GENERAL

Cricket is basically a simple game - score more than the opposition.
Two teams, both with 11 players, take it in turns to bat and bowl.
When one team is batting, they try and score as many runs as they can by hitting the ball around an oval field.

The other team must get them out by bowling the ball overarm at the stumps, which are at either end of a 22-yard area called a wicket.
The bowling team can get the batsmen out by hitting the stumps or catching the ball.
Once the batting team is all out, the teams swap over and they then become the bowling side.

Each time a team bats it is known as their innings. Teams can have one or two innings depending on how long there is to play.
The Ashes Test matches are over five days so England and Australia have two innings each to score as many runs as they can.
Whoever scores the most runs wins. But a cricket match can be drawn too.
That happens when the team bowling last fails to get all the batsmen out.

Does cricketing slang confuse you? If so, wonder no more after reading this A-Z guide to the jargon.

BITE
The amount of turn a spinner is able to extract from a particular wicket. And once Murali gets his teeth into you, it is definitely a case of once bitten, twice shy.

BLOCK
Defensive batting stroke expertly played by Geoff Boycott, whose repetitive blocking tactics often sent fielders to sleep, enabling him to cut loose.

BOUNCER
Ugly brute of a delivery - quick, short and designed to take the batsman's head off if he doesn't take evasive action. Not to be confused with bouncer - ugly brute designed to take your head off.

CHINAMAN
A deceptive delivery from a left-arm spinner, which fools the batsman into thinking it will spin from off to leg and does the opposite. May cause him to cry: "Well I'm a Dutchman!" Possibly.

DRIVE
Attacking, punchy, front-foot shot straight down the ground or through the covers. Michael Vaughan is one of the best drivers in the business - along with Michael Schumacher.

DUCK
A batsman removed from the attack without troubling the scorers. So called (perhaps) because a duck's egg is shaped like a zero. Plus it sounds better than hen. A golden duck is when this fate falls upon the batsman on his very first bowl.

FEATHER
The faintest of edges from a batsman - often resulting in a catch behind. Also known as a tickle.

FLIPPER
An underhand delivery used by a leg-spin bowler which comes at the batsman faster than a standard ball, with backspin. Gets Shane Warne's seal of approval.

FULL TOSS
A bowling delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing - usually despatched for four. Unlike the beamer, which just takes your head off on its way through.

GARDENING
A batsman prodding down loose areas of the pitch with the end of his bat. In Glenn McGrath's case, it means planting seeds of doubt in the batsman's mind before uprooting his wicket.

GOOGLY
A leg spinner's prize weapon bowled out of the back of the hand. It looks like a normal leg spinner but turns towards the batsman, like an off break, rather than away from the bat.

GRUBBER
A delivery that keeps low after leaving the bowler's hand. So called because it inches along the ground - and then turns into a butterfly. OK, we made that last bit up.

HOOK
A reflex action shot to the onside aimed at keeping a short ball from smacking you plum in the face. Ian Botham often used to play it with his eyes closed.

JAFFA
An unplayable delivery - think Shane Warne's "Ball of the Century" to remove Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993. Less effective when using an orange, obviously.

MAIDEN
When an over is bowled and no runs are scored from it. Rumoured to take its name from a beautiful woman, who 'bowled' over a young cricketer.

PAD
A protective covering for the legs of the batsmen and wicketkeeper. If a cricketer ever suggests "Your pad or mine", check what he's after before uttering your reply.

PIE THROWER
An inferior bowler, one who bowls like a clown throwing a pie. Not to be confused with the likes of Merv Hughes and Mike Gatting, who were, of course, famed pie-eaters.

PLUMB
The perfect lbw. When the ball hits a batsman on the leg directly in front of the stumps. One might also describe it as a peach of a delivery, although a pair is a different thing altogether.

SESSION
A period of play during a match - eg morning, afternoon, evening sessions. If, however, you are a spectator, you will only experience one period - the all-day session.

SLEDGING
To tell your opponent what you think about him in a less than complimentary fashion. One of the most legendary examples features Glenn McGrath, Mrs McGrath, Zimbabwe's Eddo Brandes - and a biscuit!

