Sit through your first cricket match and you will hear words that sound like they belong in a different sport entirely. Someone gets bowled for a duck. A fielder is standing at silly point. The commentator says the batsman was beaten by a googly. If none of that made sense, do not worry. Cricket terminology can feel like a private language, but almost all of it comes down to simple, logical ideas once someone actually explains them.
This guide walks through 50 cricket terms that come up constantly, grouped by where you will hear them, so you are never lost again during a match.
Basic Match Terms
Innings The period when one team is batting. In some formats each team bats once, in Test cricket each team can bat twice.
Over A set of six balls bowled by one bowler before another bowler takes over from the other end.
Wicket This word does double duty in cricket. It can mean the three stumps and two bails the bowler is aiming at, or it can mean a batsman getting out, as in “India lost three wickets.”
Crease The painted line near the stumps that marks safe ground for a batsman. Step outside it at the wrong moment and you risk being stumped or run out.
Pitch The strip of ground between the two sets of stumps where the bowler runs in and the ball bounces before reaching the batsman.
Boundary The edge of the playing field, marked by a rope. It also refers to the four or six runs scored when the ball reaches or clears that rope.
Batting Terms
Duck When a batsman gets out without scoring a single run. A “golden duck” means getting out on the very first ball faced.
Strike rate A measure of how quickly a batsman scores, calculated as runs scored per 100 balls faced.
Not out A batsman who is still batting when the innings ends, or who survives the match without being dismissed.
Century A score of 100 or more runs by a single batsman in one innings, considered a major personal milestone.
Six and four A six is a shot that clears the boundary without touching the ground, worth six runs. A four is a shot that reaches the boundary after touching the ground, worth four runs.
Nightwatchman A lower order batsman sent in ahead of a specialist batsman near the end of a day’s play, purely to protect the more skilled player from batting in fading light or difficult conditions.
Bowling Terms
Yorker A delivery aimed at the batsman’s feet or the base of the stumps, extremely hard to hit cleanly and often used to defend runs at the death of an innings.
Googly A deceptive delivery from a leg spin bowler that looks like it will spin one way but actually spins the other, designed to trick the batsman.
Bouncer A short pitched, fast delivery that rises sharply toward the batsman’s chest or head, used to test technique and unsettle confidence.
Maiden over An over in which the bowler concedes zero runs, considered a strong result for the bowling side.
Economy rate The average number of runs a bowler concedes per over, a key stat for judging how well a bowler is containing runs.
Spell A continuous stretch of overs bowled by the same bowler before being rested or rotated out.
Fielding Positions
Slip A fielding position standing close behind the batsman, on the off side, specifically placed to catch thin edges off the bat.
Gully A fielding position between slip and point, angled to catch shots played square of the wicket.
Point A fielder positioned square of the batsman on the off side, often involved in quick reflex stops and run outs.
Silly point A very close in fielding position near the batsman, used mainly against slower bowling where the risk of a hard hit straight at the fielder is lower.
Mid on and mid off Fielders positioned roughly in line with the bowler, on the leg side and off side respectively, used to cut off straight drives.
Fine leg A fielder positioned behind the batsman on the leg side, typically catching deflections and glances.
Ways a Batsman Gets Out
Bowled The ball hits the stumps directly and dislodges a bail.
Caught A fielder catches the ball cleanly after the batsman hits it, before it touches the ground.
LBW Short for leg before wicket. The batsman is out if the ball strikes their body when it would otherwise have gone on to hit the stumps.
Run out A fielder breaks the stumps with the ball while a batsman is out of their crease and still running between the wickets.
Stumped The wicketkeeper removes the bails with the ball while the batsman is outside the crease, usually after missing a shot.
Hit wicket The batsman accidentally knocks their own stumps while playing a shot or setting off for a run.
Match Format Terms
Test match The longest format of cricket, played across five days with no limit on overs.
ODI Stands for One Day International, where each team bats for a maximum of 50 overs.
T20 The shortest common format, where each team bats for a maximum of 20 overs, usually finishing in around three hours.
Powerplay A set number of overs at the start of a limited overs innings where fielding restrictions apply, generally favoring the batting team.
Death overs The final overs of a limited overs innings, when batting teams typically attack aggressively and bowlers try hardest to defend.
Other Common Terms You’ll Hear
All rounder A player skilled at both batting and bowling, valuable because they add flexibility to a team’s balance.
Captain The player responsible for setting the field, managing bowlers, and making tactical decisions during the match.
Umpire The official on the field responsible for making decisions about outs, no balls, wides, and other rulings during play.
DRS Short for Decision Review System, a technology based process teams can use to challenge an umpire’s on field decision.
Follow on In Test cricket, when a team batting second and trailing by a large margin can be asked to bat again immediately, rather than the team batting first taking their second innings.
Declaration When a batting team’s captain voluntarily ends their own innings before all batsmen are out, usually to leave enough time to bowl the opposition out.
Sledging Verbal exchanges, often needling or provocative, between fielding players and the batsman, used to try to break concentration.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cricket Terminology
What does LBW mean in cricket?
LBW stands for leg before wicket. It means a batsman is given out if the ball strikes their body in line with the stumps, and would have gone on to hit the stumps if the body had not been in the way.
What is a duck in cricket?
A duck is when a batsman is dismissed without scoring any runs at all.
What does maiden over mean?
A maiden over is an over in which the bowler does not concede any runs, considered a good outcome for the fielding side.
What is the difference between a four and a six?
A four is worth four runs and requires the ball to touch the ground before reaching the boundary. A six is worth six runs and means the ball clears the boundary without touching the ground.
What does DRS stand for in cricket?
DRS stands for Decision Review System, a technology based tool teams use to challenge umpiring decisions on the field.