Glossary of cricket terms

[[File:Cricket terminology - Punch cartoon - Project Gutenberg eText 17596.png|thumb|Young Cricketer. "Yes, I cocked one off the splice in the gully and the blighter gathered it."

Father. "Yes, but how did you get out? Were you caught, stumped or bowled, or what?" Cartoon from Punch, 21 July 1920.]]

This is a general glossary of the terminology used in the sport of cricket. Where words in a sentence are also defined elsewhere in this article, they appear in italics. Certain aspects of cricket terminology are explained in more detail in cricket statistics and the naming of fielding positions is explained at fielding (cricket).

Cricket is known for its rich terminology. Some terms are often thought to be arcane and humorous by those not familiar with the game.

A
Across the line:

Action:

Agricultural shot:

Air:

All out:

All-rounder:

Amateur: A cricketer who plays for pleasure, not pay. A non-professional. A former official distinction between players of differing social class, important in 18th and 19th century England. Amateurs (also known as gentlemen) were upper class, had usually been to private school and/or Oxbridge, and could claim expenses but not receive any other payment. Professionals (also known as players) were working class, paid wages, and relied on cricket as their primary source of income. Most county cricket teams consisted of a mix of amateurs and professionals; the captain was always an amateur. The annual Gentlemen vs Players match pitched the two classes against each other. The distinction became obsolete in the early 20th century and was finally abolished in 1962.

Analysis:

Anchor:

Appeal:

Approach:

Arm ball:

Around the wicket:

Ashes, The:

Asking rate:

Attacking field:

Attacking shot:

Audi:

Average:

Away swing:

B
Back foot:

Back foot contact:

Back foot shot:

Back spin:

Backing up:

backlift:

Badger:

bad light:

Baggy green:

Bail:

Ball:

Ball tampering:

Ball tracking:

Bang (it) in:

Bat:

Bat-pad:

Batter:

Batting:

Batting average:

Batting collapse:

Batting for a draw:

Batting order:

Beach cricket:

Beamer:

Beat the bat:

Beehive:

Beer match:

Belter:

Bend the back:

Benefit season:

Best bowling:

Biffer:

Bite:

Block:

Blocker:

Block hole:

Blob:

Bodyline:

Boot Hill:

Bosie:

Bottom hand:

Bouncer:

Bounce out:

Boundary:

Bowled:

Bowled around the legs:

Bowled out:

Bowler:

Bowling:

Bowl-out:

Bowling action:

Bowling analysis:

Bowling at the death:

Bowling average:

Box:

Brace:

Break:

Buffet bowling:

Bump ball:

Bumper:

Bunny:

Bunsen:

Buzzer:

Bye:

C
Cafeteria bowling:

Call:

Cap:

Captain:

Carrom ball:

Carry:

Carry the bat:

Cartwheel:

Castled:

Catch:

Caught:

Caught and bowled:

Caught behind:

Centurion:

Century:

Chance:

Charge:

Check upstairs:

Cherry:

Chest on:

Chin music:

Chinaman:

Chinese cut:

Chop on:

Chuck:

Circle:

Clean bowled:

Club:

Club cricket:

Collapse:

Come to the crease:

Competitive Women's Cricket:

Compulsory close (cc):

Conventional swing:

Contrived circumstances:

Cordon:

Corridor of uncertainty:

County cricket:

Cover:

Cow corner:

Cow shot:

Crease:

Cricketer:

Cross-bat shot:

Cross the rope:

Cut:

Cutter:

D
Daddy hundred:

Daisy cutter:

Dance down:

Day/night match:

DB:

Dead ball:

Dead bat:

Dead rubber:

Death bowler:

Death overs:

Death rattle:

Debenture:

Decision review system (DRS):

Declaration:

Declaration bowling:

Deep:

Defensive field:

Delivery:

Devil's number:

Diamond duck:

Dibbly dobbly:

Dilscoop:

Dink:

Dinner:

Dipper:

dismissal:

Direct hit:

D/L:

DLS:

Dobbing:

Doctored pitch:

Dolly:

Donkey drop:

Doosra:

Dorothy:

Dot ball:

Double:

Down the pitch:

Drag:

Draw:

Draw stumps:

Drift:

Drinks:

Drinks waiter:

Drive:

Drop:

Dropper:

Drop-in pitch:

DRS:

Duck:

Duck under delivery:

Duckworth-Lewis method:

Dugout:

E
Eagle-Eye:

Economical:

Economy rate:

Edge:

Eleven:

End:

End of an innings:

Expensive:

Express pace:

Extra:

Extra cover:

F
Fall:

Fall of wicket:

Farm the strike:

Fast bowling:

Fast leg theory:

Feather:

Featherbed:

Fence:

-fer:

Ferret:

Field:

Fielder:

Fielding:

Fill-up game:

Find the gap(s):

Fine:

Finger spin:

First-class cricket:

First change:

First eleven:

First innings points:

Fishing:

Five-wicket haul:

Flamingo shot:

Flash:

Flat pitch:

Flat hit:

Flat throw:

Flat-track bully:

Flick:

Flight:

Flipper:

Floater:

Fly slip:

Follow-on:

Follow through:

Footmarks:

Footwork:

Form:

Forty-Five (on the one):

Forward defence:

Four:

Four wickets:

Fourth stump:

Free hit:

French cricket:

French Cut: Such unintentional shots can frequently fool the wicket keeper and may often fortunately result in runs.

