket falls, they are timed out.
Timeless match: A match in which both teams compete until their allotted innings or overs have been completed.
Timing: The art of striking the ball so that it lands in the sweet spot of the bat.
Toe-crusher: An inswinging yorker aimed at the batsman's toes.
Top edge: When a batsman plays a cross-bat shot, the ball hits the top edge of the bat.
Top order: Batsmen who bat in the top four positions in the batting order.
Top spin: The ball's forward rotation causes it to pick up speed right after it's pitched.
Toss: The traditional coin toss is used to determine which captain will have the option of batting or fielding.
Tour: Matches that require travel away from the team's usual base are scheduled in advance.
Tour match: A match on a tour that does not have full international recognition.
Track: Term used for the pitch.
Triggered: The ball hitting the pads in front of the stumps causes the umpire to call a batsman out LBW almost immediately, with little regard for any other factor.
Trimmer: Fast and high-quality bowling delivery.
Trundler: A steady, medium-pace bowler who isn't particularly good.
Turn: When a batsman finishes a run, he grounds the bat, changes directions, and prepares to take another run.
Turn blind: A batsman facing away from the side of the field where the ball was played makes a turn.
Tweaker: A spin bowler's informal (and often affectionate) moniker.
Twelfth man: When a member of the fielding side is injured, the first substitute player who fields takes his place.
Twenty20 (or T20): Each team has one innings with a maximum length of twenty overs in limited overs cricket.
Two: Batsman's call for a likely two runs.
Umpire: One of the two (or three) people in charge of enforcing the laws in a cricket match.
Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS, or simply Decision Review System or DRS): System that allows the fielding captain or batsmen to ask the third umpire to use technology to review the standing umpires' previous decision.
Uncapped: A player who has never represented his country at an international level.
Underarm: Bowling with the arm swinging in a downswing arc from behind the body and then releasing the ball without bending the elbow on the upswing.
Under-spin (also back-spin): The ball has a backward rotation, which causes it to slow down immediately after pitching.
Unorthodox: Shots that aren't played in the traditional "textbook" way, with a fair amount of improvisation.
Unplayable delivery: A ball that the batsman has no chance of dealing with.
Upper Cut: A typical shot against a bouncer or a short ball.
Uppish: A shot that gains a dangerous amount of height, putting the batsman in danger of being caught.
Variation: The bowler's delivery of a ball that isn't their standard offering.
Vatta: A delivery bowled with an illegal bowling action is referred to as an illegal delivery (mostly in India and Pakistan).
Vee: The batsman stands at the apex of an unmarked, loosely defined V-shaped area on the ground.
Village or Village cricket: Level of cricket played by the vast majority of cricket fans.
Waft: A shot that is loose and non-committal.
Wag: When the tail (the batting order's bottom half) scores more runs than expected.
Wagon wheel: The graphic divides the field into six sectors (like a waggon spoked wheel) and shows how many runs a batsman has scored with shots into each sector.
Wait: A batsman's call that postpones the decision for a few seconds before taking a run.
Walk: Walk off the field, knowing or believing they have been dismissed.
Walking in: In order to be alert, fielders will usually "walk in" a few paces just before the bowler bowls, unless they are fielding close in.
Walking wicket: A terrible batsman.
Wash out: Due to rain, a cricket match, or a specific day of a cricket match, is called off with no or very little play.
Wearing wicket: The soil can be loosened by players stepping on it during play, resulting in rough, abrasive patches on the turf pitch.
Whites: During matches with a red ball, players wear predominantly white or cream coloured clothing.
Wicket: A set of stumps and bails is called a wicket.
Wicket-keeper: Fielding side player who stands directly behind the batting end wicket.
Wicket-keeper batsman: A wicketkeeper who is also a capable batsman.
Wicket maiden: A bowler's maiden over in which he also dismisses a batsman.
Wicket-to-wicket (or stump-to-stump): A hypothetical line that connects the two wickets.
Wickets in hand: The number of wickets left in the batting side's innings.
Wide: A delivery that goes illegally wide of the wicket, giving the batting side an extra run.
Wisden: Since 1864, an annual cricket reference book has been published in the United Kingdom.
Women's cricket: Cricket matches in which only female teams compete.
Worm: A graph of a team's cumulative runs scored or their progressive run rate.
Wrist spin: Spin bowling is a type of bowling in which the bowler's wrist position and/or movement causes the ball to rotate.
Wrong foot: The delivery is said to be bowled off the wrong foot when the bowling foot is the front foot.
Wrong footed: When a batsman is initially moving back or forward in response to a delivery and then has to abruptly change which foot they are using (back or front).
Wrong 'un: Name for a googly in Australia.
Yes: Batsman's call for a run.
(The) Yips: Bowlers who are experiencing a loss of confidence may experience yips.
Yorker: A delivery that is pitched very close to the batsman (usually fast).
Zooter or Zoota: A leg-break bowler's variation of the flipper.

Rahul Gupta

Rahul Gupta Results focused, highly responsive individual, with excellent analytical skills. Specialising in English and Indian Domestic cricket, I provide betting information to website visitors. Full Bio.