In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of short-pitched delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler, which bounces once and then reaches the batter at head-height.

A delivery or ball in cricket is a single action of bowling a cricket ball toward the batter. Once the ball has been delivered, batters may attempt to score runs, with the bowler and other fielders attempting to stop this by getting the batters out. When the ball becomes dead, the next delivery can begin.