Do You Know Cricket Terms? Trivia Quiz

Answer: The part of the wicket nearest to the batsman

The term 'wicket' can be very misleading in cricket. In this case it refers to the five pieces of wood which the bowler is trying to hit and the batsman is trying to defend. The three uprights are called stumps and the two shorter pieces across the top are called bails.

The stump nearest the batsman's legs is called the leg stump. the one furthest away is called the off stump and the one in the middle is called (imaginatively) the middle stump. 'Wicket' can also mean the dismissal of a batsman e.g, "The bowler has taken five wickets today", and confusingly can also mean the 22 yard strip of pitch that most of the action takes place on.

A wicket can be said to be either fast or slow depending on the speed that the ball bounces off it after hitting the surface.

Answer: Long twelfth man

Silly point is a catching position close to the batsman square on the offside. 'Silly' because you have to be a bit daft to field there! The 'covers' is an area in front of square on the offside; a short extra cover fieldsman is usually put in place to deter the batsman from driving into the covers. Third man is an area behind square on the offside, usually the man at third man fields close to the boundary but cccasionally he is brought closer to the wicket, this position is known as short third man.

The twelfth man is not a fielding position but is the unfortunate guy that didn't make the team on this occasion. His duties include bringing out the drinks for his teammates and running errands for the captain, it is of no consequence whether he is long or short.

Answer: Square-leg umpire

There are two umpires on the field of play. One stands at the bowler's end whilst the other stands square on the legside of the batsman. A stumping occurs when a batsman misses the ball and the wicket-keeper takes the bails off whilst the batsman is out of the 'crease' (a line marks the front edge of this area).

The action takes place very quickly so the umpire must be aware of the situation. These days in first-class cricket umpires can refer the decision to a third umpire (who is in the pavilion) he will examine video evidence before making a decision.

Answer: Rabbit

A 'rabbit' is a mildly derogatory term for a poor batsman, especially one who does not face fast bowling too well. A googly is a ball that is delivered in a style that suggests it will spin from leg-side to off-side, but in actual fact does the opposite. Only highly skilled bowlers can produce an effective googly, but it is a ball that can produce many wickets for the bowler.

A chinaman is a googly bowled by a left handed bowler. A flipper is an off-spin delivery to which the bowler has applied backspin this makes the ball keep lower than normal.

Answer: A poor delivery by a bowler

No bowler likes to send down a long hop. It is a half-paced delivery pitched short and is usually dispatched with ease by the batsman to the boundary. Bowlers who are out of practise or tired are most likely to bowl a long-hop. Strangely, the long-hop sometimes takes unmerited wickets as the batsman's eyes light up at seeing an easy ball, and he hits the ball straight to a fielder. If the bowler feels bad at sending down a long-hop, it is nothing to how the batsman feels at getting out to one! Fielding positions include long-on and long-off but not long-hop. Sounds like it might be a good name for an after game beer though.

Answer: The bowler has bowled his allotted six balls and play must continue from the opposite end

The bowler will bowl six balls from one end of the ground. These six balls are called an over. The umpire counts the deliveries and after six legitimate balls will call "over". The fielding side change positions and a different bowler starts his over from the opposite end.

Answer: Nelson

The number 111 or 'one, one, one' is known as 'Nelson' because the great English hero Nelson had only one arm, one eye and (reputedly) one of something else by the time of his death. Quite why it is considered unlucky no-one really knows. David Shepherd, the excellent English umpire, would always briefly stand on one foot whenever a player or team reached 'Nelson' or multiples of 111 to try and ward off any bad luck.

Answer: Hitch

A sweep is usually played against a slow bowler and involves the batsman playing a low cross-batted shot in an attempt to play the ball square or behind square on the leg-side. The hook shot is played against a fast bowler when he has sent down a short-pitched bouncer, the batsman plays the ball to leg from somewhere around shoulder height.

It is a very exciting shot for spectators to watch but a high risk option for the batsman as there are usually fielders placed for the catch. The drive is a firm shot played in front of the wicket, either to off or leg.

Other shots include the glance, the cut and the pull but there is no shot called the hitch.

Answer: One of four lines drawn on the pitch on either side of the two wickets

Both wickets have a series of lines drawn around them. The front line is known as the batting crease (also the popping crease), and the side line is known as the return crease. When the bowler bowls a ball, he must be inside the return crease at the point of delivery.

Answer: Six runs

The umpire signals a boundary six by raising both hands above his head, the signal for a boundary four is a waist high sweeping of the right hand.
The signal all batsmen dread is the raising of the right index finger, that means he is out. Many bowlers get disappointed when an appeal goes against them, but most realise that it is not a good idea to upset the umpire let alone threaten him with violence!