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Cricket Glossary
Learn the language of Cricket — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
104 terms
- Leaving the BallBeginnerLeaving the ball means choosing not to play at a delivery and lifting your bat and hands up out of its path. As a result, it goes through to the keeper. Leave balls you judge will miss the stumps, usually those wide of off stump or bouncing over the top. Move your feet into position first, then lift the bat high and keep watching the ball until it passes you.
- Left-Handed BattingBeginnerBat the way that gives you the most control, whatever hand you write with. Research has found pro batters are much more likely than beginners to bat with their stronger hand on top of the handle. Left-handers face different angles from bowlers. Left-right partnerships make bowlers keep changing their line.
- Line in Cricket (Off-Stump, Fourth-Stump and Leg-Stump Lines)BeginnerLine describes how far across the pitch the ball is, from leg side to off side. Common lines are leg stump, middle stump, off stump, and the "fourth stump" and "fifth stump" lines outside off. The fourth stump line is an imaginary stump just outside off stump. Seam bowlers aim there to find edges.
- Match Results (Win, Tie, Draw)BeginnerA cricket match ends in a win, a tie or a draw. A side wins by scoring more runs than the other side does in its completed innings. A tie means every innings is complete and the scores are level. A draw means the match ends without either of those, usually because time runs out in a multi-day game before the side batting last is bowled out or reaches its target.
- Nerves Before BattingBeginnerFeeling nervous before you bat is normal, and a little helps you stay sharp. Get padded up early, watch the bowlers and plan your first few balls. Take slow breaths with a long out-breath. Then focus only on watching the next ball. The aim is to manage nerves, not to get rid of them.
- New BallBeginnerThe new ball is a freshly manufactured cricket ball at the start of an innings (or available after a set number of overs). This swings and seams most readily due to its hard, lacquered surface and prominent seam.
- NightwatchmanBeginnerA nightwatchman is a lower-order batter sent in ahead of a specialist batter late in a day's play. The aim is to protect the better batter from getting out in the last few overs. The specialist then starts fresh the next morning. It is a tactic, not a Law.
- No-BallBeginnerA no-ball is an illegal delivery in cricket. Most commonly when the bowler's front foot lands beyond the popping crease — resulting in one extra run and the delivery being re-bowled. The batter cannot be out bowled, caught, LBW, stumped or hit wicket. Run out, hit the ball twice and obstructing the field still apply (Law 21.17).
- Not Out and Carrying the BatBeginnerCarrying the bat means an opening batter is still not out when the rest of the team is all out. They batted through the whole innings. Not out simply means a batter was still in when the innings ended. Scorecards usually show it with an asterisk, such as 45*.
- Off DriveBeginnerThe off drive is a front-foot drive that sends a full ball on or just outside off stump wide of the bowler towards mid-off. Lead with your front shoulder and step towards the pitch of the ball. Keep your head over it and swing straight through with a full face, finishing high.
- Oiling a Cricket BatBeginnerOil a natural-faced bat with light coats of raw linseed oil or a specialist bat oil. Rub it into the face, edges and toe with a cloth, and keep it off the splice and stickers. Let each coat soak in, then wipe off the excess. Too much oil can soften the willow and spoil its performance.
- One-Day International (ODI)BeginnerA one-day international is an international match where each team bats once, for up to 50 overs. Each bowler can bowl no more than 10 overs. The fielding side is limited to two fielders outside the 30-yard circle in overs 1 to 10, four in overs 11 to 40 and five in overs 41 to 50. A tie is settled by a Super Over.
- Outfield PlayBeginnerOutfield play refers to fielding beyond the inner ring near the boundary, where players must intercept, chase, slide, and throw powerfully to prevent boundaries and effect run-outs.
- Over and Maiden OverBeginnerAn over is a set of six valid balls bowled by one bowler from one end. Wides and no balls do not count toward the six, so an over can contain more than six deliveries. A maiden over is an over in which no runs are charged to the bowler. Byes and leg byes do not spoil a maiden, but a run off the bat, a wide or a no ball does.
