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Cricket
Acronyms
Arm Ball: A ball bowled by a slow bowler which has no spin on it and so does not
turn as expected but which stays on a straight line ("goes on with the arm")
Asking rate: The runs required per over for a team to win - mostly relevant in a
one-dayer
All-rounder: A cricket all-rounder is a player who bats and bowls well.
Appeal: An appeal in cricket is the bowling and fielding team's act of asking the
umpire to give a batter out.
Average (batting): The batting average in cricket is the average number of runs a
batter scores per innings.
Bails- One of the wooden crosspieces that sits on top of adjacent pairs of stumps
to form a wicket
Bowled: 'Bowled', one of the ten ways of getting out in cricket, is when the
bowler hits the batter's stumps and dislodges a bail.
Bowler: Bowler is a player who is skilled at bowling and whose main objective is
to take wickets.
Bye: A bye (or byes) in cricket are any runs scored off a ball that does not touch
the bat or any part of the batter.
Caught: 'Caught', one of the ten ways of getting out in cricket, is when a batter's
shot is caught cleanly by a fielder before it touches the ground.
Bowling: Bowling in cricket is the act of propelling the ball towards the batter,
with the main aim of getting them out.
Beamer: A ball that does not bounce (usually accidently) and passes the batsman
at or about head height. If aimed straight at the batsman by a fast bowler, this is a
very dangerous delivery (and generally frowned on)
Bouncer: A short-pitched ball which passes the batsman at chest or head height
Boundary: The perimeter of a cricket field, or the act of the batsman scoring a
four or a six
Box: An abdominal protector worn by batsmen and wicketkeepers. It is also an
old term for a fielder in the gully region.
Bump Ball: A ball which is played off the bat almost instantly into the ground and
is caught by a fielder. Often this has the appearance of being a clean catch
Clean Bowled: When a batter is beaten by a ball and subsequently dismissed
through the stumps being broken.
Crease: One of the white lines marked on the pitch to denote different areas of
play; either the bowling crease, popping crease, or return crease.
Chest-on: used to describe a bowler who delivers the ball with his chest facing the
batsman, as opposed to being side on
Chinaman: A ball bowled by a left-arm slow bowler that turns into the right-hand
batsman, in effect a left-arm leg spinner.
Chucker: Another term for a bowler who throws the ball
Corridor of uncertainty: A term beloved by commentators which describes an
area just outside the batsman's off stump where he is unsure whether he has to
leave or play the ball
Century: A cricket century is a hundred runs by one player in a single innings.
Dead ball: A ball from which no runs can be scored or wickets taken.
Doosra: A Hindi/Urdu word which means "second" or "other", the doosra is the
off spinner's version of the googly, delivered out of the back of the hand and
turning away from the right-hand batsman
Drifter/ Floater: A delivery bowled by an off spinner which curves away from a
right-hander, and then carries straight on instead of turning
Death overs: The death overs are the last five to ten overs of a team's innings in a
limited over cricket match.
Duck: A score of 0
Duckworth Lewis: Named after Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, two
mathematicians who devised a system to help decide one-day cricket matches
when rain interrupts play.
Dot Balls: A dot ball in cricket is a delivery from which no runs are scored, and a
very important aspect of bowling.
Economy rate: The average number of runs a bowler concedes per over
Extras Runs: not scored by batsmen. There are four common extras - byes, leg
byes, wides and no-balls. In Australia these are known as sundries
Flipper: A variation for the leg spinner that appears to be pitching short but the
ball skids on quickly and often results in bowled or lbw. It is a delivery that is used
sparingly
Full toss: A ball that reaches the batsmen without bouncing. Above waist height it
becomes a beamer
Fast Bowling: Bowling technique that relies primarily on delivering the ball at high
speed.
Five-for: also known as a five-wicket bag, is five wickets taken by one bowler in a
single innings.
Four: a four is the scoring of four runs with a shot that bounces before touching
or crossing the boundary of the field.
Free hit: in cricket is a kind of wild card for batters to hit out without fear of being
caught or bowled out.
Good length: The ideal length that the bowler aims for, getting the batsman in
two minds as whether to play forwards or back
Googly: The leg spinner's variation that turns into the right-hander and away from
the left-hander
Golden duck: A golden duck is the dismissal of a batter in a cricket match for zero
runs off their first ball.
Half volley: A ball that is the perfect length for driving, fuller than a good length
but not a full-toss
Handled the ball: If the batsmen deliberately touches the ball with his hands he
can be given out.
Hit the ball twice: If a batsmen deliberately strikes the ball twice to gain runs he
can be given out. However, the batsman can knock the ball away from his stumps
with the bat
Hit Wicket: To strike and subsequently break the stumps with the bat resulting in
the batter’s dismissal.
Hat-trick: is three wickets in three consecutive balls bowled by a single bowler.
