The No Ball Cricket Glossary is our ongoing attempt to make sense of cricket’s sprawling vocabulary — from the straightforward to the downright unreasonable. Check back often — new terms are added each week as we work through the chaos; someone has to catalogue this nonsense, and apparently it’s us.
C
Cow Corner
In cricketing cartography, cow corner is that wide, sun-baked patch of turf between deep midwicket and long-on — a region simultaneously despised by purists and adored by power-hitters.
N
No Ball
A no ball is cricket’s original sin — the umpire’s small declaration that something, somewhere, has gone fractionally wrong with civilisation.
O
Off Side
The off side in cricket refers to an area of the field — not to be confused with offside, that joyless rule from other ball sports, nor officide, the wilful murdering of business equipment after a printer jam in the third consecutive over of a Monday.
S
Silly Mid On
Silly Mid On sits somewhere between courage and questionable life choices. It’s the fielder positioned just a few paces in front of the batter on the leg side — close enough to smell linseed oil and regret.