- Overthrows in CricketBeginnerOverthrows are extra runs scored when a fielder's throw misses its target and the batters keep running. The ball stays in play until it is dead, so the batters can add more runs. If a throw at the stumps crosses the boundary, the side gets the boundary allowance plus runs already completed.
- Pair and King PairBeginnerA pair is getting out for nought in both innings of a two-innings match, such as a Test. A king pair, also called a golden pair, is out first ball for nought in both innings. Both are two ducks in one match, so you only hear of them in formats where each side bats twice.
- Pitch Slang: Featherbed, Road, Sticky Wicket, ShooterBeginnerA featherbed is a soft, slow pitch with predictable bounce, and a road is a very hard, flat pitch. Both are great for batting. A sticky wicket is a difficult wet pitch. A shooter is a ball that skids low after pitching, and a grubber barely bounces at all.
- Play and Miss (Beaten Outside Off)BeginnerBeaten outside off means the batter played at a ball outside off stump and missed it, often by a whisker past the outside edge. It is also called a play and miss. It usually comes from a ball that swings or seams away, or from chasing a ball wide of the body.
- Plumb (Plumb LBW)BeginnerPlumb LBW means an LBW so clear that nobody can argue with it. The ball pitched in line, hit the batter in line with the stumps and was going on to hit them. Batters given out plumb usually walk off, because a review would almost never save them.
- PowerplayBeginnerA powerplay is a set of overs in limited-overs cricket when the fielding side may have only a few fielders outside the 30-yard circle. In T20 internationals the first six overs allow two fielders outside it. In one-day internationals, overs 1 to 10 allow two, overs 11 to 40 allow four and overs 41 to 50 allow five. Other competitions can set their own versions, so check your playing conditions.
- Practising Batting Alone at HomeBeginnerYou can do a lot of batting work alone. Try shadow batting in front of a mirror, a hanging ball or ball in a sock, and drives off a batting tee into a net. Hitting a tennis ball off a wall works your reactions. Use a soft or tennis ball at home, and give each session one clear focus.
- Retired Hurt and Retired OutBeginnerRetired out means a batter chose to leave the field for a reason other than injury or illness, and did not come back. Retired hurt, recorded as retired not out, means they left because of injury, illness or another unavoidable cause. A retired-hurt batter may resume. A retired-out batter may resume only with the opposing captain's consent.
- Run OutBeginnerA run out happens when a fielder puts down the wicket while a batter is out of their ground, whether or not a run is being attempted (Law 38.1). The batter is out.
- Saliva Ban and Shining the BallBeginnerBowlers cannot use saliva because MCC banned it in the Laws from October 2022. It found saliva unhygienic and open to abuse, and data showed sweat polished the ball just as well. Fielders may still shine the ball on their clothing with sweat, but no artificial substance.
- Short Run in CricketBeginnerA short run happens when a batter turns for another run without first making their ground at the end. That run does not count, and the umpire signals one short. If the umpires decide batters ran short on purpose, no runs count, and the fielding side gets 5 penalty runs.
- SightscreenBeginnerA sightscreen is a large board behind the bowler, beyond the boundary, that gives the batter a plain background to see the ball against. If someone moves in front of it, a batter can pull away and ask the umpire to wait.
- Sledging (How to Deal With It)BeginnerSledging is fielders talking to a batter to put them off. To deal with it, do not reply, stick to your between-ball routine and focus only on the next ball. If words become obscene, offensive or insulting, tell the umpire, because that is a conduct offence under the Laws.
- Straight BatBeginnerPlaying with a straight bat means swinging the bat vertically, in line with the ball's path. It is the safest, most orthodox way to defend and drive full or good-length balls.
