S
- Sawn off
- A batsman who has been wrongly or unluckily given out by an umpire.
- Scorer
- Someone who scores the progress of the game. Runs, wickets, extras etc
- Seam
- 1. (noun) the stitching on the ball.
- 2. (verb) for a ball to deviate off the pitch because it has bounced on its seam.
- Seam bowling
- a bowling style which uses the uneven conditions of the ball – specifically the raised seam – to make it deviate upon bouncing off the pitch. Contrast with swing bowling.
- Season
- Selector
- a person who is delegated with the task of choosing players for a cricket team. Typically the term is used in the context of player selection for national, provincial and other representative teams at the professional levels of the game, where a "panel of selectors" acts under the authority of the relevant national or provincial cricket administrative body.
- Session
- A period of play, from start to lunch, lunch to tea and tea until stumps.
- Shepherd the strike (also farm the strike)
- of a batsman, contrive to receive the majority of the balls bowled, often to protect a weaker batting partner. Typically involves declining taking singles early in overs, and trying to take singles late in overs.
- Shooter
- a delivery that skids after pitching (i.e. doesn't bounce as high as would be expected), usually at a quicker pace, resulting in a batsman unable to hit the ball cleanly.
- Short-pitched
- a delivery that bounces relatively close to the bowler. The intent is to make the ball bounce well above waist height (a bouncer). A slow or low-bouncing short-pitched ball is known as a long hop.
- Short of a length
- Shot
- the act of the batsman hitting the ball with his bat.
- Shot Stop
- When the wicket keeper stands upfront, the fielder placed right behind the wicket keeper is called a Shot Stop. When the fielder stands outside the 30 yard circle he is called a Long Stop.
- Side on
- 1. A side on bowler has back foot, chest and hips aligned towards the batsman at the instant of back foot contact.
- 2. A batsman is side on if his hips and shoulders are facing at ninety degrees to the bowler.
- Sightscreen
- a large board placed behind the bowler, beyond the boundary, used to provide contrast to the ball, thereby aiding the striker in seeing the ball when it is delivered. Typically coloured white to contrast a red ball, or black to contrast a white ball.
- Silly
- a modifier to the names of some fielding positions to denote that they are unusually close to the batsman, most often silly mid-off, silly mid-on, silly midwicket and silly point.
- Silly nanny
- a rough streak of poor balls, usually resulting in substitution or a chorus of dismay from the crowd.
- Single
- a run scored by the batsmen physically running once only between the wickets.
- Single wicket
- Six (or Sixer)
- a shot which passes over or touches the boundary without having bounced or rolled, so called because it scores six runs to the batting side.
- Skier
- (pronounced Sky-er) A mistimed shot hit almost straight up in the air, to the sky. Usually results in the batsman being caught out. Occasionally however the fielder positions himself perfectly to take the catch but misses it or drops it. Such an error is considered very embarrassing for the fielder.
- Skyline
- alternative name for Manhattan.
- Slash
- a cut, but played aggressively or possibly recklessly – a cut (q.v.) being a shot played square on the off side to a short-pitched delivery wide of off stump. So called because the batsman makes a "cutting" motion as he plays the shot.
- Sledging
- verbal abuse in simple terms, or a psychological tactic in more complex terms. Used by cricketers both on and off the field to gain advantage of the opposition by frustrating them and breaking the concentration of the opposition. Considered in some cricketing countries to be against the spirit of the game, but acceptable in others.
- Slice
- a kind of cut shot played with the bat making an obtuse angle with the batsman.
- Slider
- a wrist spinner's delivery where backspin is put on the ball.
- Slip
- a close fielder behind the batsman, next to the wicket-keeper on the off-side. Also ("in the slips", "at first slip") the positions occupied by such fielders. Commonly there will be two or three slips in an attacking field (although there is no limit and a captain may use more), and one or none in a defensive field. A specialist slip fieldsman may be known as a slipper.
