Cricket Vocabulary
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What is Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven (11) players on a field at the center of which is a 22-yard (20-metre) pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striking the ball bowled at one of the wickets with the bat and then running between the wickets, while the bowling and fielding side tries to prevent this (by preventing the ball from leaving the field, and getting the ball to either wicket) and dismiss each batter . Means of dismissal include being bowled, when the ball hits the stumps and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side either catching the ball after it is hit by the bat, but before it hits the ground, or hitting a wicket with the ball before a batter can cross the crease in front of the wicket. When ten batters have been dismissed, the innings ends and the teams swap roles. The game is adjudicated by two umpires, aided by a third umpire and match referee in international matches. They communicate with two off-field scorers who record the match’s statistical information (Source: wikipedia)
| Summary of Cricket | |
| Highest governing body | International Cricket Council |
|---|---|
| First played | 16th century; South East England |
| Characteristics | |
| Team members | 11 players per side (substitutes permitted in some circumstances) |
| Type | Team sport, Bat-and-Ball |
| Equipment | Cricket ball, Cricket bat, Wicket (Stumps, Bails), Protective equipment |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide (most popular in the Commonwealth) |
| Olympic | 1900, 2028 |
Which country started cricket?
The sport of cricket has a known history beginning in the late 16th century. Having originated in south-east England, it became an established sport in the country in the 18th century and developed globally in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Who is known as father of cricket?
Who is the father of cricket – William Gilbert Grace. English cricket pioneer Sir William Gilbert Grace is known as the father of cricket.
Who invented Indian cricket?
The sport of cricket was introduced to the Indian subcontinent by sailors and traders of the English East India Company in the 17th and 18th centuries. The earliest known record of cricket in India dates from 1721 and the first club had been founded by 1792.
Glossary of cricket terms
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| all-rounder | player skilled at both batting and bowling |
| bails | small pieces of wood that lie on top of the stumps to form the wickets |
| batting average | the average number of runs a batsman has scored per innings |
| boundary | 1 the perimeter of the ground 2 shot to the boundary for four or six runs |
| bowl | swing the arm from behind the body, over the head, and release the ball on the down swing without bending the elbow |
| bowled | dismissal of a batsman when he misses a ball and it hits the stumps |
| bowler | player on the fielding side who bowls to the batsmen |
| bowling average | the average number of runs scored off a bowler for each wicket he has taken |
| bye | an “extra” scored when both the batsman and the wicket-keeper miss a bowler’s delivery |
| catch | dismissal of a batsman by a fielder catching a ball the batsman has hit before it hits the ground |
| century | score of at least 100 runs; an important achievement for a batsman |
| crease | a line on the pitch near the wickets over which a batsman must pass to score a run |
| cut (shot) | a shot played square (at 90 degrees) on the off side (to the right of a right-handed batsman) |
| delivery | act of bowling the ball; a ball |
| dismiss | get one of the batsmen out |
| drive (shot) | a powerful shot hit back towards the end of the field from which the ball was bowled |
| duck | getting no runs; going out for zero runs |
| extra | additional runs given to a team for no balls, wides and byes |
| fast (bowling/bowler) | bowling style in which bowlers try to beat batsmen with speed |
| fielder | player whose job is to catch or collect the ball in the field after a batsman hits it |
| four | shot that reaches the boundary after bouncing and scores four runs |
| full toss | ball that reaches the batsman on the full, without bouncing; usually seen as easy to hit and a poor delivery |
| hook (shot) | shot in which a batsman swings his bat around his head and hits the ball behind “square leg” |
| innings | one player’s, or team’s, turn to bat |
| lbw / leg before wicket | dismissal when a ball the umpire thinks will hit the wicket is stopped by a batsman’s body, usually the legs |
| leg break | a leg spin delivery which spins away from the batsman, from the leg side to the off side |
| leg side | the half of the field behind the batsman as he faces the bowler (also known as the “on side”) |
| leg spin (bowling/bowler) | form of bowling in which the bowler puts spin on the ball by turning the wrist |
| maiden over | an over in which no runs are scored |
| medium-pace (bowling/bowler) | bowling style slower than fast bowling, but faster than a spin bowling, in which swing or spin is used to defeat batsmen |
| no-ball | illegal delivery bowled while overstepping the crease, giving an extra run to the batting side |
| off break | an off spin delivery which spins into the batsman, from the off side to the leg side |
| off side | the half of the pitch in front of the batsman as he faces the bowler |
| off spin (bowling/bowler) | form of bowling in which the bowler uses his fingers to put spin on the ball |
| one-day cricket | shortened form of the game, with one innings per team and a limited number of overs |
| over | six consecutive balls by one bowler |
| overarm (bowling) | bowling with the arm swinging from behind the body, over the head, with the ball released on the down swing |
| pace (bowling/bowler) | a form of bowling in which the ball is bowled at high speed; also “fast bowling” |
| pads | protective padding covering the legs for batsmen and wicket-keepers |
| pitch (also “wicket”) | hard rectangular surface in the centre of the field, 22 yards long, on which bowling and batting occur |
| pull (shot) | shot in which a short-pitched delivery is hit to the leg side between mid-wicket and backward square-leg |
| shot | strike on the ball with the bat |
| single | one run scored by the batsmen running once between the wickets |
| six | shot that goes over the boundary without bouncing and scores six runs |
| spin (bowling/bowler) | a style of bowling in which spin is put on the ball by using either the fingers or the wrist |
| swing (bowling/bowler) | a style of medium-pace bowling in which the ball swings because one side of the ball is polished, while the other side is roughened |
| Test match | game format played over five days between top-level international teams |
| wicket (1) | a set of stumps and bails |
| wicket (2) | the pitch |
| wicket (3) | dismissal of a batsman |
| wicket-keeper | player standing behind the wicket who catches any balls a batsman doesn’t hit |
| wide | an illegal delivery that is too far from the batsman; scores an “extra” run for the batting side |
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