Inside out: turning the batsman - A batsman aims to leg but the ball goes past the
off and he is forced to play the ball open-chested
Innings: The period of time spent batting by a team or individual.
Laws of Cricket: The Laws of Cricket are the official rules of the sport established
by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and updated by the International Cricket
Council (ICC).
Leg Before Wicket: If the ball hits the batsman without first hitting the bat, but
would have hit the wicket if the batsman was not there, and the ball does not
pitch on the leg side of the wicket the batsman will be out. However, if the ball
strikes the batsman outside the line of the off-stump, and the batsman was
attempting to play a stroke, he is not out.
Leading edge: When the batsman mis-hits the ball and edges it forward in the
opposite direction to which he was attempting to play
Leg-bye: When the ball deflects off the pad and the batsmen run. A shot must be
offered to the ball. Leg-byes do not count against the bowler
Leg-break/spin: When the ball pitches and turns from leg to off for a right-hander
Leg-cutter: A ball which cuts and moves away from the batsman towards the
offside (if he is a righthander)
Leg-side: The area of the pitch behind the batsman's legs
Length: Where the ball pitches down the wicket. Lengths can be generally short,
full or good
Line: The line of attack the bowler employs when he is bowling
Maiden: An over where no runs that are attributable to the bowler are scored
(byes or leg-byes may be scored in this over, though, as these don't count against
the bowler)
Match referee: match referee in international cricket matches oversees a match
from off the field and upholds the ICC Cricket Code of Conduct and Laws of
Cricket.
Net Run Rate: A system for separating sides who finish on level points in multi-
team tournaments. Click here for more details.
New ball: Can usually be taken every 80 overs. The advantage is to quick bowlers
who have a shiny and bouncy ball, but conversely it can result in an increase in
scoring rate as the ball comes off the bat faster
Nick: A faint edge off the bat
No-ball: An illegitimate delivery, usually when the bowler has overstepped on the
front crease
Non Striker: A term used to describe the batter waiting at the bowler’s end.
Not Out: A not out batter in a cricket innings has started batting but has not yet
been dismissed or retired.
Off-break/spin: A ball turning into the right hander- from off to leg (from left to
right)
Off-cutter: An offbreak delivered at speed
Off the mark: When the batsman scores his first run
Off-side: The side of the pitch which is to batsman's right (if right-handed), or left
(if left-handed)
On-side: The same as the leg-side
ODI: A one day international (ODI) is a 50-over-per-side cricket match between
two national teams, completed in a single day's play.
Out: There are ten possible ways of being out: bowled, caught, hit wicket, lbw,
stumped, timed out, handled the ball, obstruction, hit the ball twice, and run
out. To be out "retired out" is gaining in currency and popularity and counts as a
dismissal, unlike "retired hurt"
Outside edge: When the ball hits the edge of the bat which is furthest away from
his body
Outswing: When the ball swings away from the batsman and towards the slips
Over: Six fair deliveries completes one of these.
Opener: An opener in cricket is one of two batters who start, or 'open', a team's
innings.
Paddle: A sweep shot
Pair: A pair in cricket is the dismissal of a batter for a duck (zero runs) in both
innings of a match.
Pinch-hitters: Lower-order batsmen promoted in the line-up to try and hit up a
few quick runs. Used mostly when a team is chasing a huge total in a one-dayer -
the thinking being that a few quick runs will reduce the asking rate; and if the
pinch-hitter gets out, the specialist batsmen are still around
Pitch: The bounce of the ball - "it pitches on a good length". Also, the cut strip in
the centre of the field of play
Play on: When a batsman hits the ball but it goes on to hit the stumps and he is
bowled
Plumb: When the batsman is clearly LBW, even at full speed, he is said to be
plumb in front.
Powerplay: This was introduced by the ICC in 2005 to try to spruce up the middle
overs of one-day internationals by enforcing the bowling side to take three blocks
of overs in which they have to have extra fielders within the 30-yard circle. The
first Powerplay is mandatory through the first ten overs of the innings, the second
and third ones, of five overs each, can be taken at any other time. In rain-reduced
matches the duration of the second and third Powerplays is reduced in proportion
to the overall reduction.
Pull: A back-foot leg-side shot, distinct from the hook because the pull is played to
a ball that hasn't risen as high.
Reverse Sweep: The epitome of the type of shot you will not find in the MCC
coaching manual. This stroke is played by dropping to one knee and reversing
one's hands, so that you can swing the ball from leg to off, rather than the more
natural off to leg.
