Do people who follow and play cricket speak another language? Yes, yes they do. Here’s your ultimate guide to all that cricket slang..
Sometimes talking to a cricket fan can be a daunting task. With a plethora of words that your average joe doesn’t understand, cricketers and their fanbase can be amongst the most confusing individuals in the world.
So, whether you’re heading to your first match, catching up with the news or simply brushing up, here’s our guide to all the cricket slang you need to know…
Equipment
The main piece of equipment you’ll notice if the cricket bat. Here’s some other names for it:
- Bat
- Willow
- Stick
- Axe
Man holding cricket bat. Image by Yogendra Singh via Unsplash.
Deliveries
Another thing that cricket fans will talk about a lot (and we mean, a lot!) are the deliveries, i.e when the bowler throws (or bowls) the ball to the batsman.
- Ball.
- Seed (This also means that it was a good delivery).
- Jaffa (This also means that the delivery that is near impossible to play).
- Peach (Similar to a seed, this means that it was good delivery).
- Yorker: (This is a ball that is aimed directly at the base of the stumps or the batsmen’s toes. Expert Tip: Mitchell Starc is a current Australian Bowler who can deliver a deadly Yorker).
- Beamer: This is a ball that doesn’t hit the pitch and flies straight towards the batsmen’s head.
- Bouncer: This is a short ball aimed at going above the batsmen’s chest up to head height/ Expert Tip: Mitchell Johnson bowls a lot of these…and fast. Check out the video below to see some of his best.
- Bumper: This is the same as a Bouncer.
- Chin Music: This is a series of shorter pitched bowling, usually bowled in an attempt to intimidate or hurt the batsmen.
Places on the Field
Cricket is almost mythical for having some of the most confusing names for positions and areas on the field of any sport. Here’s some top tips:
- The Blockhole: This is right on the crease; the area between the batsmen’s toes.
- Cow Corner: This area is deep in the field between mid-wicket and mid-on. Expert Tip: David Warner loves to hit the ball here.
- Downtown: This is both a place and an action; it’s when the batsman hits the ball directly back over the bowlers head (and scores a six) – so the location is the far end of the field behind the bowler.
General Cricket Slang:
If you think you’ve got a handle on all that, here’s some more miscellaneous cricket terms you can brush up on.
- Snick: This is when the ball hits the edge of the bat so that it stays very close by – it has the potential to be caught by the wicket-keeper and slips.
- Nick: This is the same as a Snick
Cricket spectator. Image by Mushtaq Hussain via Pexels.
- Bunny: A batsman who is frequently dismissed by the same bowler can be called their ‘Bunny’; Expert Tip: Mike Atherton was very much Glenn McGrath’s Bunny.
- Carry the Bat: To bat from the start of the innings all the way through to the end without being dismissed
- Slogger: Someone who bats recklessly in an attempt to find the boundary.
- Cherry: The red marks left on the bat from a red ball hitting it.
- Gun: a high quality batsmen; Expert Tip: Steve Smith is often regarded as a Gun.
- Skipper: The team’s captain.
- Dolly: A very simple catch.
- Sitter: This is the same as a Dolly.
- Plumb: An LBW appeal that is clearly out.
- A Maximum: This is another term for a six, because it is the maximum runs a batsmen can achieve in one shot
- Bodyline: This is a bowling tactic where the bowler bowls at the batsmen’s body in an attempt to hurt or force the batsmen into a leg-side shot, with a heavy leg-side field.
Expert Tip: Bodyline bowling was first implemented during the controversial Ashes Tour of 1932-33. Watch the video below to see the greatest to ever grace the game, Sir Donald Bradman speaking about the Bodyline series.
Hopefully, you can hold a decent conversation with a Cricketing fan this summer after reading this article!
Looking for more cricket tips? Check out our beginner’s guide to understanding cricket: Cricket for Dummies. Or, if you’re looking for something a little more substantial to read, why not try one of the 10 best sport autobiographies to read this summer.
