A glossary of Cricketing terms - The Cricket Dictionary

A glossary of Cricketing terms – The Cricket Dictionary: Cricket, more than most sports, is full of expressions and terms designed to bewilder the newcomer and often even the more seasoned follower. Most fans are unaware of the prevalent cricket phrases. Therefore in an attempt to unravel some of the stranger terminology, we have put together a cricket glossary, the dictionary of cricket. Let’s hope the collection can answer some of your queries and make you an educated follower the next time you watch a game of cricket.

Here is A glossary of Cricketing terms – The Cricket Dictionary: 

1. 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”).

2. Asking rate: The runs required per over for a team to win – mostly relevant in a limited over game.

3. Ball Tampering: The illegal action of changing the condition of the ball by artificial means, usually scuffing the surface, picking or lifting the seam of the ball, or applying substances other than sweat or saliva.

4. Bat-Pad: A fielding position close to the batsman designed to catch balls which pop up off the bat, often via the batsman’s pads.

5. 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.

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

7. Bye: A run scored when the batsman does not touch the ball with either his bat or body.

8. Carry your bat: An opening batsman who remains not out at the end of a completed innings (i.e. when all his team-mates are out).

9. Chest-on: Used to describe a bowler who delivers the ball with his chest facing the batsman.

10. Chinaman: A ball bowled by a left-arm slow bowler that turns into the right-hand batsman, in effect a left-arm leg spinner.

11. Chin music: Fast bowlers aiming the ball at the batsman’s head. The term originated in the Caribbean.

12. 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.

13. Dead ball: A ball from which no runs can be scored or wickets taken.

14. 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.

15. Economy rate: The average number of runs a bowler concedes per over.

16. Hawk-Eye: A tracking technology which helps to explain the intricacies of the sport, Hawk-Eye is helpful in judging LBWs.

17. Heavy ball: When a delivery is quicker than it looks and hits the bat harder or higher than is expected.

18. Inside-out shot: A stroke where the batsman moves towards the leg side and hits a ball around leg stump into the off side.

19. King pair: Hardly worth turning up if you get one of these out first ball for zero in both innings.

20. Leading edge: When the batsman mishits the ball and edges it forward in the opposite direction to which he was attempting to play.

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21. Long hop: A ball which pitches short, sits up and ‘begs’ to be hit.

22. Mankad: A term popular mainly in indoor cricket – but also fairly popular in Australia for outdoor cricket. Mankad is when the bowler brings his arm round and, instead of releasing the ball, runs out the non-striker by whipping off the bails. This type of dismissal is rare – and usually a warning is given to the batsman beforehand. Named after Vinoo Mankad, who twice dismissed the Australian Bill Brown this way.

23. Minefield: A difficult batting track. The pitch is in such a state of disrepair that it is almost impossible to play “proper” shots as the ball is popping up everywhere.

24. Nelson: The English superstition that 111 and its multiples are unlucky. The sticks resemble 111, and is loosely connected with Lord Nelson’s physical attributes. Double Nelson is 222.

25. Nightwatchman: A non-batsman promoted up the order towards the end of a day’s play with the idea of shielding a recognised batsman in the final overs.

26. On the up: Making contact with the ball before it reaches the top of the bounce – hitting it on the rise. Viv Richards was a prominent exponent.

27. Off the mark: When the batsman scores his first run.

28. 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 an ODI – 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.

29. Plumb: When the batsman is clearly LBW, even at full speed, he is said to be plumb in front.

30. Ring Field: A standard fielding arrangement, with men positioned in a circle all around the bat saving the single.

31. Shoulder arms: The description of when a batsman decides that rather than risk being dismissed from a ball he lifts the bat high above his shoulder to attempt to keep his bat and hands out of harm’s way.

32. Sitter: The easiest, most innocuous and undroppable catch that a fielder can ever receive.

33. Two-paced: A wicket that is beginning to break up, usually after three or four days of a Test match, and so produces some deliveries that leap off a length, and others that sneak through at shin-height.

34. Wrong ‘un: Australian term for a googly – A leg spinner’s delivery that turns in the opposite direction, i.e. from off to leg.

35. Wagon-wheel: A circular graph or line-drawing depicting the region in which a batsman has scored his runs.

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