A complete glossary of cricket terms

The Test matches series played between England-Australia is known as the Ashes

A

All-rounder: A player who can either play as a batsman or as a bowler.

Appeal: A call by a player to an umpire for a decision on any matter concerning play.

Ashes: Test series played between Australia and England.

Average (Batting): The mean number of runs per completed innings over a period (Season, tour, Test series, ODI series, Twenty20 series or career). It is calculated by dividing a batsman aggregate by the number of innings discounting any in which he is 'not out' or 'retired hurt/ill'.

Average (Bowling): The mean cost of each wicket in terms of runs over a period. It is calculated by dividing the number of runs conceded by the number of wickets taken.

Away swinger (Also termed as out-swinger): A bowling delivery which moves in the air from leg to off side.

B

Back up, to: While fielding, to prevent overthrows by standing behind the wicket-keeper or another fielder to stop the if he misses it.

Backward point (Gully): An offside fielding position between Point and the Slip area.

Bails: Two pieces of wood, which are placed end to end on top of the stumps.

Ball: It is made of stitched leather dyed red with an interior of cork layers each bound with twine.

Bat: It is a blade for the striking part, must be made of wood - willow.

Beamer: A fast, head-high full pitch delivery which is an illegal ball according to the law.

Belter: A pitch which offers little help to bowlers and so heavily favours batsmen.

Blue: Awarded for appearing for Cambridge or Oxford in a University match.

Bosie: Australia's term for the googly.

Bouncer: A fast short-pitched ball which is aimed to reach the batsman at shoulder height of above. It is also termed as Bumper.

Boundary: The limit of the playing area on all side which is marked by rope. It also refers to a hit which sends the ball beyond the boundary rope. The batsman is awarded four if it touches the ground within the playing area first and six if it does not.

Bowl, to: To propel the ball at the batsman.

Bowled: The method of dismissal whereby the bowler bowls down the striker's wickets (stumps), even if the ball touches that batsman's bat or person first.

Bowling crease: The white painted line, 8 feet 8 inches in length. It extends equidistantly on either side of the stumps at each end of the pitch. Under the no-ball law the bowler must not overstep the popping crease at the moment of delivery.

Box: A light shield worn by batsmen, wicketkeepers, and fielders occupying the close position to protect the genitals.

Break: A ball's deviation from the straight on pitching.

Break-back: A fast off-break which is produced by the bowlers cutting his fingers across the seam.

Bump ball: A ball which rebounds directly from the striker's bat to the ground before being caught.

Bye: A run scored from a ball which passes the striker without touching his/her bat or his/her body.

C

Cap: A cricketer's headgear. Also, in English first-class cricket, a capped player is the one who has been awarded his county 1st XI cap.

Carry one's bat, to: The act of an opening batsman who remains not out at the end of his team's innings.

Castle: Another term for the wicket.

Caught: A method of getting the batsman out whereby the striker has touched the ball with his bat, or his hand or glove (below the wrist) while holding the bat, and it is subsequently held by a fielder.

Century: Another term for 100 runs.

Charge: When a batsman leaves his crease to attack the ball.

Chinaman: The left-arm bowler's off-break to the right-handed batsman.

Chop: A form of late cut which is executed by bringing the bat down sharply on a ball on the off-side just as it passes the batsman.

Chin music: The act when the fast bowlers aim the ball the batsman's head.

Chucker: A bowler who throws the ball instead of bowling it.

Closing the face: Turning the face of the bat inwards to hit the ball on the leg-side.

Close field: The fielding position which are close to the striker batsman.

Closure (Declaration): When a team decides to end the innings before getting all-out.

Cow shot: A rustic shot played across the line of the ball with near horizontal bat and which aims to send the ball on the leg-side.

Creeper: A ball which shoots along the ground.

Cross batted: A stroke which is subsequently played across the line of the ball.

Crumbling pitch: The one which is dry and disintegrating.

Cut: A stroke played with a horizontal bat at a short-pitched ball on the off-side.

