What’s a Wicket? Cricket Terms for Absolute Beginners

Cricket is a captivating team sport popular in many parts of the world. It is played on a rectangular field with a central pitch. Two teams take turns to bat and bowl. The batting side tries to accumulate runs by hitting the ball bowled by the opposing team’s bowler and swiftly running between the wickets. Meanwhile, the fielding team employs various tactics to secure dismissals, whether through catching the ball, hitting the stumps to dismiss the batsman, or employing other strategic manoeuvres. With each team allotted a specific number of overs for batting and bowling, the ultimate objective is to outscore the opponent, determining the winner. Cricket’s allure lies in its intricate strategies which can span several hours or, in longer formats, even days.

For those of you well-versed in the world of cricket, the text above makes perfect sense. For those taking their first steps in the world of bowls and wickets, perhaps with the goal of getting into the top sites for cricket betting South Africa has to offer, all this may sound like gibberish. So, let us define the basic cricket terms for the absolute beginners below.

Pitch

The  “pitch” is the rectangular strip at the centre of the field where the bowler delivers the ball, and the batsman plays their shots. It’s essential for the game’s action.

Bat

“To bat” means that a player from one team takes their turn to face the deliveries from the bowler, trying to score runs for their team using their cricket bat.

Bowl

 “To bowl” refers to a player from one team delivering the ball to the batsman from the opposing team, aiming to get them out or restrict their scoring.

Deliveries

“Deliveries” in cricket are individual balls bowled by the bowler to the batsman in an over. The batsman’s goal is to score runs or defend their wicket.

Runs

“Runs” in cricket are the basic unit of scoring. Batsmen score runs by hitting the ball and running between the wickets or by hitting boundaries (4 or 6 runs).

Overs

An “over” consists of six legal deliveries (bowled by the same bowler), marking one complete cycle of bowling. It’s a key unit of measurement in the game.

Catching

“Catching” in cricket is the act of a fielder (a player who defends and retrieves the ball) successfully grabbing the ball hit by the batsman before it touches the ground, resulting in the batsman being dismissed.

Wickets

“Wickets” in cricket refer to the set of three vertical stumps and two horizontal bails. Batsmen defend them, and bowlers aim to hit them to dismiss the batsman.

Stumps

“Stumps” are the three vertical wooden posts that are part of the wicket. They are used to determine if the batsman is out when hit by the ball.

Field

“Fielding” in cricket refers to the defensive aspect of the game where the team not batting tries to prevent runs and get the batsmen out through various techniques like catching and stopping the ball.

Dismissal

A “dismissal” is when a batsman is declared out by the umpire (the equivalent of the referee in other sports) due to various reasons, such as getting bowled, caught, run out, or other means, ending their innings.

All Out

“All out” is when all of a team’s batsmen are dismissed. The team is said to be “all out,” and their innings ends.

Final words

Any sports slang sounds gibberish to outsiders – this is true for every sport, cricket included. Hopefully, our small cricket dictionary will clarify a few things for absolute beginners, helping them get into one of the most amazing sports in the world.