- Slip catching cradle
- Slog
- a powerful shot, usually hit in the air in an attempt to score a six, typically without too much concern for proper technique.
- Slog overs
- see death overs.
- Slog sweep
- a sweep shot hit hard and in the air, over the same boundary as for a hook. Used exclusively against spin bowlers. A type of slog.
- Slower ball
- a medium-pace delivery bowled by a fast bowler. Designed to deceive the batsman into playing the ball too early and skying it to a fielder. Has several variations.
- Slow left armer
- a left-arm, orthodox, finger spin bowler; the left-handed equivalent of an off spinner (see off spin).
- Snick (also edge)
- a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat.
- Snickometer
- a device used to measure the distinct sound generated when a batsman snicks the ball. The distinct sound is shown as a high spike (like one generated by a seismograph during an earthquake) on the Snick-o-Meter. Sometimes called snicko.
- Specialist
- a player selected in the team primarily for a single skill, i.e. not an all-rounder or a wicketkeeper-batsman. Such players can be referred to as specialist batsmen, specialist bowlers, or specialist wicketkeepers.
- Spectacles
- another word for a pair. From the appearance of two ducks on the scorecard as 0-0.
- Spell
- 1. the number of continuous overs a bowler bowls before being relieved.
- Spider Graph (also Wagon Wheel)
- a graphical chart that represents the trajectory of the ball from each scoring stroke, including its direction, distance travelled, and (where the technology allows) elevation and bounces. Each scoring stroke is represented by a coloured line, typically colour-coded by the number of runs from the stroke. The Spider Graph is a more detailed version of the traditional Wagon Wheel graphic; some commentators use the two terms interchangeably, while others use Wagon Wheel only for the less-detailed version.
- Spin bowling
- a style of bowling in which a spin bowler ("spinner") attempts to deceive the batsman by imparting spin on the ball using either their fingers or their wrist. Spin bowling is most effective when the ball is travelling relatively slowly, and so most spinners bowl at a pace between 40 and 55 mph.
- Splice
- the joint between the handle and the blade of a bat; the weakest part of the bat. If the ball hits the splice it is likely to dolly up for an easy catch.
- Square
- 1. of a position on the field, perpendicular to the line of the pitch; the opposite of fine.
- 2. the area in the middle of the ground where the pitches are prepared.
- 3. an imaginary line extending the crease to the boundary on the leg side; it is illegal to have more than two fielders behind square.
- Square-cut
- A cut shot, played square, i.e. perpendicular to the bowler's delivery.
- Stance (also batting stance)
- the posture of a batsman holding his bat when facing a delivery.
- Stand (noun)
- A synonym for partnership.
- Stand (verb)
- An Umpire who officiates a cricket match is described as standing in that match.
- Standing up
- position adopted by a Wicket-keeper, close to the stumps, when a slow (or, occasionally, medium pace) bowler is operating.
- Start
- a batsman is said to have a start when he successfully avoids being dismissed for very few runs; in Australia, this is generally understood to mean a score of twenty runs. Once a batsman survives this initial period and becomes established, batting generally becomes easier as he has settled into a rhythm and has adapted to the playing conditions and is less vulnerable, so they are then expected to convert their starts into big scores.
- Steaming in
- a bowler taking a fast run-up to bowl is said to be steaming in.
- Sticky dog
- a drying wicket that is exceedingly difficult to bat on. Uncommon if not non-existent in recent years due to the routine covering of pitches.
- Sticky wicket
- a difficult wet pitch.
- Stock bowler
- a bowler whose role is to restrict scoring rather than to take wickets. Usually called upon to bowl large amounts of overs at a miserly run rate while strike bowlers rest between spells or attempt to take wickets from the other end.
- Stock delivery (also stock ball)
- a bowler's standard delivery; the delivery a bowler bowls most frequently. Bowlers usually have one stock delivery and one or more variation deliveries.
