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

Transcription

1 Cricket Acronyms

2 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") Asking rate: The runs required per over for a team to win - mostly relevant in a one-dayer All-rounder: A cricket all-rounder is a player who bats and bowls well. Appeal: An appeal in cricket is the bowling and fielding team's act of asking the umpire to give a batter out. Average (batting): The batting average in cricket is the average number of runs a batter scores per innings. Bails- One of the wooden crosspieces that sits on top of adjacent pairs of stumps to form a wicket Bowled: 'Bowled', one of the ten ways of getting out in cricket, is when the bowler hits the batter's stumps and dislodges a bail. Bowler: Bowler is a player who is skilled at bowling and whose main objective is to take wickets. Bye: A bye (or byes) in cricket are any runs scored off a ball that does not touch the bat or any part of the batter. Caught: 'Caught', one of the ten ways of getting out in cricket, is when a batter's shot is caught cleanly by a fielder before it touches the ground. Bowling: Bowling in cricket is the act of propelling the ball towards the batter, with the main aim of getting them out. 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 (and generally frowned on)

3 Bouncer: A short-pitched ball which passes the batsman at chest or head height Boundary: The perimeter of a cricket field, or the act of the batsman scoring a four or a six Box: An abdominal protector worn by batsmen and wicketkeepers. It is also an old term for a fielder in the gully region. Bump Ball: A ball which is played off the bat almost instantly into the ground and is caught by a fielder. Often this has the appearance of being a clean catch Clean Bowled: When a batter is beaten by a ball and subsequently dismissed through the stumps being broken. Crease: One of the white lines marked on the pitch to denote different areas of play; either the bowling crease, popping crease, or return crease. Chest-on: used to describe a bowler who delivers the ball with his chest facing the batsman, as opposed to being side on Chinaman: A ball bowled by a left-arm slow bowler that turns into the right-hand batsman, in effect a left-arm leg spinner. Chucker: Another term for a bowler who throws the ball 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 Century: A cricket century is a hundred runs by one player in a single innings. Dead ball: A ball from which no runs can be scored or wickets taken. 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

4 Drifter/ Floater: A delivery bowled by an off spinner which curves away from a right-hander, and then carries straight on instead of turning Death overs: The death overs are the last five to ten overs of a team's innings in a limited over cricket match. Duck: A score of 0 Duckworth Lewis: Named after Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, two mathematicians who devised a system to help decide one-day cricket matches when rain interrupts play. Dot Balls: A dot ball in cricket is a delivery from which no runs are scored, and a very important aspect of bowling. Economy rate: The average number of runs a bowler concedes per over Extras Runs: not scored by batsmen. There are four common extras - byes, leg byes, wides and no-balls. In Australia these are known as sundries Flipper: A variation for the leg spinner that appears to be pitching short but the ball skids on quickly and often results in bowled or lbw. It is a delivery that is used sparingly Full toss: A ball that reaches the batsmen without bouncing. Above waist height it becomes a beamer Fast Bowling: Bowling technique that relies primarily on delivering the ball at high speed. Five-for: also known as a five-wicket bag, is five wickets taken by one bowler in a single innings. Four: a four is the scoring of four runs with a shot that bounces before touching or crossing the boundary of the field.

5 Free hit: in cricket is a kind of wild card for batters to hit out without fear of being caught or bowled out. Good length: The ideal length that the bowler aims for, getting the batsman in two minds as whether to play forwards or back Googly: The leg spinner's variation that turns into the right-hander and away from the left-hander Golden duck: A golden duck is the dismissal of a batter in a cricket match for zero runs off their first ball. Half volley: A ball that is the perfect length for driving, fuller than a good length but not a full-toss Handled the ball: If the batsmen deliberately touches the ball with his hands he can be given out. Hit the ball twice: If a batsmen deliberately strikes the ball twice to gain runs he can be given out. However, the batsman can knock the ball away from his stumps with the bat Hit Wicket: To strike and subsequently break the stumps with the bat resulting in the batter s dismissal. Hat-trick: is three wickets in three consecutive balls bowled by a single bowler. Inside out: turning the batsman - A batsman aims to leg but the ball goes past the off and he is forced to play the ball open-chested Innings: The period of time spent batting by a team or individual. Laws of Cricket: The Laws of Cricket are the official rules of the sport established by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and updated by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