SILLY
Any fielding position where you are extremely close to the batsman and in danger of being injured. When the captain orders you to silly mid-off, you know he's got a new favourite.

SLIP
Fielding positions close to the wicket-keeper. Can contain up to five players, making a slip cordon. Takes on a different meaning when an easy catch ("dolly") is spilled.

SWEEP
Risky, but effective shot played with the back knee on the ground to despatch to square leg balls which keep low. Not to be confused with the puppet of the same name.

TAIL
Usually refers to the last four batsmen in the order, who are invariably all bowlers. If they play above themselves, the tail is said to wag. Woof woof!

WRONG'UN
An Australian term for a googly. See above for googly. That's enough about googlies.

Cricket Language / Terminology
 
bails: two bails or small wooden cylinders are balanced at the top of three vertical stumps, the entire unit is called the wicket.

batsman / batter: the batsman is the player wielding the long, flat, willow bat.

bouncer: a ball that is bounced high enough to hit a batter's head or shoulders.

bowled: an "out" which is achieved by a ball that hits the batsman's wicket, whether or not touched by the bat. 
 
bowler: the bowler is the player bowling (throwing) ball at the batsman.
 
bye(s) Run(s) scored when the ball goes past the wicket-keeper without having been touched by the batter, and runs can be scored. The runs are added to the team total as "extras", but not credited to batsmen... nor charged to bowlers.
caught (out): an "out" resulting from a hit caught by a fielder in the air, i.e. before touching the ground.
 
crease: the line in front of each wicket.

duck: a zero individual score, "awarded" to a batter who is "out" without scoring a single earned run.

fielder: the person who is fielding who tries to prevent the opposition from scoring.
four, or boundary: a ball hit by the batsman that reaches the fence, counting as four runs.

full toss: a ball that reaches the batter without a bounce.

half century: an individual score of 50 runs or more by a batter.

innings: the total number of runs scored by a team during its time at bat.
"It is not cricket": an expression meaning, any action that is deceptive, unfair or underhanded...i.e. contrary to the spirit in which cricket is supposed to be played.
lbw (leg before wicket): a ball which is intercepted by a batter's body before it hits the wicket...an umpire will rule the batter "out" if he is sure that the sticks would have been hit.

leg bye: run(s) scored when the ball hits the batter's legs, and goes off into the field . The runs are added to the team total as "extras", but not credited to batters... nor charged to bowlers. NOTE: leg-byes are not allowed when there is an lbw "out" (see definition), or if the ball has been intentionally kicked or deflected by the batter.
leg side: that half of the field, as bisected by a line joining the wickets and extended both ways, where the batter's legs are placed. Also called "on side".(see definition of "off and on side").

Limited and Unlimited Over games: "Limited Over" games are those where each team is allowed to bat only for a designated number of overs. Typically, 20, 30, 40 or 50 overs are set as the limit for each team's innings. "Unlimited Over Games" are those where no over restriction is placed on a team's innings.
maiden over: a set of six pitches delivered by a bowler in which no earned runs are scored.

no-ball: a ball delivered by a bowler who has "crossed the line" he is supposed to bowl from, or violated some other rule. When an umpire calls "no ball", the batter cannot be out except when running and gets tagged.
off side: that half of the field, as bisected by a line joining the wickets and extended both ways, which is in front of and away from the batter, i.e. the other half of the field (as opposed to his "leg" or "on" side).
opening batsman: one of the first two batters sent in to start a team's innings.
 
out: the term used when a batsman can no longer play. They may have been bowled, caught out, run out and their turn at batting has finished.

over: the set of six pitches delivered from one wicket to the other by a bowler.

run(s): the term used to instead of point. A safe crossing(s) from wicket to wicket, by a batter (and his partner) after hitting (earned runs), or off a fielding error. Each crossing scores one run to the batting team.

run out: when a fielder strikes the wickets towards which a runner is headed, before he gets to it.

six, or over-boundary: a hit that flies over the fence without a bounce, scoring six runs.

stumped: an "out" which is made by the wicket-keeper, catching the batter out of his ground when he is trying to hit...and misses..

stumps: The three upright wooden sticks at each end of the pitch. Sitting on top each set of stumps are two bails. A term also used to describe the end of a days play.
ton or century: an individual score of 100 runs or more by a batter.

