Cricket terminology

Image credit: Philip Au/SportSG

Cricket utilizes specific terms that only experienced players will understand. Here are some of the most common ones used, and the meaning behind these words.

Bail

Two bails are placed on top of the three wicket stumps. The bails are made of wood and are used to determine if the wicket has been broken.

Boundary

The term boundary can be used to describe the perimeter of the playing ground, as well as the marker that traces the perimeter. Additionally, boundary can also refer to the scoring of six or four runs after the ball has been batted past the perimeter.

Bowl-out

A bowl-out occurs when a match ends up in a tie. Five players from each team will then bowl, and the team with the most number of hits will be determined the winner.

Brace

A brace refers to two wickets being broken in two consecutive shots.

Caught

Catching refers to the act of a fielder dismissing the batsman by catching the ball after it has been batted, before it hits the ground.

Caught and Bowled

Similar to caught, this refers to the batsman being dismissed by catching the ball after it has been batted and before it hits the ground. However, instead of the fielder catching the ball, it is the bowler who catches it instead.

Caught Behind

Caught behind is similar to caught and bowled, with the exception of it being the wicket keeper that catches the ball.

Chuck

Chucking occurs when the ball is thrown instead of bowled, and this is considered an illegal move.

Crease

The crease refers to the lines that surround the wicket. The breaking crease is aligned to the wicket, while the batting or popping crease is located around 1.2 meters before the wicket.

Dead Ball

This refers to a state of play where all players are not allowed to participate. A dead ball can occur in many situations, such as when the umpire determines that the batsman is not ready, when the wicket keeper catches the ball and the batsman refuses to run or when a bowler stops running without delivering the ball.

Innings

An innings is the period that one team or player is allowed to bat or bowl. In cricket, an inning usually lasts until 10 out of 11 of the team’s batsmen are out.

Run

A run is a unit of scoring in cricket, achieved by the batsman.

To receive the latest updates on the happenings in the Singapore sports scene, or to find out more about some of the latest programmes on offer at ActiveSG, like our Facebook page here.