- Stodger
- a batsman who makes it his job to defend and to score at a mediocre rate. This style is prone to derogatory comments but also compliments on resilience and technique.
- Stonewaller
- a batsman who plays defensively rather than trying to score.
- Straight bat
- the bat when held vertically, or when swung through a vertical arc
- Straight up-and-down
- pejorative term for a fast- or medium-paced bowler who cannot swing or seam the ball.
- Stranded
- a batsman is said to be stranded on his score if he narrowly misses scoring a century or similar milestone because his team's innings ends, rather than because he was dismissed.
- Strangler
- a form of dismissal whereby a batsman, in trying to play a glance very fine to a leg-side ball, gets an inside edge which is caught by the wicket-keeper.
- Street
- a pitch which is easy for batsmen and difficult for bowlers. Sometimes called a road, highway, and various other synonyms for street.
- Strike
- the position as batsman, as opposed to non striker. Often, 'Keep strike', to arrange runs on the last ball of an over so as to face the first ball of the next. 'Shepherd the Strike': to keep doing this to protect a less skillful batsman.
- Strike bowler
- an attacking bowler whose role is to take wickets rather than to restrict scoring. Usually a fast bowler or attacking spinner who bowls in short spells to attacking field settings.
- Strike rate
- 1. (batting) a percentage equal to the number of runs scored by a batsman divided by the number of balls faced.
- 2. (bowling) the average number of deliveries bowled before a bowler takes a wicket.
- Striker
- the batsman who faces the deliveries bowled.
- Stroke
- an attempt by the batsman to play at a delivery.
- Stump
- 1. one of the three vertical posts making up the wicket ("off stump", "middle stump" and "leg stump");
- 2. a way of dismissing a batsman; or
- 3. ("stumps") or ("at stumps") the end of a day's play.
- Substitute (cricket)
- Sun ball
- A method of bowling where the ball is intentionally bowled at a great height and a sluggish pace. This is done to interrupt the batsman's field of vision using the suns rays often causing disastrous consequences such as blunt strikes to the head.
- Sundry (also extra)
- a run not attributed to any batsman, such as a bye, wide or no-ball.
- Supersub
- Under experimental One-Day International rules introduced in July 2005, the twelfth man became a substitute, able to come on and replace any player, with the substitute able to take over the substituted player's batting and bowling duties. A twelfth man used as a substitute in this way was known as the supersub. The first supersub was Vikram Solanki, who replaced Simon Jones at Headingley on 7 July 2005. However, as Solanki replaced Jones after England had bowled, and England only lost one wicket in chasing down Australia's target, Solanki did not get to play any part in the game. The ICC cancelled the experiment in February 2006.
- Super Over
- Surrey Cut
- see French Cut
- Sweep
- a shot played to a good length slow delivery. The batsman gets down on one knee and "sweeps" the ball to the leg side.
- Sweet spot
- the small area on the face of the bat that gives maximum power for minimum effort when the ball is hit with it. Also known as the "middle" or "meat" of the bat. A shot that is struck with the sweet spot is referred to as being "well timed" (see timing).
- Swing
- a bowling style usually employed by fast and medium-pace bowlers. The fielding side will polish the ball on one side of the seam only; as the innings continues, the ball will become worn on one side, but shiny on the other. When the ball is bowled with the seam upright, the air will travel faster over the shiny side than the worn side. This makes the ball swing (curve) in the air. Conventional swing would mean that the ball curves in the air away from the shiny side. (see reverse swing).
- Switch hit
- a shot played by a batsman who reverses both his stance and his grip during the bowler's run-up, so that a right-handed batsman would play the shot as an orthodox left-hander. The shot was popularised by England batsman Kevin Pietersen, prompting some discussion about its impact on the rules, e.g. for lbw decisions in which it is necessary to distinguish between off and leg stumps.
Read more about this topic: Glossary Of Cricket Terms