Simon Hughes
Paddle – a gentle sweep shot, dabbed rather than hit, as if using an oar.
Pair – a batsman making two noughts in a match (it looks like a pair of spectacles). Graham Gooch made a pair in his first Test, but finished up as England's all-time top run scorer.
Pitch – it's 22 yards long and 10 feet wide and has been ever since 1744. The length was consistent with a 'chain' (a unit of land measurement
in the 17th century). Pitch also means the bounce of the ball.
Play on – deflecting the ball into the stumps with the edge of the bat.
Plumb – a very flat pitch, or an indisputable lbw decision.
Point – similar fielding position to cover point, about 20 yards from the bat. It was once right on the 'point' of the bat, equivalent to the modern 'silly-point' position.
Popping crease – the line marking the limit of the batsman's ground (4 feet in front of the stumps). Its name has lingered since the days when there was a small hole on this line which the batsman had to jab the bat into when completing a run, before the bowler or fielder 'popped' the ball in it. A practice that resulted in quite a few damaged fingers.
Pudding – a very slow, spongy pitch.
Pull – a back-foot leg-side shot, distinct from the hook because the pull is played to a ball that hasn't risen as high.
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Copyright © Simon Hughes 2001
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