Why Cricket Has a Name for Every Blade of Grass
To a newcomer, cricket's fielding language sounds like nonsense - silly point, backward short leg, deep extra cover. But there is a logic to all of it, and once you have it the field stops looking random and starts looking like a plan. Every position is described by two simple ideas: which side of the pitch it is on, and how far back and how square it stands relative to the batter. Learn those two axes and you can name any position on the field, and more importantly understand why the captain has put a fielder there.
This guide explains the standard positions for a right-handed batter - the default everyone learns first. We will work behind the wicket, then square of it, then in front, then out to the boundary, before looking at how a captain actually sets a field to a plan. A full field diagram near the end ties it all together.
Off Side and Leg Side: The First Thing to Learn
Before a single position makes sense you need the two halves of the field. Picture a right-handed batter taking guard, facing the bowler. The side the bat naturally points towards - in front of and to their right - is the off side. The side behind their legs, to their left, is the leg side, also called the on side.
The pitch itself splits the field into these two halves all the way to the boundary. Cover, point and extra cover are off-side positions; mid-wicket, square leg and fine leg are leg-side positions. The single most important habit for a new fielder or scorer is to picture themselves standing where the batter stands - then off and leg fall into place instantly. And remember: for a left-handed batter the two sides swap over, which is why you see captains shuffle the field every time the strike changes between a right- and left-hander.
Behind the Wicket
These positions sit behind the batter's stumps and live off edges, deflections and anything that beats the bat.
Wicket-keeper
The only fielder allowed to wear gloves and pads, standing directly behind the stumps. The keeper takes everything the batter misses, stumps anyone who steps out, runs out batters at the striker's end and is the loudest voice on the field. Up to the stumps for spin, back for pace - it is the most skilled and busiest position in the side.
Slips
A row of catchers standing next to the keeper on the off side, angled to take the thin edge that flies off the face of the bat. First slip stands closest to the keeper, then second, third and so on. Against a new ball and a quick bowler a captain might post three or four slips; as the ball softens they drift away to other jobs. Slip catching is reflex work - hands soft, eyes on the edge of the bat.
Gully
Squarer than the slips and a couple of metres further back, on the off side. Gully catches the thick edge - the firm push that flies off the bat at an angle rather than feathering straight through. It is a brave position close to a hard-hit ball.
Leg slip and leg gully
The mirror of the slips on the leg side, behind the batter's legs. Used when the bowler is targeting the pads or the batter is prone to a leg-side flick. Less common than off-side slips, but a sharp leg slip wins wickets against a batter who works the ball fine.
Fine leg and third man
The two deeper behind-the-wicket positions, usually patrolling the boundary. Fine leg sits behind square on the leg side, cutting off the glance and the tickle down the leg side. Third man is its off-side mirror, stopping the thick edge or deliberate steer that beats the slips and races away. Both can be brought up "fine" and saving one, or pushed back to the rope - the captain's choice depending on the bowler and the batter's scoring areas.
Square of the Wicket
"Square" means roughly level with the batter, on a line across the pitch. These positions cut off the cut, the pull and the square drive.
Point and backward point
On the off side, square or just behind square, point guards against the cut shot and the square drive. Backward point is the slightly finer version, a little behind the line of the stumps. A good point fielder is quick, low and brilliant at the diving stop.
Cover and extra cover
In front of square on the off side. Cover stops the off-side drive and is one of the busiest run-saving positions in the game; extra cover sits a touch wider and finer, covering the drive played slightly straighter. Sharp covers turn a certain boundary into a single and create run-out chances.
Square leg and backward square leg
The leg-side equivalent of point - square or just behind square on the leg side, the home of the pull and the leg glance. The square-leg umpire stands here too, which is why the position is so familiar. Backward square leg is the finer version, sitting behind the batter's line.
In Front of the Batter
These positions sit down the pitch, in front of the batter, stopping the straight drive and the firm push into the gaps.
Mid-off and mid-on
The two straight positions either side of the bowler. Mid-off is on the off side, mid-on on the leg side, both a good distance down the pitch to stop the firm straight drive. They are bread-and-butter saving positions and often field the most balls in an innings.
Mid-wicket
On the leg side, between mid-on and square leg, in front of square. Mid-wicket is the home of the clip off the legs and the on-drive - one of the most common scoring areas in club cricket, so a reliable mid-wicket saves plenty of runs.
The silly close-catchers: silly point and short leg
"Silly" means dangerously close, just a few metres from the bat. Silly point crouches in front of point on the off side; short leg (sometimes "bat-pad") squats square on the leg side. Both wait for the catch that pops off the pad or an inside edge, usually to a spinner working a turning pitch. They wear helmets and shin guards for good reason - and they are not positions for junior cricket.
Out to the Boundary: the Deep Positions
Almost every inner-ring position has a deep twin that rides the boundary to cut off the big shot. The naming is logical: take the close position and add "long" or "deep".
- Long-on and long-off - the boundary versions of mid-on and mid-off, straight down the ground, catching the lofted straight drive.
- Deep mid-wicket and deep square leg - the leg-side boundary riders for the pull and the slog.
- Deep cover and deep point (often "sweeper cover") - off-side boundary patrol for the cut and the driven boundary.