Reverse Swing: When the ball is 50 overs old and the pitch is as flat as a pancake,
this phenomenon is often a bowling side's saving grace. First mastered by the
Pakistani quicks of the 1980s and 1990s, it involves sideways movement of the
ball through the air that is contrary to your average everyday laws of physics. If it
sounds like rocket science, that is because it is
Rough: The area of a pitch that is scuffed up and loosened by the action of a
bowler running through in his follow-through. Usually, this will be situated a foot
or so outside leg stump, and consequently it becomes a tasty target for spin
bowlers, who can exploit the extra turn to make life a misery for the batsmen
Run-chase: Generally the fourth innings of a first-class or Test match, and the
latter stages of a one-day game, when the match situation has been reduced to a
set figure for victory, in a set time or maximum number of overs
Run-rate: Of particular importance in a one-day game, this is the average number
of runs scored per over, and is used as a guide to a team's progress
Run-up: The preparatory strides taken by a bowler as they steady themselves for
delivery. Also the area in which they perform said action
Runner: A player who is called upon by a batsman who might otherwise need to
retire hurt. He is required to wear the same padding and stands at square leg or
the non-striker's end to perform the duty of running between the wickets. Often
the cause of endless confusion and inevitable run-outs
Run: The method of scoring during a game of cricket. Also a single unit of score.
Run out: A way of being out in cricket. If either batsman is attempting to take a
run, or to return to his crease after an aborted run, and a fielder breaks that
batsman's wicket with the ball while he is out of the crease.
Striker: The name given to the batter who is facing the bowler. The batter is said
to be "on strike".
Stumps: Wooden uprights of which there are three on which the bails are
balanced to form the wicket.
Sitter: The easiest, most innocuous and undroppable catch that a fielder can ever
receive. To drop one of these is to invite a whole world of pain from the crowd
and constant embarrassment from the giant replay screen (see dolly).
Six: Scoring of six runs with a shot that does not bounce before touching or
crossing the boundary of the field.
Strike rate: A bowler's strike rate in cricket is the average number of balls they
bowl per wicket.
Super Over: A super over is a one-over-per-side contest to decide the winner of a
tie in a Twenty20 cricket match.
Sledging: Not the act of travelling downhill at speed on a toboggan, but the act of
verbally abusing or unsettling a batsman, in an attempt to make him lose
concentration and give his wicket away. Often offensive, occasionally amusing,
always a topic of conversation
Slog: Used to describe a shot which is not in the coaching book
Slogger: Exponent of the slog
Slog-sweep: A heave to the leg side, played like the sweep, but a lofted shot
Strike rate The number of runs a batsman scores per 100 balls; the number of
deliveries a bowler needs to take his wickets
Swing: A ball that curves through the air, as opposed to off the seam. See also,
reverse swing
Tailender: Players who come in towards the end of an innings, generally Nos. 8, 9,
10 and 11, who are not noted for their batting prowess (although ideally they can
bowl a bit by way of compensation)
Ton: A century (100 runs by a single batsman in one innings)
Twelfth man: A substitute fielder (and drinks waiter) for the chosen eleven. If
called upon to play, he is permitted to field wherever he is needed, but can
neither bat nor bowl
TEST: A Test match in cricket is a five-day match between two top-level national
representative cricket teams, during which each team bats two innings. A cricket
match of International standard scheduled to last for 5 days.
Tail: Cricket batting order is the last three or four players listed, usually the
weakest batters in the team.
Tie: A tie is a rare result in cricket where both teams have scored exactly the same
number of runs when the team batting last completes its innings.
Toss: The toss is the flipping of a coin to decide which team will bat first.
Twenty20: Twenty20 is a short form of cricket in which each team bats for 20
overs.
Umpire: A cricket umpire is an impartial authority responsible for making
judgements on the field in accordance with the Laws of Cricket.
Wide: A delivery that pitches too far away from the batsman and so proves
impossible to score off. The umpire will single this by stretching his arms out
horizontally, an extra will be added to the total and the ball will be bowled again
Wrist spin: The version of spin bowling in which the revolutions on the ball are
imparted via a flick of the wrist, rather than a tweak of the fingers. As a general
rule, a right-arm wrist spinner's action turns the ball from leg to off (leg spin)
while a left-armer turns it from off to leg
Wrong 'un: Australian term for a googly - a leg spinner's delivery that turns in the
opposite direction, ie from off to leg
Wicket (dismissal): The first definition of 'wicket' in cricket is the dismissal of a
batter, who is said to have 'lost their wicket'.
Wicket (stumps): The second definition of 'wicket' in cricket is the set of three
stumps and two bails defended by the batter at each end of the 22-yard pitch.
Wicket (pitch): The cricket pitch, or the 22-yard area in which the ball is bowled,
can also be referred to as the wicket.
Wicket Maiden: An over in which the bowler has taken a wicket without a batter
scoring runs.
Wicket Keeper: Player who wears fielding gloves and stands behind the batter’s
wicket ready to catch the ball if the batter misses it.
Win: In Test and first-class cricket, a team achieves a win when it scores more
runs than the opposition and dismisses its opponents twice. In ODI and Twenty20
cricket, a win is achieved by scoring more runs than the opposition.
Yorker: A full-pitched delivery that is aimed at the batsman's toes and/or the base
of the stumps. If the ball is swinging, these can be the most lethal delivery in the
game