Cricket Terms Explained

Cricket has an extensive number of terms associated with it and it's important to know your bails from your balls and your maiden from your nightwatchman.

All-rounder:  Refers to a player who is good at both batting and bowling, or may be a wicketkeeper who can also bat well.

Appeal:  For a batsman to be given out, the bowling side must appeal to the umpire with a shout of 'How’s that?', often referred to or heard as 'howzat?'

Ashes:  A small wooden urn containing the ashes of a bail which was burnt after Australia first beat England in 1882. It is currently played at approximately two yearly intervals, alternately in England and Australia.

Bails:  The small pieces of timber which sit on top of the stumps – have to be knocked off or dislodged for a batsman to be given out.

Batsman:  A player who is 'in bat' aiming to score runs.

Bouncer:  A ball bowled at fast pace and pitched short with the intention of reaching the batsman at chest height – forcing him to take evasive action or to play a difficult stroke.

Boundary:  The outer limit of the playing area marked by a rope. It also refers to a stroke by the batsman that hits the rope, gaining four runs.

Bowler:  A player who delivers the ball to the batsman or batswoman. Types include: fast bowler, medium pace bowler and slow or spin bowler.

Box:  The protective device worn by players to protect the pelvic bone and all the other important bits – you know what we are talking about! There are male and female-specific boxes.

Bye:  A run scored through a means other than being hit by the bat. For example: the ball hitting the batter’s pad, after an attempt to play a shot and the batter is able to complete a run.

Caught behind:  A ball caught off the bat or the glove by the wicketkeeper before it bounces.

Clean bowled:  When a batter misses the ball completely and his stumps are directly hit.

Crease:  Refers to the line located 48 inches (1.21 metres) in front of the stumps and denotes the batsman's ‘safe’ ground where he cannot be stumped or run out.

Duck:  A score of nought for a batsman. A ‘golden duck’ refers to being out first ball.

Edge:  Refers to the perimeter of the bat which can be hit by the ball and lead to the batsman being caught.

Fielder:  A player placed strategically within the field of play, with the object of stopping runs being scored and getting batsmen out.

Innings:  The period of time spent batting by a team or an individual.

Leg before wicket (LBW):  A decision made by the umpire where the ball would have hit the stumps had it not hit the legs of the batsman first.

Maiden:  Refers to an over (six balls) bowled without a single run being scored.

Nets:  An area literally surrounded by netting, in which the players practice.

Nightwatchman:  A player who normally bats near the bottom of the order, but is sent in near the end of the day’s play when a wicket has fallen to protect a better batsman – often when the light is fading.

Over:  The correct number of consecutive balls that should be bowled by a bowler; consisting of six balls.

Pad:  Protection for the legs used by both the batsmen and wicketkeepers to prevent them being hurt by the ball.

Run out:  A means of getting the batsman out by knocking the stumps with the ball – before he has made his ground within the batting crease.

Stumps:  The three sticks at each end of the pitch which has two bails set on top of them.

Test:  An international match lasting five days and usually consisting of four innings.

Twenty20 cricket:  Twenty20 is an explosive shortened version of cricket in which each side bats for 20 overs (120 balls).

Wicket:  Can refer to several things including: the stumps, the batting section of the pitch or dismissal of a batsman, for example: 'a bowler has taken five wickets'.