- Cow corner - the gap between deep mid-wicket and long-on, the target of the agricultural slog, hence the name.
A deep fielder's job is twofold: catch the genuine top-edge or mishit, and turn a certain four into a two by attacking the ball and throwing flat to the keeper or bowler.
Cricket Field Diagram: A Right-Hand Batter's View
The diagram below shows the field for a right-handed batter at the striker's end, looking up the pitch at the bowler. The off side is on the right, the leg side on the left. The key positions are marked as dots around the field. Read it alongside the grouped quick-reference list that follows.
A typical field for a right-hand batter, viewed from behind the striker. Off side on the right, leg side on the left - reverse it for a left-hander.
The Positions Grouped: a Quick Reference
The cleanest way to remember the field is in three rings working outwards from the bat. Here is every position from the diagram grouped that way.
The Field in Three Rings
- Close catchers (round the bat): wicket-keeper, the slips, gully, leg slip, silly point and short leg. Their job is the catch off the edge or the pad - attacking positions that take wickets.
- The inner ring (saving the single): point, backward point, cover, extra cover, mid-off, mid-on, mid-wicket and square leg. These patrol inside the circle to cut off the pushed single and create run-outs.
- The boundary (saving the four): third man, fine leg, long-off, long-on, deep cover, deep mid-wicket, deep square leg and cow corner. They ride the rope to catch the mishit and turn boundaries into twos.
How a Captain Sets a Field to a Plan
Positions are only half the story - the skill is choosing which ones to use, and that is the captain's job. A field is never random; it is built around a plan for the bowler and the batter in front of them. Two ideas drive every decision.
Attacking versus defensive. An attacking field crowds the bat with catchers - extra slips, a gully, a short leg - to take wickets, accepting that gaps open up for runs. You see it with a new ball, against a new batter, or when chasing a result. A defensive field spreads fielders to the boundary to choke the runs, sacrificing close catchers to stop the scoring - the field of choice when protecting a total or against a set batter. Most fields sit somewhere between the two and shift ball by ball.
Bowling to the field. A field only works if the bowler hits the right areas. If the captain sets a packed off-side ring and a sweeper on the cover boundary, the bowler must bowl a fuller, off-side line to make the batter drive into the trap. Set a leg-side trap with a deep square leg and the bowler aims at the pads. The two have to agree: the field is the plan, and the bowler executes it. When they drift apart - a leg-side field with the bowler spraying it wide outside off - the runs flow freely.
Good captains also read the batter. Where do they score most of their runs? A strong cutter invites a backward point and a third man; a player who loves the pull gets a man back at deep square leg and a bouncer to tempt them. Setting a field is, in the end, a running conversation between captain, bowler and the batter's habits.
Putting It Into a Training Session
Fielding is the easiest discipline to neglect and the one that wins the most close games. Build it into every session rather than tacking it on at the end - rotate juniors through different positions so they learn the whole field, not just one patch of grass. Our cricket drills for juniors guide gives you ready-made catching and ground-fielding practices, and you can slot any of them into the structure in our free cricket session plan template.
Knowing the positions also feeds straight into picking and placing your side - our guide to team selection and availability covers choosing the right fielders for the right jobs across a season. For hundreds more catching, throwing and wicket-keeping practices sorted by skill, browse the full Cricket drills library.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the fielding positions in cricket?
Cricket has dozens of named fielding positions, but they group into a few families. Behind the batter sit the wicket-keeper, the slips, gully, leg slip, fine leg and third man. Square of the wicket are point, cover, square leg and backward point. In front of the batter are mid-off, mid-on, mid-wicket, extra cover and the silly close-catchers. Each of these inner-ring positions also has a deep, boundary-riding version - long-on, long-off, deep mid-wicket, deep square leg and so on. The exact names assume a right-handed batter; for a left-hander, the off side and leg side swap over and many positions mirror across.
What is the difference between off side and leg side in cricket?
The off side is the side of the pitch the batter faces - in front of and to the right of a right-handed batter as they take guard. The leg side, also called the on side, is behind them, to their left. The simplest test: stand where the batter stands, look down the pitch at the bowler, and everything on the side your bat points towards is the off side; the side behind your legs is the leg side. For a left-handed batter the two sides swap, which is why captains adjust the field every time a left-right pair bats together.
What is third man, fine leg and gully in cricket?
All three sit behind the batter, catching or cutting off edges and deflections. Third man fields down on the off side behind the wicket, stopping thick edges and steers that beat the slips and run away towards the boundary. Fine leg is its mirror on the leg side, behind square, cutting off glances and tickles down the leg side. Gully stands squarer than the slips on the off side, a few metres behind point, to snap up the thick edge that flies off the bat at an angle. Together they plug the gaps the keeper and slips cannot reach.
How many fielders can be outside the circle in cricket?
It depends on the format and its fielding restrictions. In a standard limited-overs powerplay the rules typically allow only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle, rising to four or five for the rest of the innings depending on the competition. In Twenty20 the powerplay is shorter but the principle is the same. Recreational and junior leagues often run their own simplified circle rules, so always check your competition's playing conditions. In a timed or declaration game with no fielding restrictions, the captain can place all nine fielders wherever the laws on the leg side allow.