Cutter: A ball bowled at a medium pace or above, is made to deviate off the ground on pitching.

The bowler-friendly green wicket at Hobart's Bellerive Oval

D

Dead ball: A delivery on which no runs can be scored.

Deep: The playing area near the boundary ropes.

Defence: The batsman's technique in stopping the ball.

Delivery: The act of bowling the ball.

Doosra: The off spinner's version of the googly, delivered out of the back of the hand and turning away from the right-hander.

Drive: A stroke aimed at the pitch of the ball.

Duck: A score of 0.

Duckworth Lewis: A devised system to help decide one-day cricket matches when rain interrupts play. It is named after Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, two mathematicians.

E

Extras: The runs which are added to the side's total but which are not credited to any batsman or a bowler. Extras comprise of byes, leg-byes, wides and no-balls.

F

Finger-spin: A method of making the ball turn through finger movements.

Flipper: A leg-spinner's delivery that appears to be pitching short but skids on quickly and often results in bowed or lbw.

Full toss: A delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing on the pitch.

Follow-through: The path of a bowler after the act of delivering the ball.

Forward stroke: A shot played by advancing the front foot down the wicket.

G

Gardening: The act of repairing or flattening the pitch with the bat.

Glance: A deflection of the ball off the face of the bat usually stroked to fine leg position.

Good length: A bowling length which puts a batsman in two minds as whether to play forward or back.

Greasy: A pitch of outfield affected by continuous showers.

Green-top: A well-grassed pitch. It retains the overnight moisture early in the day's play, and it favours the fast bowlers.

Googly: An off-break bowled with a leg-break action.

Grub: A ball bowled under-arm along the ground, it hardly bounces.

Gully: A close catching position on the off-side between the slips and the point region.

H

Half-volley: A ball that is over-pitched.

Handled the ball: Either batsman can be given out if he touches the ball with his hands while it is in play. The wicket is not credited to the bowler.

Hat-trick: The feat of taking three wickets with three consecutive balls within the same match by a bowler.

Hit the ball twice: The batsman is given out if he hits the ball twice except for the sole purpose defending his wicket. The wicket is not credited to the bowler.

Hit-wicket: The batsman is given out if he breaks his wickets with any part of his body, dress or bat when the ball is in play. The dismissal is credited to the bowler. He is not given out when trying to avoid run-out or stumped.

Hook: The shot made off the back-foot by which the short ball is directed to the leg-side.

I

In-swinger: A ball which moves in flight from off to leg.

K

King pair: A batsman bags a 'king pair' if he gets out on zero in both innings on the first ball.

L

LBW: The abbreviated form of Leg before wicket, a method of dismissal.

Leg-break: A ball that turns from leg to off after pitching.

Leg-cutter: A fast leg-break bowled by cutting the fingers across the seam of the ball.

Leg-side: The side of the pitch and field behind the batsman.

Leg theory: When a bowler continuously bowls on the leg stump and the batsman’s pads with fielders in catching position.

Length: An area where the ball pitches down the wicket.

Long handle: The term derives from the batsman's grip where he moves his hands to the top of the handle so that he can increase the arc of the swing.

Long-leg: Fielding position near the boundary behind the wicket on the leg-side.

Long-off and Long-on: Fielding position near the boundary on either side of the sightscreen.

M

Maiden: An over from which no runs are scored by the batsman.

Mankad: When the bowler brings his arm round and, instead of delivering the ball, runs out the non-striker batsman by dismissing off the bails. Usually, a warning is given to the batsman beforehand. The dismissal was named after India's Vinoo Mankad who twice dismissed the Australian Bill Brown in this manner.

N

Night watchman: A lower order batsman sent in to play out time when a wicket falls shortly before close of play. Usually, the night-watchman is sent to prevent better batsman's wicket.

No-ball: An illegal delivery, usually when the bowler overstepped the popping crease before releasing the ball.

