Cricket Vocabulary

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Date:

Instructions: How well do you know the terms of this beloved bat-and-ball sport?

1.
In cricket, what is a 'googly'?
A
A wide delivery
B
A bouncer aimed at the batsman's head
C
A leg-spin ball that turns the opposite way to expected
D
A catch taken at slip
2.
What does 'LBW' stand for in cricket?
A
Last Ball Won
B
Long Boundary Wide
C
Left Bat Wing
D
Leg Before Wicket
3.
In cricket, what is a 'duck'?
A
A type of defensive shot
B
A method of dodging a bouncer
C
A score of zero by a batsman
D
A fielding position near the boundary
4.
What is a 'yorker' in cricket?
A
A catch taken by the bowler off their own bowling
B
A delivery that pitches at or near the batsman's feet
C
A spin delivery with extra bounce
D
A shot played over the wicketkeeper's head
5.
In cricket, what does 'silly point' refer to?
A
A very close fielding position near the batsman on the off side
B
An extra delivery in an over
C
A meaningless run scored off a no-ball
D
A poor shot selection
6.
What is a 'maiden over' in cricket?
A
An over bowled by a debutant
B
An over in which no runs are scored off the bat
C
The first over of a match
D
An over with all six deliveries being wides
7.
In cricket, what is a 'nightwatchman'?
A
The umpire who oversees evening sessions
B
The security guard at the ground
C
A fielder positioned deep on the boundary at night
D
A lower-order batsman sent in near close of play to protect a better batsman
8.
What does 'bowling a hat-trick' mean in cricket?
A
Bowling three no-balls in a row
B
Bowling an entire over of bouncers
C
Taking three wickets with three consecutive deliveries
D
Winning three matches in a row as a bowler
9.
In cricket, what is a 'doosra'?
A
A fielding position behind the wicketkeeper
B
A tied test match
C
A type of batting grip
D
A delivery by an off-spinner that turns the other way
10.
What is the 'crease' in cricket?
A
The edge of the boundary rope
B
A wrinkle in the pitch surface
C
The marked lines at each end of the pitch
D
The seam on the cricket ball
11.
In cricket, what is a 'century'?
A
100 consecutive dot balls
B
A score of 100 runs by an individual batsman
C
Playing for 100 minutes without a break
D
A match lasting 100 overs
12.
What is a 'chinaman' delivery in cricket?
A
A spin ball bowled underarm
B
A delivery that bounces twice
C
A fast delivery aimed at the chin
D
A left-arm wrist spinner's stock ball that turns from off to leg
13.
In cricket, what does 'declaration' mean?
A
An appeal to the umpire
B
A captain voluntarily ending their team's innings
C
The official start of a match
D
Announcing the team lineup
14.
What is 'sledging' in cricket?
A
Sliding to stop the ball in the field
B
Dragging the pitch roller across the ground
C
Celebrating a wicket excessively
D
Verbal intimidation of the batsman by fielders
15.
In cricket, what is a 'bouncer'?
A
A rejected appeal
B
A ball that bounces off the pitch and over the boundary
C
The person who controls crowd access
D
A short-pitched fast delivery aimed to rise toward the batsman's upper body or head

Answer Key

Question 1

C. A leg-spin ball that turns the opposite way to expected

A googly is a deceptive delivery bowled by a leg-spin bowler that turns in the opposite direction, from off to leg for a right-handed batsman.

Question 2

D. Leg Before Wicket

LBW stands for Leg Before Wicket, a way of dismissing a batsman whose leg blocks a ball that would have hit the stumps.

Question 3

C. A score of zero by a batsman

A 'duck' refers to a batsman being dismissed without scoring any runs. A 'golden duck' means out on the first ball faced.

Question 4

B. A delivery that pitches at or near the batsman's feet

A yorker is a delivery that lands right at or just inside the batsman's crease near their feet, making it very difficult to play.

Question 5

A. A very close fielding position near the batsman on the off side

Silly point is a close fielding position on the off side, very near the batsman. It is called 'silly' because of the danger to the fielder.

Question 6

B. An over in which no runs are scored off the bat

A maiden over is one in which no runs are scored off the bat by the batsman. It is a mark of tight bowling.

Question 7

D. A lower-order batsman sent in near close of play to protect a better batsman

A nightwatchman is a lower-order batsman promoted up the order to bat near the end of a day's play to protect a more skilled batsman from getting out.

Question 8

C. Taking three wickets with three consecutive deliveries

A hat-trick in cricket is when a bowler takes a wicket on each of three consecutive deliveries, one of the rarest achievements in the sport.

Question 9

D. A delivery by an off-spinner that turns the other way

The doosra is a delivery bowled by an off-spin bowler that spins in the opposite direction to the off-break, deceiving the batsman. The word means 'the other one' in Hindi/Urdu.

Question 10

C. The marked lines at each end of the pitch

The crease refers to the set of lines marked at each end of the pitch, including the batting crease (popping crease), bowling crease, and return creases.

Question 11

B. A score of 100 runs by an individual batsman

A century is when a batsman scores 100 or more runs in a single innings, considered a significant milestone in cricket.

Question 12

D. A left-arm wrist spinner's stock ball that turns from off to leg

A chinaman is the stock delivery of a left-arm wrist spinner (or unorthodox spinner), turning from off to leg for a right-handed batsman.

Question 13

B. A captain voluntarily ending their team's innings

A declaration is when the batting captain voluntarily ends their team's innings before all batsmen are out, usually as a tactical move to give time to bowl out the opposition.

Question 14

D. Verbal intimidation of the batsman by fielders

Sledging is the practice of players making provocative or personal comments to distract or unsettle an opponent, a controversial but common part of the game.

Question 15

D. A short-pitched fast delivery aimed to rise toward the batsman's upper body or head

A bouncer is a short-pitched delivery from a fast bowler that rises steeply toward the batsman's chest, shoulders, or head, used as an intimidation tactic.

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