With cricket getting more popular due to 20/20 matches it would help if the people new to the game new what some of the terms meant, terms used by players and commentators that are probably meaningless to other people. They may describe a fielding position, a type of bowling or any number of other things. I will list some here and try and explain what they mean.

1/BOUNCER

This when the faster bowlers pitch the ball a long way from the batsman with the intention of the ball reaching them at around head height. The faster bowlers do this a lot as the ball is hard to hit when this high.

2/YORKER

This is the reverse of the bouncer in that the aim is to get the ball to bounce just before the batsmen toes, this is again hard to play as the ball is so close to you.

3/FULL TOSS

This is when the ball reaches the batsmen without bouncing, its nearly always a misjudgement by the bowler as these balls are relatively easy to hit.

4/BEAMER

This is an extreme version of the full toss as it reaches the batsman above waist height and is always an accident on the bowlers part. It can be very dangerous as the ball is very hard to see when coming straight at you with out bouncing first.

5/ NO BALL

A no ball is one deemed illegal in a number of different ways, if the bowlers front foot lands in front of the crease line its a no ball, if it bounces too high or reaches the batmen too high without bouncing it can also be a no ball.

6/WIDE

This is fairly self explanatory , it is when the ball passes the batsmen too wide for them to play a conventional shot, this is judged by the umpire.

7/SQUARE LEG

This is a fielding position which is directly behind the batsmen , square on to the wicket. The person can field close to the batsmen but is normally about half way back towards the fence.

8/FINE LEG

This is another fielding position, it is behind the wicket and at an angle from the batsmen. It is used to cover any shots played behind the batsmen when they glance the ball past their legs.

9/SLIPS

The slips are the fielders that are positioned next to the wicket keeper. They are there to catch any edges from the batsmen. The quicker bowlers normally have two or three slips as they are more likely to be edged.

10/GULLY

This is a position that is after the end of the slips and more face on to the wicket. The position is more for stopping deliberate shots but can take edges as well.

11/SHORT LEG

This is someone who fields a short distance away from the batsmen on their

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