Glossary of terms used in cricket

The sport of cricket has a large vocabulary which includes many unusual terms. A comprehensive glossary is a necessary aid for people trying to understand the sport. The list below, still under construction, highlights key terms for expansion into glossary format. Many of these terms will need an article in their own right.

Contents:	Top – 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

As of June 2025

A

All out

Ten members of the batting team have been dismissed, and the innings ends at that point. One batter remains not out.

All-rounder

A player who is good at both batting and bowling—the majority of players are good at only one. The all-rounder often bats in the middle of the batting order. Depending on whether he/she is better in one skill than the other, they may be termed a batting all-rounder or a bowling all-rounder. There are also wicket-keeper-batters (see below). A "genuine" all-rounder is a player who is equally good at batting and bowling. This type of player is also, usually, a good fielder. Famous all-rounders include W. G. Grace, Gary Sobers, and Ellyse Perry.

Appeal

Most usually associated with the "Owzat!" call to the umpire which is made by the bowler and other fielders when they believe the batter should be given out. In fact, it is a request by any player to an umpire for a decision on anything that may affect play: for example, an appeal by a batter for play to be suspended because of poor light.

Averages

Batting average is the mean number of runs scored by a batter per innings and is calculated by dividing their total number of runs scored by the number of completed (excluding not out) innings they have played through the period under consideration (e.g., series, season, career). Bowling average is the mean cost of runs conceded by a bowler per wicket taken and is calculated by dividing the total runs conceded by the number of wickets taken, again by period.

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Around the wicket

When the bowler is right handed, bowling over the wicket is when he's on the right of the stumps. When he is left handed, it is when he bowls on the left on the stumps. After bowling over the wicket, the bowler might try bowling around the wicket. This might make the batsman make an error.

The Ashes

The perpetual prize in England v Australia Test match series. Invented by The Sporting Times in 1882, after a match when Australia beat England on an English ground for the first time. The obituary said that English cricket had died, and the body would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The English press dubbed the next English tour to Australia (1882–83) as the quest to regain The Ashes. During that tour a small terracotta urn was presented to England captain Ivo Bligh by a group of Melbourne women. The contents of the urn are reputed to be the ashes of an item of cricket equipment, a bail.

Asking rate

The run rate at which the team batting second needs to score to catch the opponents' score in a limited overs game. Same as 'required run rate'.

B

Bails

Ball

See Cricket ball below.

Bat

See Cricket bat below.

Batter

Batting

Batting average

See Averages above.

Boundary

The perimeter of the playing field. It is often defined by a rope encircling the outer edge of the field, with spectator seating beyond. During play, a shot by the batter which clears the boundary on the full is worth six runs—this is similar to a home run in baseball. A shot which reaches the boundary after the ball has been in contact with the ground is worth four runs, and that is often called "scoring a boundary".

Bowled

Bowler

Bowling

Bowling average

See Averages above.

Bowling crease

Bye

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Backlift

Lifting the bat in preparation to hitting the ball.

Backing up

The term has two meanings. A non striker (the batsman who is not receiving) advances a few steps, and hopes the batsman on strike will score some runs. This is a way to get quick singles.

When a fielder backs up, he covers another fielder in case that one misses the ball. This prevents the possibility of more runs being scored because of an overthrow.

Bad light

Bad light is a reason to stop the play. The umpires may stop the game if they think the fielders, batsmen or bowlers cannot see well enough to play. Sometimes the umpires offer the light to the batsmen. This means they ask them if they want to continue batting or not when it starts to get dark. In one day matches, umpires usually let play continue.

Bails

Each set of three stumps has a pair of bails. They are also made of wood. They are just less than five inches long. They cannot be more than one inch above the stumps. For a batsman to be out at least one of the bails must fall. If neither falls, the batsman cannot be out.

Ball-tampering

Bowlers often polish the ball, usually on their trousers. However, nobody is allowed to rub it on the pitch or ground. Ball-tampering is when a bowler or fielder deliberately scratches the balls. The most famous example was in 1994. England captain Mike Atherton was fined £2,000 for ball-tampering in a match against South Africa. He had dirt in his pocket. He said he was using it to stop his hands sweating.

Beamer

A beamer is a ball which does not bounce in front of the batsman. Instead it is aimed directly at his head. Sometimes it is done deliberately, but it is usually an error from the bowler.

Block hole

The block hole is a small hole in the pitch. It is normally just behind or in front of the popping crease. It is made by the batsman so he knows where to stand. He will usually ask the umpire to help him. The block hole may be for example in line with the leg stump.