6 Leg Before Wicket: If the ball hits the batsman without first hitting the bat, but would have hit the wicket if the batsman was not there, and the ball does not pitch on the leg side of the wicket the batsman will be out. However, if the ball strikes the batsman outside the line of the off-stump, and the batsman was attempting to play a stroke, he is not out. Leading edge: When the batsman mis-hits the ball and edges it forward in the opposite direction to which he was attempting to play Leg-bye: When the ball deflects off the pad and the batsmen run. A shot must be offered to the ball. Leg-byes do not count against the bowler Leg-break/spin: When the ball pitches and turns from leg to off for a right-hander Leg-cutter: A ball which cuts and moves away from the batsman towards the offside (if he is a righthander) Leg-side: The area of the pitch behind the batsman's legs Length: Where the ball pitches down the wicket. Lengths can be generally short, full or good Line: The line of attack the bowler employs when he is bowling Maiden: An over where no runs that are attributable to the bowler are scored (byes or leg-byes may be scored in this over, though, as these don't count against the bowler) Match referee: match referee in international cricket matches oversees a match from off the field and upholds the ICC Cricket Code of Conduct and Laws of Cricket. Net Run Rate: A system for separating sides who finish on level points in multiteam tournaments. Click here for more details.

7 New ball: Can usually be taken every 80 overs. The advantage is to quick bowlers who have a shiny and bouncy ball, but conversely it can result in an increase in scoring rate as the ball comes off the bat faster Nick: A faint edge off the bat No-ball: An illegitimate delivery, usually when the bowler has overstepped on the front crease Non Striker: A term used to describe the batter waiting at the bowler s end. Not Out: A not out batter in a cricket innings has started batting but has not yet been dismissed or retired. Off-break/spin: A ball turning into the right hander- from off to leg (from left to right) Off-cutter: An offbreak delivered at speed Off the mark: When the batsman scores his first run Off-side: The side of the pitch which is to batsman's right (if right-handed), or left (if left-handed) On-side: The same as the leg-side ODI: A one day international (ODI) is a 50-over-per-side cricket match between two national teams, completed in a single day's play. Out: There are ten possible ways of being out: bowled, caught, hit wicket, lbw, stumped, timed out, handled the ball, obstruction, hit the ball twice, and run out. To be out "retired out" is gaining in currency and popularity and counts as a dismissal, unlike "retired hurt" Outside edge: When the ball hits the edge of the bat which is furthest away from his body Outswing: When the ball swings away from the batsman and towards the slips

8 Over: Six fair deliveries completes one of these. Opener: An opener in cricket is one of two batters who start, or 'open', a team's innings. Paddle: A sweep shot Pair: A pair in cricket is the dismissal of a batter for a duck (zero runs) in both innings of a match. 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 a one-dayer - 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 Pitch: The bounce of the ball - "it pitches on a good length". Also, the cut strip in the centre of the field of play Play on: When a batsman hits the ball but it goes on to hit the stumps and he is bowled Plumb: When the batsman is clearly LBW, even at full speed, he is said to be plumb in front. Powerplay: This was introduced by the ICC in 2005 to try to spruce up the middle overs of one-day internationals by enforcing the bowling side to take three blocks of overs in which they have to have extra fielders within the 30-yard circle. The first Powerplay is mandatory through the first ten overs of the innings, the second and third ones, of five overs each, can be taken at any other time. In rain-reduced matches the duration of the second and third Powerplays is reduced in proportion to the overall reduction. Pull: A back-foot leg-side shot, distinct from the hook because the pull is played to a ball that hasn't risen as high.

9 Reverse Sweep: The epitome of the type of shot you will not find in the MCC coaching manual. This stroke is played by dropping to one knee and reversing one's hands, so that you can swing the ball from leg to off, rather than the more natural off to leg. Reverse Swing: When the ball is 50 overs old and the pitch is as flat as a pancake, this phenomenon is often a bowling side's saving grace. First mastered by the Pakistani quicks of the 1980s and 1990s, it involves sideways movement of the ball through the air that is contrary to your average everyday laws of physics. If it sounds like rocket science, that is because it is Rough: The area of a pitch that is scuffed up and loosened by the action of a bowler running through in his follow-through. Usually, this will be situated a foot or so outside leg stump, and consequently it becomes a tasty target for spin bowlers, who can exploit the extra turn to make life a misery for the batsmen Run-chase: Generally the fourth innings of a first-class or Test match, and the latter stages of a one-day game, when the match situation has been reduced to a set figure for victory, in a set time or maximum number of overs Run-rate: Of particular importance in a one-day game, this is the average number of runs scored per over, and is used as a guide to a team's progress Run-up: The preparatory strides taken by a bowler as they steady themselves for delivery. Also the area in which they perform said action Runner: A player who is called upon by a batsman who might otherwise need to retire hurt. He is required to wear the same padding and stands at square leg or the non-striker's end to perform the duty of running between the wickets. Often the cause of endless confusion and inevitable run-outs Run: The method of scoring during a game of cricket. Also a single unit of score.