O

Obstructing the field: Either batsman can be given out if he wilfully obstructs the fielding side by word or action.

Off-break: A ball that turns from off to leg after pitching.

Off-cutter: A fast off-break bowled by cutting the fingers across the seam of the ball.

Off-drive: A drive made off the front foot, which directs the ball between cover and mid-off region.

Off-side: The side of the pitch and field in front of the batsman.

On-drive: A drive made off the front foot, which directs the ball between mid-wicket and mid-on region.

Out-field: The outer part of the playing area away from the main pitch.

Outswinger: A ball which moves in flight from leg to off.

Over the wicket: The method of bowling where the operative arm is close to or over the stumps i.e. to the right-handed batsman, a right-arm bowler bowls from the off-side and a left-arm one delivers from the leg-side.

P

Pad-play: The act of deliberately stopping balls with the pads.

Pinch-hitters: A lower order batsman who comes up the order to get some quick runs when a team is chasing a huge total.

Pitch: A specially prepared area, 5 feet in width and 22 yards long, between the two sets of stumps.

Plumb: A LBW decision that is obviously out.

Point: A close fielding position square with the wicket on the off-side.

Popping crease: The line across the pitch marking the limit of batsman's safe ground. Painted in whitewash 4 feet in front of the stumps, it is now the line which controls bowler's front foot.

Pull: A back-foot leg-side shot.

Put in, to: To ask the opposition to bat first after winning the toss.

Q

Quickie: Another term for a fast bowler.

Quick wicket: A hard pitch from which the ball bounces quickly.

R

Retire hurt: A batsman may end his innings voluntarily if his action is the result of an injury or illness.

Return crease: The lines at each end of the bowling crease. A bowler's back foot must land inside this area or else a no-ball will be called.

Round the wicket: The method of bowling where the operative arm is the farther from the stumps i.e. to the right-handed batsman, a right-arm bowler bowls from the leg-side and a left-arm one delivers from the off-side.

Rubber: A set of Test matches played between two same nations. Also known as a series.

Run: The scoring unit.

Runner: A player from batting side allowed to run for a batsman who got injured during the play.

Run-up: A bowler's approach to his delivery.

S

Scorer: A person who records the details of the match.

Seam: The stitching around the circumference of the ball that fastens its leather.

Seam bowler: A bowler who makes the ball deviate by pitching it on its seam. Also known as a seamer.

Short leg: A close catching position on the leg-side.

Shoulder arms: When a batsman holds the bat aloft and allows the ball to pass without playing a stroke.

Sight screen: A white screen beyond the straight boundary behind the bowler, it allows the batsman to have a clear view of the incoming ball.

Silly: Another term for the forward short leg position.

Single: One run.

Square cut: A shot played on back foot with a horizontal bat to a short ball outside the off stump.

Sticky wicket: A rain-affected pitch which is drying under sun's heat. It allows the ball to stay longer on the pitch, turn and lift sharply.

Stumped: When a batsman is out of his ground and the wicket is put down by the wicket-keeper without the intervention of any other fielder, then the batsmen is given out stumped.

Substitute: A Substitute is a player who may field for any member of the side who during the match injured himself or down with an illness.

Sweep: A shot played off the front foot from the crouch position with a horizontal bat usually to a ball pitched on or outside the leg stump.

Swing: The lateral movement of the ball in the air.

T

Top spin: A spin delivery when the ball to gain extra pace after pitching besides the deviation.

Toss: A coin tossed by the home captain.

Track: Also known as pitch.

Twelfth man: An emergency fielder and drinks waiter.

W

Wicket: Three wooden stumps with two wooden bails on top that are pitched opposite and parallel to each other and 22 yards apart.

Wicket-keeper: The fielder who fields behind the stumps at the batsman's end.

Wicket-maiden: An over in which no runs are scored but in which at least one wicket falls which has been credited to the bowler.

Wrong-un: Another term for the googly.

Y

Yorker: A ball full-pitched, aimed at the batsman's toes or the base of the stumps.