The Women’s T20 World Cup kicks off on the 10th of February and it promises to be an event of note. For the first time ever, the event is being hosted in South Africa, where we can fully come and support our team.
There are many reasons to go out and watch the cricket: the general vibe is buzzy, active and fun, but the actual lingo within cricket can be complicated, like the rules. Get familiar with these cricket terms you’re sure to hear over the loudspeaker before you head to the game.
Boundary
The end of the playing area, marked by the lines creating the biggest oval shape (there are two ovals, one inside the other). If the ball hits the boundary, that’s four or six points, depending on how it crossed the line.
Four
If the ball is hit by the batsman and soars over the boundary rope by rolling on the ground, that team have scored themselves four points.
Six
If the ball is hit and flies all the way over the boundary without bouncing, that’s six points for the batting team.
Over
In cricket, each bowler gets six turns to toss the ball to their batsman. That’s one over. They can also be used to delineate different games. In T20 cricket, for example, there are only 20 overs, while a full five-day game’s overs are unlimited.
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No-ball
An illegal delivery of the ball by the bowler. There are 16 different kinds. If a bowler’s foot goes over the popping crease (the line in front of the wickets) while bowling, for example, that’s a no-ball.
Wide
An illegal delivery of the ball by means of passing too wide for a batswoman to hit, or too high.
Out
There are ten ways for a batswoman to get out of the game. One way? For a fielder to catch the ball that was just hit: that’s being caught out.
Run-Out
Being run out happens when the ball is in play and, trying to make it back to the batting area, the ball hits the stumps while the batswoman is outside of the popping crease.
Stump
Three pieces of wood on either end of the pitch. It’s also a term used by the umpire to call the end of play for the day.
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LBW
This one’s quite simple, really. If the ball would have hit the stumps (the same thing as the wicket) but was instead intercepted by any part of the bastwoman’s body, that’s called a Leg Before Wicket. That batswoman would then be out. Yikes.
Yorker
A Yorker is a type of delivery by the bowler that hits very low on or near the popping crease, just within the batswoman’s reach. This is considered one of the most difficult deliveries to hit.
Innings
Since each team member has the opportunity to bowl, when ten out of the 11 teammates are out, that’s an innings.
Extra runs
All the times the batswoman didn’t hit the ball? That’s calculated and considered as extra runs and are added to the score.
Test match
This game lasts between four and five days and are made up of four innings.
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One day game
As the name gently suggests, this game shortens the traditional match and only lasts one day. How? It’s capped by a total of 50 overs per match.
T20
Stemming from the phrase Twenty20, this game is a faster-paced, exciting form of cricket lasting only 20 overs.