Fritz:

Front foot:

Front foot contact:

Fruit Salad:

(Full) face of the bat:

Full length:

Full pint:

Full toss:

Furniture:

G
Gardening:

Gate: see

Genuine number 11:

Getting one's eye in:

Give (it) the treatment:

Given man:

Glance:

Glove:

Glovemanship:

Golden duck:

Golden pair:

Good length:

Googly:

Gouging:

Gozza:

Grafting:

Grass:

Green top:

Grip:

Ground:

Groundsman (or curator):

Grubber:

(Taking) guard:

Gully:

H
Hack:

Half century:

Half-tracker:

Half-volley:

Handled the ball:

Harrow drive:

Hat-trick:

Hat-trick ball:

Hawk-Eye:

Heavy Roller:

Helicopter shot:

Helmet:

High score:

Hip Clip:

Hit the ball twice:

Hit wicket:

Hoick:

Hold up an end:

Hole out:

Hoodoo:

Hook:

Hoop:

Hot Spot:

Howzat:

Hundred:

Hutch:

I
In:

In/out field:

Incoming batter:

Inswing:

In-cutter:

Infield:

Innings:

Inside edge:

Inside-out:

It's (just) not cricket:

J
Jack:

Jaffa:

Jayadevan's system:

Jockstrap:

Just not cricket:

K
Keeper:

Keep wicket:

King pair:

Knock:

Knuckle ball:

Kolpak:

Kwik cricket:

L
Lappa:

Lap sweep:

Laws:

LBW:

Leading edge:

Leave:

Left arm:

Left-arm orthodox spin:

Left-arm unorthodox spin:

Left hand:

Leg before wicket:

Leg break:

Leg bye:

Leg cutter:

Leg glance:

Leg side:

Leg slip:

Leg spin:

Leg theory:

Leggie:

Length:

Life:

Light:

Limited overs match:

Line:

Line and length:

List A cricket:

Lob bowling:

Loft(ed shot):

Lolly:

Long hop:

Long off:

Long on:

Long stop:

Look for two:

Loop:

Loosener:

Lost ball:

Lower order:

Lunch:

M
Maiden over:

Maker's name:

Man of the match:

Manhattan:

Mankad:

Marillier shot:

Marylebone Cricket Club:

Match fixing:

Match referee:

Maximum:

Meat of the bat:

Mecca of cricket:

Medium-pace:

Michelle:

Middle of the bat:

Middle order:

Mid-off:

Mid-on:

Mid-wicket:

Military medium:

Milking:

Mine:

Mis-field:

Mullygrubber:

N
Natmeg:

Negative bowling:

Nelson:

Nervous nineties:

Nets:

Net run rate:

New ball:

Nibble:

Nick:

Nightwatchman:

Nipbacker:

No:

No-ball:

No man's land:

No result:

Non-striker:

Nothing shot:

Not out:

Nurdle:

O
Obstructing the field:

Occupying the crease:

ODI:

Odds match:

Off break:

Off cutter:

Off side:

Off spin:

Off the mark:

Off theory:

Offer the light:

Olympic:

On side:

On a length:

On strike:

On the [shot name]:

On the up:

One-day cricket:

One Day International:

One down:

One short:

Opener:

Opening batter:

Opening bowler:

Opposite number:

Orthodox:

Out:

Outdipper:

Outright win/loss:

Outswing:

Outfield:

Over:

Over rate:

Over the wicket:

Overarm:

Overpitched delivery:

Overthrows:

P
Pace bowling:

Pads:

Pad away:

Paddle sweep:

Paddle scoop:

Pair:

Par score:

Partnership:

Part-time bowler (or part-timer):

Pavilion:

Peach:

Pea roller:

Pegs:

Perfume ball:

Pfeiffer:

Pick:

Pick of the bowlers:

Picket fences:

Pie Chucker (or Pie Thrower):

Pinch hitter / Slogger:

Pink ball:

pitch:

Pitch up:

Pitch map:

Placement:

Platinum duck:

Play and miss:

Playing on:

Playing time:

Plumb:

Point:

Point of release:

Pongo:

Popper:

Popping crease:

Powerplay:

Pro20:

