Tail-ender -- Batsman, usually in the team as a bowler, who bats late in the order.

Take guard -- To mark, with the help of the umpire, the resting position of the bat on the popping crease. The batsman may ask to cover, for example, leg stump or leg stump and middle stump. This is important in that it determines the position of the batsman's eyes, and hence his judgement of the balls he has to play and those he can safely leave alone.

Taken off -- (Of bowler) prevented from bowling again in the innings. (See Caution, Running on, Bouncer, Beamer.)

Tea -- Refreshments in the interval between innings.

Test -- The highest level of cricket. A Test is a first class match played between two full international teams over five days, usually as part of a series of three, five or six matches. At present, there are ten Test-playing countries: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Test trial -- Something from the old days, when domestic programmes were less crowded than today. Two teams of 'probable' and 'possible' Test players would play a match under first-class rules, to give the selectors a chance to watch them in action. Very rare nowadays.

Testimonial match -- Non-competitive match, nowadays usually in one-day format, played to raise funds for a player's benefit, or for some other cause. Teams are often pro-celebrity based, or feature famous players from overseas or years gone by.

Third man -- Fielding position on the boundary, behind the wicket on the off side.

Tie -- A match that finishes -- both sides' innings completed -- with the scores level is a tie. This is a rare occurrence. Note that if the scores are level but the side batting last has not completed its innings, the match is a draw, not a tie. It is a rare occurrence in the first-class game and has happened only twice in test cricket.

Time -- The umpire's call to indicate the end of a session or a day's play. He then removes the bails from the wicket.

Timed out -- After a wicket falls, the next batsman has two minutes to appear on the field. Should he intentionally take longer than this, he may be given out.

Timing -- Meeting the ball with the sweetest part of the bat at the optimum point in its trajectory, thus conserving the kinetic energy the ball already has. It is what makes the best batsmen such a pleasure to watch -- unless you happen to be bowling to them, of course.

Topspinner -- A wrist-spinner's delivery bowled to spin 'end-over-end', in the direction of travel. Rather than turning, the topspinner picks up speed after pitching. Some finger-spinners also bowl a variety of topspinner.

Toss -- After naming their players, the captains toss a coin. The winner of the toss may elect to bat or field first. Unless the conditions are very likely to favour his swing or seam bowlers, the winning captain will usually choose to bat.

Track -- Another name for the pitch.

Trapped -- Another term to describe a batsman being out lbw.

Trundler -- A club player who may once have been a fast bowler, but who is now reduced by age to bowling at slow-medium pace. Immensely boring to watch and to play against, a true trundler is still fiendishly difficult to score off.

TV Replay -- A replay on TV. Current Test rules allow for a third, off-field umpire to adjudicate line decisions - i.e. run-outs, stumpings and boundaries, but not catches or lbws -- with the aid of slow-motion replays.

Twelfth man -- See Substitute.