Simon Hughes
Lap - another word for
the sweep stroke.
Leading edge - a ball
that loops off the outside or front edge because the bat face has been turned inwards too early.
LBW - one of the most common ways of being out. The ball hits the batsman on the pad in line with the stumps. However, the ball has to satisfy a number of criteria before a batsman can be given out leg before wicket.
Leg-break/spin - a ball turning from leg to off (right to left) to right-handed batsman. It was a fading art until the emergence of Shane Warne rejuvenated it.
Leg-bye - a run scored off a ball that is deflected off the batsman by something other than the bat or the hand holding the bat.
Leg-cutter - a straightish ball to a right-hander that suddenly deviates or jags
away towards the slips off
the pitch. This can happen by accident – caused by the ball landing on the seam – or be deliberately extracted by the bowler tweaking his wrist
sideways as he releases.
Leg-side – the area of the field behind a batsman's legs standing in his normal position at the crease.
Length – the place where
the ball lands. Used in conjunction with the words 'good', 'poor', 'full', 'short' and 'back-of-a'.
Line – the direction the
ball is travelling in, i.e. off stump line is a ball aimed at off stump.
Long hop – a very short
ball, usually an accident,
that sits up and begs to
be dispatched to the
boundary.
Loop – a slow bowler who imparts a lot of spin on the ball, making it dip deceptively late in flight, is described as 'having a good loop'.
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Copyright © Simon Hughes 2001
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