Cricket glossary

A

All out: An innings over because ten batters are out, leaving the last one not out.
All-rounder: A player picked for both batting and bowling.
Arm ball: A finger-spinner’s ball that goes straight on instead of turning.
Asking rate: The runs per over a chasing side still needs. Also the required rate.

Bails: The two small pieces of wood resting on top of the stumps.
Beamer: A full toss above waist height without bouncing. A no-ball, and dangerous.
Bouncer: A short ball that rears up at the batter’s head or chest.
Boundary: The edge of the field, and the four or six scored by reaching it.
Bowled: Out because the bowler’s delivery hit the stumps and knocked a bail off.
Bye: A run taken when the ball misses the bat, the body and the keeper.

Carrom ball: A spinner’s ball flicked out between the thumb and a bent middle finger.
Caught behind: Caught by the wicketkeeper off an edge.
Century: A hundred runs by one batter in an innings.
Crease: The white lines at each end. Batters are safe behind the popping crease.

Dead ball: A ball from which no runs or wickets can come, called by the umpire.
Death overs: The last overs of a limited-overs innings: 16 to 20 in a T20, 46 to 50 in an ODI.
Declaration: A captain ending their side’s innings early in two-innings cricket.
Dibbly-dobbly: Gentle medium pace that is hard to hit for its lack of speed.
DLS: Duckworth–Lewis–Stern, the method for setting targets in matches shortened by rain.
Doosra: The off-spinner’s ball that turns away from a right-handed batter.
Dot ball: A legal ball from which no runs are scored.
DRS: The Decision Review System, for appealing an on-field decision to the TV umpire.
Duck: Out for nought. A golden duck is out first ball.

Economy rate: Runs a bowler concedes per over.
Edge: The ball glancing off the side of the bat.
Extras: Runs not scored off the bat: wides, no-balls, byes, leg byes and penalty runs.

Five-for: Five wickets for one bowler in an innings. Also a five-wicket haul.
Follow-on: Making the side that trails by 200 or more in a Test bat again straight away.
Free hit: The ball after a no-ball in limited-overs cricket, from which the batter can only be run out.
Full toss: A ball that reaches the batter without bouncing.

Golden duck: Out first ball, for nought.
Googly: The leg-spinner’s ball that turns into a right-handed batter. Also a wrong ’un.
Gully: A catching position square of the slips on the off side.

Half-century: Fifty runs by one batter in an innings.
Hat-trick: Three wickets in three balls for the same bowler.
Hit wicket: Out by knocking the stumps with the bat or body while playing a shot or setting off.
Hundred: A century. The Hundred is also an English 100-ball competition.

Impact Player: The IPL’s substitute, who can replace a player in the XI during the match.
Innings: A side’s turn to bat, or one batter’s stay at the crease. Singular and plural.

Leg before wicket: LBW: out because the ball hit the body when it would have hit the stumps.
Leg break: A wrist-spinner’s stock ball, turning away from a right-handed batter.
Leg bye: A run taken after the ball comes off the batter’s body, not the bat.
Leg side: The half of the field behind a batter as they take guard. Also on side.
Length: How far down the pitch the ball bounces: full, good, back of a length or short.
Line: Where the ball is aimed across the pitch: off stump, leg stump, wide.

Maiden: An over with no runs off the bat and no wides or no-balls.
Mankad: Running out the non-striker for leaving the crease before the ball is bowled. Legal.

Nightwatcher: A lower-order batter sent in late in the day to protect a better one. Also nightwatchman.
No-ball: An illegal delivery, usually overstepping the crease, worth a run and bowled again.
Not out: A batter still in when the innings ends, or an appeal turned down.

Off break: A finger-spinner’s stock ball, turning into a right-handed batter.
Off side: The half of the field a batter faces as they take guard.
Over: Six legal balls from one bowler.

Pair: Two ducks in the same match. A king pair is out first ball both times.
Par score: The total that gives the side batting first an even chance of winning at that ground.
Partnership: The runs two batters add together before one is out.
Pinch hitter: A lower-order batter promoted to score quickly.
Powerplay: Overs with fewer fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle.

Retired hurt: A batter who leaves injured and may come back. Retired out means they can’t.
Reverse swing: Swing from an old ball, moving the opposite way to conventional swing.
Run out: Out because the wicket was broken while the batter was short of the crease.
Run rate: Runs scored per over.

Seam: The stitching round the ball, and movement off the pitch when it lands on it.
Session: One of a Test day’s three periods of play, split by lunch and tea.
Sledging: Talk from fielders meant to put a batter off.
Slips: Catchers standing beside the wicketkeeper on the off side for edges.
Stumped: Out because the keeper broke the wicket while the batter was out of the crease, having missed.
Stumps: The three upright posts of the wicket, and the close of a day’s play.
Super over: A one-over-a-side tie-break in limited-overs cricket.
Swing: Sideways movement of the ball through the air.

Umpire’s call: A DRS review too close to overturn, so the on-field decision stands.