Bails:
Two bails or small cylinders are balanced at the top of three vertical dowels or stumps, the entire unit is called the wicket.

No Ball:
Sounds like an oxymoron? The umpire is signalling a ball (pitch) thrown from outside the boundaries of the correct bowling position (the popping crease). He siganls it by outstretching his arm sideways.

Batsman:
The batsman is the player wielding the long, flat, laminated willow bat.

Bowler:
The bowler is the player throwing the red, leather ball at the batsman.

Bowling A Maiden Over:
Happens to cricketers all the time, lucky chaps. Does not refer to having a wonderful effect on your female companion, but rather to bowling six balls without conceding a run.

Box:
A protector worn by batsmen to protect the unmentionables.

Chinaman:
Not really oriental. This is a leg break delivered by a left handed bowler.

Cow Corner:
This is the cricketing term for the fielder at 'pull'. He's there for catches. In the early days of cricket it is reported that the fielder constantly looked down (to see what he was treading in) as often as he looked up to see the ball in mid air.

Fine Leg:
A fine leg, whether short or long, is a field position.

Full Toss:
Describes a ball which does not hit the pitch before it reaches the batsman.

Hat Trick:
Refers to the bowler having taken three wickets (dismissed three batsmen) with successive balls. Demonstrates uncommon skill and many years ago resulted in the bowler being awarded a hat.

How's That or Howzat, or How is He?:
Not any inquiry by the bowler and/or fielder regarding the batsman's health, but a question asked of the umpire (usually aggressively) as to whether or not the batsman is out.

It Went Straight Through Him:
Not really - the speed and/or angle of the ball off the pitch enabled the ball to go between the bat and the batsman's ribs.

Knock Up:
Has other connotations but in cricket it means warming up in a practice (better known as nets) before the game.

Leg break:
Not an injury but merely a ball spun so that, upon hitting the pitch, moves from leg position to off to a right handed batsman by a right handed bowler.

Leg Slip:
Not sexy lingerie, but a fielding position.

Long Hop:
No athletics required, but refers to a ball pitched (i.e. hitting the pitch) so short that the batsman has ample time to judge where to hit the ball.

Over:
The game hasn't ended. It is the umpire's call signalling that six balls have been bowled. At the end of the over the bowler switches ends and bowls to the batsman at the other end of the pitch.

Overnight Batsman:
Although cricket games can be long, the batsman does not have to bat until morning. If a wicket falls late in the day, near the close of play, the skipper sends in a player, capable of preventing the fall of another wicket. Thus the better batsmen are rested for next day's play.

Pitch:
The pitch is the 22 yard strip on the centre of the field upon which the stumps are placed at either end.

Quickie:
In no way related to common usage, but a term used to describe a very fast bowler.

Right Arm Round:
Refers to a bowler who bowls from the right side of the wicket rather than the customary left side.

Round the Wicket:
"He bowls round the wicket right arm round" Term refers to a bowler who doesn't bowl from the left side of the wicket.

Silly, Short, Long or Deep:
"He's at silly mid off." Reflects the proximity to the pitch at the batsman's end. Of course, if the fielder is too silly (perilously close to the batsman) - he is silly. Cricket fielders do not protect their hands with gloves, any hard hit ball is likely to result in injury to hands or body.

Slip:
"He's playing in the slip". Slips are field positions directly behind the wickets adjacent to the stumper, can be occupied by up to five players.

Spin Bowler:
Does not rotate with the possibility of screwing himself into the ground, but imparts spin to the ball using fingers and/or wrist to produce description of the ball after it hits the pitch, hopefully before it reaches the batsman.

Spinner:
"He throws a spinner." The slow ball thrown by a bowler.

Square Cut:
Is produced when a long hop is hit by the batsman to (or past) the point position. It is not a cut against the grain.

Sticky Wicket:
Field conditions created by close cropped, recently wet grass are called a sticky wicket. This field condition adds a deadly spin to the bowled ball.

Tickle:
Not what you may think (although fielders have been described as "standing round the corner, legs apart, waiting for a tickle"). The fielder is anticipating a very fine touch of ball on bat "tickling" it to him for a catch. Tickle: "He tickled the ball and was out." If the bowled ball slightly tips the bat the batsman is called out.

Wicket:
Has various meanings: 1. Three vertical stumps or poles with two bails balanced on top. The wicket is protected by the batsman, while the bowler attempts to knocks the bails off. 2. The immediate playing area including the two batting creases and the mat between them.

Wide Ball:
If a ball is delivered beyond the batsman's reach wide for his normal stance, the umpire calls "wide", a run is added to the batting side's score and an extra ball is bowled.

All rounder:
A player who is good at both batting and bowling.

Around the wicket:
When a bowler bowls with the wicket on the other side of the body to the bowling arm.

Batting crease:
Popping crease.

Bouncer:
Another name for a fast short-pitched ball.

Boundary:
Line, fence, rope, or clearly distinguished marking of the where the field of play ceases. There are no laws that govern the size of a cricket filed - however depending on the competition, different measurements are used. See law 19.

'Carry the bat':
If any of the openners stays while all the wickets are taken it's said that that he 'carried the bat'.

Century:
When a batsman scores 100 runs in one innings.

Debut:
When one plays their first cricket match it is refered to as their 'Debut'.

Declare:
When the captain of the batting announces his innings closed before all batsmen being given out.

Drinks:
A short pause for drinks.

Duck:
When a batsman who scored no runs is dismissed.

Duckworth-Lewis:
A complex system for dealing with rain interrupted games.

Extras:
Byes, leg-byes, wides, and no balls.

Floater/Wrong 'Un/Doosra:
A leg spin by an off spinner with the similar action as of off break (Saqlain's speciality). Basically there is no particular name in cricket terms for such a ball.

Full toss:
After being delivered from the bowler's hand, the ball reaches the batsman without striking the pitch.

Golden duck:
Out for a Duck (see above) on the very first ball of the innings.

Guard:
A batsman asking for guard is wanting to know spots on the pitch that line up with different stumps.

Googly:
An off spin by a leg spinner with the similar action as of leg break.

Hat trick:
When a bowler takes three wickets in three consecutive balls.

Innings:
The period in which one side bats. A game of cricket requires at least on innings from each team. See law 12.

LB:
Common abbreviation for leg bye. When the ball touches any cricketing gear of the batsman (other than his bat) and he still manages to get runs.

Bye:
When the wicket-keeper fails to collect the ball cleanly and the opposition picks runs off the misdemeanour.

LBW:
Common abbreviation for leg before wicket - a form of dismissal.

Nelson:
111 runs

Over rate:
The rate of completed overs per hour.

Over the wicket:
When a bowler bowls with the wicket on the side of the body to the bowling arm.

Pair:
Getting out for a nought (that is on zero) in both innings.

Pitch:
Some people get confused with pitches and wickets. The pitch is the area between the bowling creases.

Run rate:
The average numbers of runs scored on an over.

Scorers:
Those who take the score - outs, runs, overs, balls etc. Often the scorers are ignored and unmentioned but they are just as important as umpires - maybe even more important.

Swing:
Change of path by the ball in air. Mostly because of wetness of ball or when the ball gets old.

Swinging yorker:
The most dangerous ball ever. The ball changes its path in air and pitches near the feet of the batsman.

Yorker:
The ball pitches near the feet of the batsman or between his feet and the wicket.