Pro40:

Projapoti:

Protected area:

Pull:

Pursuit:

Push: . 2. Can also refer to a bowler pushing the ball through, meaning they bowl it quicker (usually said of a spinner). See darting the ball in. }}

Put down:

Q
Quarter seam:

Quick:

Quick cricket:

Quick single:

Quota:

Quotient:

R
Ramp shot:

Rabbit:

Rain delay:

Rain rule:

Red ball:

Red cherry:

Referral:

Release:

Required run rate:

Reserve day:

Rest day:

Result:

Retire:

Reverse sweep:

Reverse swing:

Review:

Rib tickler:

Right arm:

Right hand:

Ring field:

Road:

Rogers:

Roller:

Rotate the strike:

Rough:

Round the wicket:

Roundarm bowling:

Royal Duck:

Run:

Run chase:

Run out:

Run rate:

Run-up:

Runner:

Runs per wicket ratio:

Runscorer:

S
Safe:

Sandshoe crusher:

Sawn off:

Scoop shot:

Scoreboard:

Scorer:

Scramble seam:

Seam:

Seam bowling:

Seamer:

Season:

Selector:

Sent in:

Series:

Session:

Shelled a Dolly:

Shepherd the strike:

Shooter:

Short:

Short-pitched:

Short of a length:

Short run:

Shot:

Shot selection:

Short Stop:

Shoulder Arms:

Side on:

Sight screen:

Silly:

Single:

Single wicket:

Sitter:

Six:

Skiddy:

Skier:

Skipper:

Skyline:

Slash:

Sledging:

Slice:

Slider:

Slingy:

Slip:

Slip catching cradle:

Slog:

Slog overs:

Slog sweep:

Slower ball:

Slow left armer:

Snick:

Snickometer:

Soft hands (batting):

Soft hands (fielding):

Specialist:

Spectacles:

Spell:

Spider Graph:

Spin bowling:

Spirit of cricket:

Splice:

Square:

Square leg:

Square-cut:

Stance (also batting stance):

Stand:

Standing up:

Start:

Steaming in:

Sticky dog:

Sticky wicket:

Stock ball:

Stock bowler:

Stock delivery:

Stodger:

Stonewaller:

Straight:

Straight bat:

Straight up-and-down:

Stranded:

Strangled:

Street:

Strike:

Strike bowler:

Strike rate:

Striker:

Stroke:

Stump:

Stumped:

Stumps:

Stump-cam:

Substitute:

Sun ball:

Sundry:

Supersub:

Super Over:

Surrey Cut:

Sweep:

Sweet spot:

Swerve:

Swing:

Swish:

Switch hit:

T
Tail:

Tail-ender:

Tampering:

Tape ball:

Target:

Tea:

Teesra:

Ten-wicket match:

Test cricket:

Textbook shot:

Third man:

Third umpire:

Through the gate:

Throwing:

Tice:

Tickle:

Tie:

Tied down:

Timber:

Timed match:

Timed out:

Timeless match:

Timing:

Toblerone:

Toe-crusher:

Ton:

Top edge:

Top order:

Top spin:

Toss:

Tour:

Tour match:

Track:

Triggered:

Trimmer:

Trundler:

Turn:

Turn blind:

Tweaker:

Twelfth man:

Twenty20:

Two:

U
Umpire:

Umpire Decision Review System:

Umpire's call: Outcome of the Umpire Decision Review System if the third umpire finds the evidence inconclusive, or within the stated margin of error. The original umpire's decision stands, but the review does not count towards the team limit on unsuccessful reviews.

Uncapped:

Underarm:

under-spin:

Unorthodox:

Unplayable delivery:

Upper Cut:

Uppish:

V
V:

Variation:

Vee:

Very fine leg: see

Village: Adjective, roughly equivalent to 'amateurish', indicating that the standard of play or organisation is typical for village cricket. Pejorative if applied to a professional.

Village cricket: Amateur cricket, particularly in England & Wales, with players typically drawn from a single village or suburb. The level of organisation varies: sometimes games are part of an official league, sometimes only friendly matches. The standard of play is below that of club cricket and often includes beginners to the sport.

W


Waft:

Wag:

Wagon wheel: a graphic which divides the field into six sectors (looking like the spoked wheel of a wagon), indicating how many runs a batter has scored with shots into each sector. see

Wait:

Walk:

Walking in:

Walking wicket:

Wash out:

Wearing wicket:

White ball:

Whites:

Wicket:

Wicket-keeper:

Wicket-keeper-batter:

Wicket maiden:

Wicket-to-wicket:

Wickets in hand:

Wide:

Wisden:

Women's cricket:

Worm:

Wrist spin:

Wrong foot:

Wrong footed:

Wrong 'un:

Y
Yes:

Yips:

Yorker:

Z
Zooter: