Mulligrub? Peach? Jaffa?! Ever wondered what on earth your partner is jabbering on about during a cricket match? You’re not alone. Cricket is famed for its obscure dialect. To help open the lines of communication with you and your partner during the upcoming Vodafone Ashes Series, before each Test we’ll present you with a handy glossary that will help you tap into the fascinating world of cricket speak.
Asking rate
The asking rate is the rate at which the team batting needs to score to catch the opponents score in a game of restricted overs.
Average
Okay? Dime a dozen? Middle of the road? Sorry, but average isn’t a reference to a player’s mediocrity. Rather, a bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowler (including wides and no-balls) divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler. A batting average is defined as the total number of runs scored by the batsman divided by the number of times he has been dismissed.
Bail
Fear not, this does not mean someone is in trouble with the law. A bail is one of the two small pieces of wood that lie on top of the stumps to form the wicket.
Beamer
Whilst it might be the preferred style of transportation for some high-earning cricketers, a beamer also refers to a ball that reaches the batsman at head height without bouncing. This can be very dangerous and a punishable offence. A beamer will be deemed a no ball.
Belter
Sounds scary, huh? It is if you’re fielding on a belter of a pitch. That is, a pitch offering advantage to the batsman.
Howzat
How’s what? Howzat is the cry of a fielding team when appealing to the umpire to declare the batsman out.
Jaffa
Think 'Jaffer', the best type of orange. A jaffa is an exceptionally well bowled, practically unplayable ball.
Peach
Hungry? If you’re a batsman you won’t have time to snack when this ball comes your way. Delivered at lightning speed, a peach refers to a ball thrown by a fast bowler that is deemed unplayable – usually leading to the player getting out.
Mullygrubber
Made famous by cricket legend Richie Benaud, a mullygrubber is a ball that doesn't bounce after pitching.
Nelson
Just like bingo, cricket has funny names for scores achieved during a match. Nelson is an 'unlucky' score of 111, achieved by either a team on an individual batsman. Some superstitious players even stand on one leg to counter any bad luck. Scores of 222 and 333 are called Double and Triple Nelson respectively.
Over
Did somebody say it’s over? Sorry ladies, it’s not quite time to race back to the carpark. An over refers to the delivery of six consecutive balls by one bowler. During the course of the Ashes there will be plenty of overs, so get comfortable.
Pinch Hitter
Borrowed from baseball, the term pinch hitter refers to a lower order batsman promoted up the batting order to increase the run rate.
Red cherry
There’s no tricks to this one ladies. A red cherry is simply a nickname for the red cricket ball.
Spinner
Shane Warne was famed for his. A spinner refers to a style of bowling in which a spin bowler (aka "spinner") attempts to trick the batsman by adding spin on the ball using a clever flick of his wrist during delivery. Interestingly, spin bowling is most powerful when the ball is travelling relatively slowly.
Wicket-keeper
This refers to the batsman who keeps his pads on when fielding. More simply? Look for the player on the fielding side who stands immediately behind the batting end wicket.
Wag
Contrary to popular belief a wag does not just refer to the glamorous wives and girlfriends of cricket players. Wag is also used to describe when a batsman towards the tail end of the batting order scores more runs than he is expected to.
