non-striker
C2Technical/Formal (Cricket), General (Industrial Relations)
Definition
Meaning
In cricket, the batter who is at the bowler's end, not currently facing the delivery.
Any person, group, or party not involved in a strike, industrial action, or protest; in broader contexts, a person who abstains from participation in a particular action.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
In cricket, the term is purely positional and descriptive, without judgment. In industrial contexts, it can acquire socio-political connotations, potentially implying neutrality, opposition to the strike, or even scabbing.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In cricket, used identically in both UK and US cricket commentary, though cricket is far more common in the UK. In industrial contexts, it is used similarly, but 'strike-breaking' or 'scab' are more common American terms for those who work during a strike.
Connotations
UK: Cricket usage is neutral; industrial usage can imply passive non-participation or active opposition. US: Cricket usage is rare; industrial usage is less common and may be formal or legalistic.
Frequency
High frequency in UK cricket contexts; low frequency in general US English. Moderate frequency in UK industrial relations discourse.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Noun] as the non-striker[Verb] the non-strikerrun out [the non-striker]protect [the non-striker's rights]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “run out at the non-striker's end (cricket: dismissal)”
- “caught backing up (cricket: dismissal)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to employees who continue working during an official strike, often covered by employment law.
Academic
Used in sociological or industrial relations papers analyzing labor movements and collective action.
Everyday
Rare outside of cricket reports or specific news about strikes.
Technical
Essential term in cricket laws and commentary; precise term in labor relations.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The bowler can run out a backing-up non-striker.
adjective
British English
- The non-striker batter must be aware of the field.
American English
- The company offered bonuses to non-striker employees.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The non-striker ran quickly and scored a point.
- The union warned that non-strikers would not be protected from future layoffs.
- Root was run out at the non-striker's end for backing up too far.
- The legislation sought to clarify the rights of non-strikers to cross picket lines without intimidation.
- The non-striker's role is crucial in converting singles into twos and putting pressure on the fielding side.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a cricket pitch: one player STRIKES the ball, the other does NOT strike it → NON-STRIKER.
Conceptual Metaphor
POSITION IS PARTICIPATION (Being at one end of the pitch or on one side of a labor dispute defines your role and status).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque like 'не-забастовщик'. In cricket, use 'бэтсмен на конце боулера'. In industrial contexts, use 'небастующий' or 'работник, не участвующий в забастовке'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'non-striker' to mean a person who is not a striker in football (soccer).
- Confusing the batting and bowling ends when describing the non-striker's position.
- Spelling as 'nonstriker' without a hyphen.
Practice
Quiz
In which primary context is the term 'non-striker' a technical, neutral descriptor?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, primarily by being run out at their end if they leave their crease before the bowler delivers the ball (a 'Mankad' dismissal).
It can be, depending on perspective. To strikers, it may have negative connotations of betrayal. In legal or neutral reporting, it is descriptive.
The hyphen is standard for many compound words formed with the prefix 'non-' when followed by a noun, especially to avoid ambiguity.
Not commonly. The related action is described as 'to be the non-striker' or 'to act as a non-striker'.