In cricket, what is a dot ball?

In cricket, a dot ball refers to a delivery in which the batsman does not score a run. According to WanderersCricket.com, the reason why the scoring of no runs is called a dot ball is because that is the way it is noted in the scorebook.

A dot ball is considered a good thing for the bowling or fielding team, because it helps to build up pressure on the batsman, which may then lead to a wicket. Apart from a dot ball, a batsman can also run one, two or three times between the two sets of stumps or hit the ball to or over the boundary for four and six runs respectively.