Cricket words · Intermediate

In international matches, an umpire off the field who studies television replays, rules on reviews under the DRS and can stand in for an on-field umpire.

The strip down the middle of the pitch where the ball lands: 1 foot either side of the middle line, from 5 feet in front of one popping crease to 5 feet in front of the other. Players must not run on it without reason.

Five runs given to one side when the other breaks certain rules: for example, the ball hitting a fielding side's helmet left on the ground, or a batter running short on purpose. They count as extras.

A run where a batter turns back without grounding their bat or body behind the crease line. That run does not count. Doing it on purpose costs 5 penalty runs.

Five things must all be true. It was not a no-ball. The ball did not land outside the leg stump. It hit the batter before touching the bat. The point of impact was in line between the two sets of stumps, or outside the off stump only if the batter made no genuine attempt to play it. And it would have hit the stumps. Only the first point of contact counts.

After a wicket falls, the next batter must be ready to face the ball within a set time or be out. The Laws set it at three minutes. Check the playing conditions of the event, which may differ.

A batter who deliberately obstructs or distracts the fielding side, by word or action, can be out.

A batter can be out for hitting the ball a second time, with limited exceptions listed in the Laws.

The bowler's last stride before letting go of the ball. It starts when the back foot lands and ends when the front foot lands. The no-ball rules on the feet are judged in this stride.

A full toss that reaches the batter above waist height without bouncing, usually fast and at head height. It is always a no-ball; a dangerous one brings a warning, and a deliberate one gets the bowler taken off.

A captain gives up an innings before it starts. It counts as a completed innings. Not allowed for the final innings of a match.

A limited-overs match where too little play was possible for a result: in internationals, unless both sides could bat at least 20 overs (ODIs) or 5 (T20s). Not the same as a draw.

A lower-order batter sent in earlier than usual near the end of a day's play, to protect a better batter from being dismissed just before stumps.

The umpire's call that stops play for an interval, an interruption or the end of a session. After Time is called, no one can be out and an appeal comes too late.

How fast a batter scores: runs per 100 balls faced.

A batter's total runs divided by the number of times they were out.

Runs scored per over. The required run rate is what a chasing side must score per over to win.

A tie-break in tournaments: a side's run rate across the tournament minus the run rate scored against it. A side bowled out early is counted as using its full overs.

A ball on which no run is scored.

A duck on the first ball the batter faces.

Contact between the ball and the side of the bat, not the middle. Often leads to a catch.

A full, straight-bat shot through the covers, the area on the off side between point and mid-off.

A cross-bat shot played to a short ball, sending it to the leg side.

A shot played from a kneeling or crouched position, usually against spin, hitting the ball square on the leg side.

A soft shot that pushes the ball into a gap for a single, with no attempt to hit it hard.

Line is where the ball passes the batter from side to side. Length is where it bounces on the pitch. Good bowlers control both.

Movement of the ball through the air, helped by the seam and by the state of the ball.

The raised stitching around the ball. Seam bowling uses it to make the ball change direction off the pitch.

A leg spinner's disguised ball. It looks like a normal leg break but turns the other way, towards the batter's off side.

An off spinner's disguised ball. It turns away from a right-hand batter, the opposite of a normal off break.

A bowler takes three wickets with three consecutive balls.

The last few overs of a limited-overs innings, when batters take big risks to score quickly.

Named spots around the field such as point, cover, mid-on and square leg. A captain sets them to suit the bowler and the batter.

A fielder throws the ball straight into the stumps without anyone else handling it first.

The ball is dead when it is no longer in play. No runs can be scored and no one can be out until the next ball is bowled.

A stretch of a limited-overs innings with extra limits on where fielders may stand, which helps the batting side. In a men's T20 international it is the first 6 overs, with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle, and five after that. A men's ODI has three: overs 1 to 10 with two fielders outside, overs 11 to 40 with four, and overs 41 to 50 with five. Leagues may set their own.

In ODIs and T20 internationals, the ball after any kind of no-ball is a free hit: the batter can then be out only in the ways allowed off a no-ball. If the free hit is itself a no-ball or a wide, the next ball is a free hit too.

The Decision Review System. A side can ask for an umpire's decision to be checked using technology such as replays and ball tracking. A review that overturns the decision does not count against the side. In each innings a side may make three unsuccessful reviews in a Test and two in an ODI or T20 international.

The method the ICC uses to set the target for the side batting second when rain or another interruption shortens a limited-overs match. Named after its creators.

The tie-breaker in ODIs and T20 internationals. Each side bats one over of six balls, which ends early if it loses two wickets, and the side with more runs wins. If the scores are level again, further super overs are played until there is a winner.

In Test cricket, a day's play is divided by the lunch and tea intervals into three sessions. Lunch is 40 minutes and tea 20. "Session" is the common word; the playing conditions speak only of intervals.

In a review, the result when the ball-tracking shows the decision is too close to overturn: only part of the ball is in line, or it is only clipping the stumps. The umpire's original decision stands, and the reviewing side keeps its review. Used in international matches with reviews.