Cricket, more than most sports, is full of expressions and terms designed to bewilder the newcomer (and often even the more seasoned follower). In an attempt to unravel some of the stranger terminology, we have put together a cricket glossary. If we are missing anything - and cricket commentators have an annoying habit of inventing new words and phrases - please email us and we will see if we can help.
Arm Ball A ball bowled by a slow bowler which has no spin on it and so does not turn as expected but which stays on a straight line ("goes on with the arm")
The Ashes Series between England and Australia are played for The Ashes (click here for more information)
Asking rate - The runs required per over for a team to win - mostly relevant in a one-dayer
Ball Red for first-class and most club cricket, white for one-day matches (and, experimentally, women once used blue balls and men orange ones). It weighs 5½ ounces ( 5 ounces for women's cricket and 4¾ ounces for junior cricket)
Ball Tampering The illegal action of changing the condition of the ball by artificial means, usually scuffing the surface, picking or lifting the seam of the ball, or applying substances other than sweat or saliva
Bat-Pad A fielding position close to the batsman designed to catch balls which pop up off the bat, often via the batsman's pads
Batter Another word for batsman, first used as long ago as 1773. Also something you fry fish in
Beamer A ball that does not bounce (usually accidently) and passes the batsman at or about head height. If aimed straight at the batsman by a fast bowler, this is a very dangerous delivery (and generally frowned on)
Bend your back - The term used to signify the extra effort put in by a fast bowler to obtain some assistance from a flat pitch
Belter A pitch which offers little help to bowlers and so heavily favours batsmen
Bodyline (also known as leg theory) A tactic most infamously used by England in 1932-33, although one which had been around for some time before that, in which the bowler aimed at the batsman rather than the wicket with the aim of making him give a catch while attempting to defend himself. The fielding side were packed on the leg side to take catches which resulted. This is now illegal
Bosie An Australian term for a googly, now rarely used. Originated from the inventor of the delivery, BJT Bosanquet
Bouncer A short-pitched ball which passes the batsman at chest or head height
Boundary The perimeter of a cricket field, or the act of the batsman scoring a four or a six (eg "Tendulkar hammered three boundaries")
Box An abdominal protector worn by batsmen and wicketkeepers. It is also an old term for a fielder in the gully region.
Bump Ball A ball which is played off the bat almost instantly into the ground and is caught by a fielder. Often this has the appearance of being a clean catch
Bumper See Bouncer.
Bunny Also known as Rabbit. A member of the side who cannot bat and is selected as a specialist bowler or wicketkeeper, and who almost always bats at No. 11. It can also be used to describe a player who often gets out to one bowler - "Atherton was McGrath's bunny"
Bunsen A term used by commentators to describe a pitch heavily favouring slow bowlers. From Cockney rhyming slang (Bunsen Burner = turner).
Bye A run scored when the batsman does not touch the ball with either his bat or body. First recorded in the 1770s.
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