Bouncer

A bouncer (or a bumper) is a fast ball. It is bowled short so that it bounces up towards the batsman's head. It is used to intimidate them. Sometimes the ball is bounced to high and the umpire calls a no-ball. If the bowler bowls too many bouncers the umpire may stop him from bowling. In a one-day game, a bouncer which goes over the batsman's head can be called a wide by the umpire.

Box

The box is a hard protector for the region of the groin. batsmen, wicketkeepers and close fielders usually wear it. The cricket ball is very hard, so the box is an essential part of equipment for a cricketer.

Bump Ball

When a batsman hits the ball into the ground and a fielder catches it, it is called a bump ball. The batsman is not out. However, some spectators which are far away sometimes appeal for a catch because it looked like the fielder caught the ball without it bouncing.

Bye and Leg Bye

Any runs scored without the ball touching the bat or the batsman's body is called byes. Usually the wicketkeeper stops the ball, but sometimes he misses resulting in byes.

Leg byes are scored when the ball touches any part of the body other than the hands (which count as the bat). Byes and leg byes are not counted as runs for the batsman. They are counted as extras.

C

Captain

Caught

Century

Chinaman (unorthodox left arm spin)

Creases

Four white lines painted at each end of the pitch. They are dual-purpose as they define the batter's safe territory and determine the limit of the bowler's approach. They are called the bowling crease, the popping crease, and two return creases (see entries for each term).

Cricket ball

Cricket bat

Cricket field

The playing area. It is a large grassy space of variable size and shape, though normally round or oval with a diameter of 140 to 160 yards.

Cricket pitch

See Pitch.

D

Declaration

Delivery

Dismissal

Draw

The result of an unfinished double-innings match, in which the team batting last has not scored enough runs to win the game when playing time ends. Law 16.5.2 defines it as a game which has not ended in either a tie or a victory.

Duck

E

Equipment

Extras

F

Fast bowling

Fielder

Fielding

Finger spin

First-class cricket

Follow-on

G

Googly

H

Handled the ball

Helicopter shot

An unconventional batting shot which was made popular by MS Dhoni. The batter uses a low grip and a high backlift when expecting to receive a full-length delivery such as a yorker. The shot requires fast wrist movement to force the ball upwards, the intention being to score six runs. Dhoni characterised the shot by using shoulder rotation in his follow-through, and circling the bat over his head.

Hit the ball twice

Hit wicket

I

Innings

Inswinger

International Cricket Council (ICC)

L

Laws

Short form for The Laws of Cricket.

League cricket

Leg before wicket (lbw)

Leg break

Leg bye

Limited overs

List A cricket

M

Maiden

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)

Men's cricket

N

No ball

Non-striker

Not out

O

Obstructed the field

Off break

Orthodox left arm spin

Out

Outswinger

Oval

Cricket fields tend to be either round or oval in shape, with a diameter of 140 to 160 yards. There are many grounds with "Oval" in their name, such as the Adelaide Oval; the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown; and, most famously, The Oval at Kennington in south London.

Over

Overarm bowling

Overthrow

P

Partnership

Pavilion

Pitch

See Pitch.

Pitched delivery bowling

Playing time

Popping crease

R

Result

Return crease

Roundarm bowling

Run

Run out

S

Schools cricket

Scoring

Seam bowling

Sightscreen

Single

Single wicket

Spell

Spin bowling

The Spirit of Cricket

A preamble (introduction) to the 2017 issue of The Laws of Cricket. It emphasises the need for respect and fair play, regardless of the actual Laws (rules) of the game.

Square leg

Striker

Stump

Stumped

Substitute

Swing bowling

T

Team

Test cricket

Tie

The result of a match (of any kind) in which all innings have been completed, and the scores are equal. In top-class double-innings matches, ties are rare, and only 69 have been recorded from the first in 1741 to the end of 2024. There have been two "Tied Tests": Australia v West Indies at the Brisbane Cricket Ground in 1960; and India v Australia at the Chepauk Stadium in 1986.

Timed out

Toss

Twenty20

U

Umpire

Underarm bowling

V

Village cricket

W

Wicket

Wicket-keeper

Wide

Wisden

Short form used for Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, which has been published annually since 1864.

Women's cricket

Wrist spin

Y

Yorker

Bibliography

• Barclays (1986). "Part XI: Glossary". In Swanton, E. W.; Plumptre, George; Woodcock, George (eds.). Barclays World of Cricket. London: HarperCollins. pp. 693–700. ISBN 978-00-02181-93-8.
• Chambers (2006). The Chambers Dictionary (10th ed.). Chambers Harrap. ISBN 978-0-5501-0185-3.
• "The Laws of Cricket" (3rd ed.). Marylebone Cricket Club. 2017.
• Oxford (2004). Oxford English Dictionary (11th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-1986-0864-6.
• Williamson, Martin (2007). "A glossary of cricket terms". ESPN Sports Media Ltd.