- StumpedBeginnerA batter is out stumped if the wicket-keeper breaks the wicket while they are out of their ground and not attempting a run. No other fielder may be involved. You cannot be stumped off a no ball, but you can be stumped off a wide. Keep part of your bat or body grounded behind the popping crease.
- StumpsBeginnerStumps are the three upright wooden posts — off stump, middle stump, and leg stump — that form each wicket in cricket, topped by two small bails that fall if the ball strikes them.
- Super OverBeginnerThe super over is a tie-breaking mechanism in limited-overs cricket — if scores are tied at the end of a match, each team bats one final over of six balls to determine the winner.
- T20 FormatBeginnerT20 (Twenty20) cricket is the shortest mainstream format of the game — each side bats for a maximum of 20 overs — producing fast-paced, high-scoring matches usually completed in under three hours.
- Tailender (Rabbit or Bunny)BeginnerA tailender is a player who bats near the end of the order, usually a specialist bowler. The tail is the group of lower-order batters. A rabbit is a very weak batter. A top batter who keeps getting out to the same bowler is called that bowler's rabbit or bunny.
- Taking GuardBeginnerTaking guard means lining up your bat with a chosen stump before you face. It tells you where your stumps are. Hold the bat upright on the crease and ask the umpire at the bowler's end for leg stump, middle and leg, or middle. Then mark the spot. Many batters start on middle or middle and leg.
- Test CricketBeginnerTest cricket is the oldest, longest, and most prestigious format of the sport — played over up to five days between two national teams, with each side receiving two innings and ten wickets to be dismissed.
- The Hundred (100-Ball Cricket)BeginnerThe Hundred is a 100-ball-per-innings competition in England and Wales. Bowlers deliver five or ten balls in a row, as the captain chooses, and ends change every 10 balls. Each bowler may bowl up to 20 balls. Each side has a 25-ball powerplay with two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
- Toe Guard, Scuff Sheet and Bat RepairBeginnerA toe guard protects the bottom of the bat from knocks off the ground and from yorkers. A clear anti-scuff sheet protects the face from minor cracks, and edge tape adds protection to the edges. All willow bats crack over time. Get small cracks repaired early, before they spread.
- Wagon Wheel, Pitch Map and BeehiveBeginnerA wagon wheel is a chart of where a batter hit their scoring shots. Lines run from the pitch out to where each shot went. A pitch map shows where a bowler's balls landed on the pitch. A beehive shows where those balls passed the batter at the stumps.
- Walking (Leaving Without Waiting for the Umpire)BeginnerWalking means a batter leaves the field after edging a catch, without waiting for the umpire's decision. The Laws do not make you walk. They let you leave without an appeal, but an umpire cannot give you out unless a fielder appeals. Whether to walk is a personal and team choice.
- Warming Up Before BattingBeginnerWarm up before batting with light jogging and moving stretches, then a few short sprints and turns like running between the wickets. Finish with shadow batting and some throwdowns or catches to get your eyes and hands going. If you bat lower down, warm up again shortly before you go in.
- Ways to Be Out in CricketBeginnerThe Laws of Cricket list nine ways to be out. They are bowled, caught, hit the ball twice, hit wicket, LBW, obstructing the field, run out, stumped and timed out. A batter can also be recorded as 'retired out'. Off a no ball, only hit the ball twice, obstructing the field and run out apply.
- Weight TransferBeginnerWeight transfer in batting is the movement of the batter's bodyweight from back foot to front foot (or vice versa) as the stroke is executed, generating power and setting up correct balance through impact.
- WicketBeginnerIn cricket, a wicket refers both to the set of three stumps and two bails at each end of the pitch, and to the act of dismissing a batter — "taking a wicket" means getting a batter out.
- WideBeginnerA wide is a delivery the umpire judges too wide, or too high, for the striker to hit with a normal cricket stroke from where they stand (Law 22.1). It adds one run and must be bowled again. Many competitions paint wide guide lines and set stricter limits in their playing conditions.
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