QUICK REFERENCE
The cricket words on your screen.
Thirty terms, with the distinctions that make a match easier to follow.
Use this as a quick reference during a match. Short definitions leave out exceptions, so follow the related guides for a full decision or scoring example. Names describe a concept; they do not guarantee the rules of a particular tournament.
- All out
- An innings has ended because no further permitted batting partnership can continue; in a full, available eleven-player side this usually follows the tenth wicket.
- Average (batting)
- Total runs divided by times dismissed in the stated sample. Not-out innings add runs without adding a dismissal.
- Ball faced
- A batting-statistics count. Keep its treatment distinct from the bowler’s legal-ball count when checking extras.
- Boundary
- The field’s edge, or an allowance scored when the ball reaches it under the applicable rule. A boundary four and a six are different events.
- Bye
- A type of extra when the ball passes the striker without touching bat or person, subject to the applicable Law.
- Cover
- An off-side fielding position in front of square; the exact distance is a tactical choice.
- Current run rate
- Runs scored per six legal balls so far. Overs-and-balls notation must be converted before division.
- Dot ball
- A delivery producing no run in the defined scoring record. State the dataset’s convention when comparing percentages.
- DRS
- Decision Review System: a protocol using authorised technology to review eligible decisions.
- Economy rate
- Runs charged to a bowler per six legal balls. Byes and leg byes are not normally charged to the bowler.
- Extra
- A run included in the team total but not credited as a run from the bat.
- Fine
- A positional description closer to the line behind the batter; it is relative, not a fixed coordinate.
- Innings
- One batting turn of a team or batter. The word ends in s in both singular and plural usage.
- LBW
- Leg before wicket: a dismissal requiring a sequence of conditions, not simply a ball hitting a pad.
- Leg side
- The side behind the batter in the normal stance; also called the on side.
- Maiden century
- A player’s first century in a specified context, such as a format. It is unrelated to a maiden over.
- Net run rate
- A tournament scoring-rate comparison using eligible aggregate runs and adjusted innings lengths.
- No-ball
- An umpire’s call for a delivery or field condition covered by the applicable no-ball provisions; it affects the score and legal-ball count.
- Not out
- A batter who has not been dismissed in the recorded innings. The innings may still have ended.
- Off side
- The side in front of the batter’s chest in the normal batting stance.
- Over
- A unit ordinarily completed after six legal deliveries. Wides and no-balls can make the number of actual deliveries larger.
- Partnership
- The runs added while a particular pair bats together; the team contribution can include extras.
- Pitch
- The central strip used for delivery and batting, distinct from the whole playing field.
- Required run rate
- Runs still needed to reach the target, expressed per six remaining legal deliveries.
- Run out
- A dismissal involving a wicket being put down while the relevant batter is out of their ground, subject to specific exceptions.
- Slip
- A close catching position beside the wicketkeeper on the off side, behind the batter.
- Square
- Approximately level with the batter across the pitch, useful for describing field positions.
- Strike rate (batting)
- Runs per 100 balls faced in the stated sample. It measures scoring speed, not runs per dismissal.
- Target
- The total required to win a chase. It is normally one more than the opponent’s total, unless officially revised.
- Wide
- An umpire’s call for a delivery beyond the applicable reach criteria; the exact interpretation may depend on the competition.
Take the next step
Read the rule case studies, the numerical examples or explore field positions visually. For authoritative wording, consult MCC’s Laws of Cricket and the applicable competition conditions.