Pace 1. n. a measure of the hardnes and bounciness of the pitch, such that bouncy pitches have a lot of pace since balls bouncing off them tend to maintain their speed, while less bouncy pitches have less pace as they tend to deaden and slow the ball somewhat.
2. n. a measure of the speed of a ball bowled by the bowler.
3. adj. describing a bowler who bowls at a relatively fast speed. He is a pace bowler.
4. adj. describing the style of bowling in which the ball is bowled fast, using pace(2), swing, seam, and/or cut to attempt to take wickets. He is proficient at pace bowling.
Pad 1. n. a batsman's leg pad, designed to protect the leg from being hit by the ball.
2. v.t. to play the ball with the leg pad rather than the bat, by deliberately pushing the leg in the path of the ball while keeping the bat away from the ball.
Par Score 1. n. the total number of runs that the side batting second in a one-day match would need to have scored by a particular over, with a particular number of wickets down, in order to win under the Duckworth/Lewis Method if the game were to be washed out at that point.
Part-Time Bowler 1. n. a player in a side primarily for batting (or wicket-keeping) and who has moderate skill as a bowler, who is occasionally called on to bowl a few overs, often when none of the specialist bowlers are performing well.
Part-Timer 1. n. a part-time bowler.
Partnership 1. n. the period of batting in which two specific batsmen are batting, from the time the previous batsman was out until one of the specific two is out.
2. n. the number of runs scored during a partnership(1).
Pair 1. n. a batsman's score of zero runs, after getting out, in both innings of a two-innings match; a duck in each innings. cf. king pair.
Pavilion 1. n. traditional term for the building in which players change clothes, wait to bat, and eat meals, often used as the destination for batsmen who have just got out. The bowler sent that batsman back to the pavilion!
Pick 1. v.t. (of a batsman) to perceive the particular type of ball being bowled by a bowler who changes his delivery action, by noting the position of the hand and arm as the bowler releases the ball. The batsman didn't pick that googly, and it almost bowled him.
Pie 1. n. colloquial term for a poor delivery, which can be easily hit by the batsman for runs.
Pie Chucker 1. n. colloquial term for a bowler who bowls many poor deliveries. cf. pie.
Pinch Hitter 1. n. a batsman known for batting aggressively, who comes in to bat above his normal batting position expressly to score runs quickly, possibly at the expense of his own wicket. The term comes from baseball, but has been adopted for a different meaning.
Pitch 1. n. the prepared rectangle of grass in the centre of a cricket field, which has a wicket at each end and along which the bowler bowls the ball to the batsman.
2. n. the bounce of a ball (usually on the pitch(1)).
3. v.i. (of a ball) to bounce (usually on the pitch(1)). The ball pitched short.
4. v.t. (of a bowler) to bounce the ball on the pitch(1). The bowler pitched the ball short.
Play In 1. v. (of a batsman) to settle into his innings and get comfortable with the bowling and the qualities of the bounce off the pitch, when beginning to bat on a given day. The batsman refrained from aggressive batting until he'd played himself in.
Play On 1. v. (of a batsman) to accidentally hit the ball (usually off the edge of the bat) on to one's own wicket, resulting in being out bowled.
Plumb 1. adj. colloquial term describing an LBW or potential LBW in which the batsman is clearly hit on the pads directly in front of his wicket, and should obviously be given out. The fielders are appealing for LBW, and the batsman looks plumb!
Point 1. n. fielding position on the off side, square of the striker's wicket, a position designed to either catch the ball from a misplaced cut shot, or to prevent runs from cut shots, square drives, and defensive strokes square on the off side; fielding position between gully and cover.
2. n. a fielder fielding in the point position.
Popping Crease 1. n. the white line marked on the pitch in front of each wicket, delineating the border between safe and unsafe territory for the batsmen when they take runs, and also the region where a bowler's front foot must land in order to bowl a legal delivery; also referred to simply as the crease.
Protected Area 1. n. the central rectangle of the pitch, on which bowlers may not run in their follow-through as it may damage the pitch and make batting difficult; synonym for danger area.
Pull 1. n. a type of batsman's shot played by standing and swinging the bat in a horizontal arc across the body, hitting the ball to the leg side, usually played to balls which bounce around waist height.
2. v.i. to play a pull shot.
3. v.t. to hit the ball with a pull.
Puller 1. n. a batsman who is skilled at or frequently plays pull shots.
2. n. any batsman in the context of playing a pull shot.
Put Up The Shutters 1. v. (of a side) to begin to bat defensively in the last innings of the match, in order to not lose wickets and force a draw, rather than to attempt to chase the victory target.
Pyjama Game 1. n. pejorative term used to describe one-day cricket, as compared to first class cricket, referring to the coloured uniforms worn by the players.
Pyjamas 1. n. pejorative term for the coloured uniforms worn by players in one-day cricket.