Cricketing Terms
Cricket has a long tradition, along with a unique vocabulary that has developed along with the sport. Here are some of the terms that any cricket watcher should know.
- Carry the bat - When one of the opening batsmen remains not out at the end of the innings, having 'carried' his bat for the complete innings.
- Cow Corner - An unconventional fielding position on the midwicket/long-on boundary. Thought to have originated at Dulwich College where there was the corner of a field containing livestock on that edge of the playing area.
- Boundary - A hit that goes to the 'boundary' of the field, having touched the ground at least once, scoring 4 runs.
- Diamond Duck - When a batsman is out without facing a ball, usually the result of a run out.
- Double Hatrick - When a bowler dismisses batsmen in four consecutive deliveries.
- Duck - When a batsman is out without making a run. Also see golden duck and diamond duck.
- Four - A hit that goes into the boundary having bounced at least once on the playing field, scoring four runs.
- French Cut - Colloquial term for an inside edge which goes between the legs and the stumps. Also called a Chinese Drive.
- Full Toss - A bowling delivery that does not bounce prior to reaching the batsman.
- Golden Duck - When a batsman is out the first ball faced.
There are many ways to get out in cricket - Hatrick - When a bowler dismisses batsmen in three consecutive deliveries.
- Innings - The duration that a team bats. Each team gets two innings to complete a match.
- LBW - When a batsman is out, having the ball hit his legs (pads) in front of the wicket. It stands for "Leg Before Wicket"
- Maiden Over - When no runs are scored from a bowler's over.
- Mankad - A particular form of run-out when the non-facing batsman backs up too far and is run out by the bowler.
- Over - A set of six balls that a bowler bowls in a row.
- Single - A score of one run off the bat.
- Six - A hit that goes over the boundary line without touching the playing field, scoring six runs.
- Team Hatrick - When a team dismisses batsmen in three consecutive deliveries, usually when one of the wickets is a run-out, or the three deliveries are by different bowlers.
- Twelfth Man - There are eleven active players for each team. The 12th player
in the team is used to substitute any fielder if they need to leave
the field for injury or other reasons. The 12th man is also responsible
for bringing out the drinks.
- Wicket - There are several meanings of wicket: (1) The wicket is the strip of grass or other surface between the stumps. (2) The stumps are also sometimes called the wicket. (3) When a player is out - that's a wicket!
- Wide - A bowling delivery that goes too wide of the stumps so that it is not playable by the batsman. One run is given to the batting team for each wide, and another ball has to be bowled.
- Yorker - A bowling delivery that is directed at the base of the stumps or at his feet, which often slips under the batsman's bat for a wicket.
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