by Chris Pearce

Created on: July 14, 2009   Last Updated: November 24, 2009

Cricket perhaps more than just about any other game has a large number of terms and expressions unique to that sport. People unfamiliar with the game are likely to find it hard to understand because of the terms used, especially as the meaning of many of them is not always obvious. In essence, cricket is quite a simple game where the aim of the batting side is to make as many runs as possible, while the fielding side tries to get the batsmen out. Here is a guide to some of the many cricket terms and expressions and an explanation of their meaning to help make the game more understandable and enjoyable to watch.

Some of the oddest cricket terms are those used to describe fielding positions. Logically, a person who knows nothing about cricket would think that "third man" is the third batsman or third bowler. Actually, it's a fielding position at 10 or 11 o'clock from a right-hand batsman (when looking at the field from above) and fairly close to the boundary. By the way, the third batsman is often simply called the "number three" and comes in at "first drop" or when one of the two opening batsman goes out. The third bowler is often called the "first change" bowler and bowls after one of the two opening bowlers is given a rest. There is no "first man" or "second man" in the field.

If you see a cricket match on television, you will see the wicket-keeper standing behind the stumps and a line of several fielders to his right, for a right-handed batsman. These players are fielding in "slips," sometimes called the "slips cordon," and are ready to take a catch if the batsman nicks the ball off the edge of his bat. There is no set number of slips fielders; it depends on the conditions and the state of the game. Moving away from the wicket-keeper, the slips positions are called "first slip," "second slip," and so on.

Further around from the slips fielders is the position of "gully," between 9 and 10 o'clock from the right-hand batsman. It is also a catching position. At about 9 o'clock, and a bit further from the bat, is "point." Continuing anticlockwise is "cover," between 7 and 8 o'clock. Mid-off and mid-on stand at about 7 o'clock and 5 o'clock from the batsman respectively. The position of "mid-wicket" mirrors cover, while "square leg" mirrors point. "Fine leg" is opposite third man and is often there to catch a batsman "hooking."

The word "deep" or "short" is added to many of these terms when a fielder is closer in or further out than the conventional position. Thus

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