10 Run out: A way of being out in cricket. If either batsman is attempting to take a run, or to return to his crease after an aborted run, and a fielder breaks that batsman's wicket with the ball while he is out of the crease. Striker: The name given to the batter who is facing the bowler. The batter is said to be "on strike". Stumps: Wooden uprights of which there are three on which the bails are balanced to form the wicket. Sitter: The easiest, most innocuous and undroppable catch that a fielder can ever receive. To drop one of these is to invite a whole world of pain from the crowd and constant embarrassment from the giant replay screen (see dolly). Six: Scoring of six runs with a shot that does not bounce before touching or crossing the boundary of the field. Strike rate: A bowler's strike rate in cricket is the average number of balls they bowl per wicket. Super Over: A super over is a one-over-per-side contest to decide the winner of a tie in a Twenty20 cricket match. Sledging: Not the act of travelling downhill at speed on a toboggan, but the act of verbally abusing or unsettling a batsman, in an attempt to make him lose concentration and give his wicket away. Often offensive, occasionally amusing, always a topic of conversation Slog: Used to describe a shot which is not in the coaching book Slogger: Exponent of the slog Slog-sweep: A heave to the leg side, played like the sweep, but a lofted shot Strike rate The number of runs a batsman scores per 100 balls; the number of deliveries a bowler needs to take his wickets

11 Swing: A ball that curves through the air, as opposed to off the seam. See also, reverse swing Tailender: Players who come in towards the end of an innings, generally Nos. 8, 9, 10 and 11, who are not noted for their batting prowess (although ideally they can bowl a bit by way of compensation) Ton: A century (100 runs by a single batsman in one innings) Twelfth man: A substitute fielder (and drinks waiter) for the chosen eleven. If called upon to play, he is permitted to field wherever he is needed, but can neither bat nor bowl TEST: A Test match in cricket is a five-day match between two top-level national representative cricket teams, during which each team bats two innings. A cricket match of International standard scheduled to last for 5 days. Tail: Cricket batting order is the last three or four players listed, usually the weakest batters in the team. Tie: A tie is a rare result in cricket where both teams have scored exactly the same number of runs when the team batting last completes its innings. Toss: The toss is the flipping of a coin to decide which team will bat first. Twenty20: Twenty20 is a short form of cricket in which each team bats for 20 overs. Umpire: A cricket umpire is an impartial authority responsible for making judgements on the field in accordance with the Laws of Cricket. Wide: A delivery that pitches too far away from the batsman and so proves impossible to score off. The umpire will single this by stretching his arms out horizontally, an extra will be added to the total and the ball will be bowled again Wrist spin: The version of spin bowling in which the revolutions on the ball are imparted via a flick of the wrist, rather than a tweak of the fingers. As a general

12 rule, a right-arm wrist spinner's action turns the ball from leg to off (leg spin) while a left-armer turns it from off to leg Wrong 'un: Australian term for a googly - a leg spinner's delivery that turns in the opposite direction, ie from off to leg Wicket (dismissal): The first definition of 'wicket' in cricket is the dismissal of a batter, who is said to have 'lost their wicket'. Wicket (stumps): The second definition of 'wicket' in cricket is the set of three stumps and two bails defended by the batter at each end of the 22-yard pitch. Wicket (pitch): The cricket pitch, or the 22-yard area in which the ball is bowled, can also be referred to as the wicket. Wicket Maiden: An over in which the bowler has taken a wicket without a batter scoring runs. Wicket Keeper: Player who wears fielding gloves and stands behind the batter s wicket ready to catch the ball if the batter misses it. Win: In Test and first-class cricket, a team achieves a win when it scores more runs than the opposition and dismisses its opponents twice. In ODI and Twenty20 cricket, a win is achieved by scoring more runs than the opposition. Yorker: A full-pitched delivery that is aimed at the batsman's toes and/or the base of the stumps. If the ball is swinging, these can be the most lethal delivery in the game