wicket(s): the terms "wicket", and "wickets", are used in different and important ways. "THE wicket" is the strip of field between the two sets of sticks marking the bases. "A wicket", used as singular or plural, is a count of the number of "outs" in an inning, so "95 for 7 wickets" means 95 runs scored, for 7 "outs". "THE wickets", always used in plural, are the set of three sticks or "stumps" marking the base, as in "He stood in front of the wickets". It helps to know the context in which the word is being used!

wicket keeper: the fielder who stands directly behind the wicket. Position roughly equivalent to baseball's "catcher".

wide ball: a ball that travels too far from the batter for him to have a reasonable chance of hitting it. The bowler has to bowl the ball again, and a penalty run is scored for the batting team.

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FIELDING

Cricket fielding positions

1. Wicketkeeper – the most specialised position in the team and the most used

2. Slip – reactions have to be quick here as this is where most catches are taken

3. Third man – a run saving position 45 degrees to the wicket on the off side

4. Gully – another close position, just behind square on the off side

5. Point/backward point/silly point – usually reserved for the best fielder in the team

6. Cover/extra cover/short extra cover/deep extra cover – spans from point all the way to mid off, another crucial position

7. Mid off/deep mid off/silly mid off/long off – a captain often fields here as it’s an ideal place to chart with the bowler

9. Mid wicket/deep mid wicket – on the leg side between square leg and mid on, 45-60 degrees from the batter

10. Square leg/short leg/deep square leg/backward square – as implied, square of the wicket on the leg side

11. Fine leg – usually where fast bowlers field between overs for a rest!

Here are 7 things you need to know if you want to be a better cricketer

How to unlock the natural genius in YOU

Learn to construct the most efficient technique for you. Remember that you are not Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee or Freddie Flintoff – you are yourself, and what you do has to work for you. Next you should practice it so it becomes natural. This is done by diverting all your focus on being relaxed. You will thus be playing to your full potential. Patience and good choices, plus courage and self-belief are key important areas to develop into a great player.

Discover the secrets on how to bowl truly fast

Run up straight, go through the crease straight and follow through straight. If you did this and nothing else, you’d be ahead of most people already. Don’t forget that your legs keep driving to target, so pick your feet up and jump at the target, not just up and down. Use your shoulders, arms and chest to drive at the off stump. Ensure everything gets pulled through and not left behind. Finally, have a big heart. Desire is one of the most important assets a fast bowler can possess.

Sky-Rocket your batting ability with this easy technique

Master the basics, fine-tune them and then groove them through repetition so that they become second nature. Look to hit straight where possible. Make sure your weight goes through the ball. Maximise the hitting zone by making contact with the ball ahead of your body. Imprint the correct batting techniques in your muscle memory, and then all your focus can go into intensely watching the ball.

How to hit the ball further and straighter

Learn new methods on improvised hitting such as how to hit 4s and 6s with consistency. The longer the bat swings straighter with the leading elbow high, the bigger your hitting zone becomes. The bigger the hitting zone, the more consistently you hit the ball in the low risk areas, and this means greater success. Sometimes the harder you try to hit the ball the more you lose the ‘shape’ of the shot. The secret is to practise keeping your shape and extending your hands through the ball and away from your body.

This one tip can give you more wickets than ever before

Bowlers try too many different things when all they need to do is keep doing the best things regularly. Variation IS important, but 85% of world-class bowlers bowl the ball on a good length, just outside off stump. If you can match this then you potentially have a career in the game. You will certainly get far more wickets than ever before.

What the professionals do when they need something extra

Professionals have total belief in their ability to overcome the challenge that lies ahead of them. True professionals back themselves to deliver when the going gets tough. What do you think about when the going gets a bit awkward? Your mindset is the most important thing you can affect. Being positive is something you can learn, and something that can give you the extra edge when you need it.

Now Get The Mind Set of a World-Class Player Yourself.

Practice preparation, rehearsal and then DELIVER. World-class players don’t need luck nor do they rely on it. If luck plays its part it is an added bonus but top players don’t have any space for it in their performances. There is no such thing as being unlucky, only being unprepared.