Cricket fielding positions are the named spots on the ground where the captain places the ten fielders to stop runs and take catches. For a beginner, learning these names quickly turns confusing commentary into something that finally makes sense. This guide walks you through the main positions, what each one does, and how a captain decides where everyone stands.
Why cricket fielding positions matter
A bowler can only bowl the ball; everything after the batter hits it depends on where the fielders stand. Good placement saves runs, builds pressure, and creates wicket-taking chances, which is why captains constantly move players a few steps between deliveries.
Of the eleven players on a fielding side, one is the bowler and one is the wicketkeeper, which leaves nine fielders to spread around the ground. Understanding cricket fielding positions helps you see the plan behind every over rather than just watching the ball.
The two halves of the ground: off side and leg side
Before the individual spots, you need the two basic halves of the field, defined from the batter’s point of view.
- Off side: the side the batter faces; for a right-hander, the side their bat points towards when ready.
- Leg side (or on side): the side behind the batter’s legs.
The ground is also split into front of the wicket (in front of the batter) and behind the wicket (towards the keeper). Almost every position name combines these ideas, so once you grasp the halves, the rest follows.
Close-in catching positions
These fielders stand very near the batter when the bowler is attacking, placed to snap up edges and mistimed shots.
- Slips (first, second, third): a row of catchers next to the keeper on the off side, waiting for thin edges.
- Gully: wider than the slips, for harder edges that fly square.
- Short leg: very close on the leg side, for catches off the bat and pad, often against spin.
- Silly point and silly mid-on: bat-pad catchers placed dangerously close in front of the batter.
- Leg slip: the leg-side mirror of a slip, for glances off the edge.
Captains use a heavy slip cordon with the new ball, when edges carry; as the ball ages, many of these catchers move back into run-saving roles.
The inner-ring positions that save singles
Inside the 30-yard circle sit the saving-single fielders, whose job is to cut off quick ones and twos and pressure batters into risky shots.
- Point: square on the off side, stopping cuts.
- Cover and extra cover: in front of point, covering driven shots.
- Mid-off and mid-on: down the ground either side of the bowler, guarding the drive.
- Mid-wicket: on the leg side, square of mid-on, busy with flicks and pulls.
- Square leg: square on the leg side, where the umpire often stands.
- Cover point: halfway between cover and point.
As you start to follow scorecards and run rates, this pairs well with knowing how net run rate in cricket is calculated, since fielding affects how many runs a side concedes.
The outfield boundary riders
When protecting the boundary, or facing a big hitter, fielders drop back to the rope. These deep positions trade easy singles for stopping fours and sixes.
- Third man: behind the wicket on the off side, near the boundary, for cuts that beat the slips.
- Fine leg: behind square on the leg side, covering glances and top edges off the pull.
- Deep cover and deep point: boundary versions of the off-side ring fielders.
- Long-on and long-off: straight boundary riders catching lofted drives.
- Deep mid-wicket and deep square leg: leg-side protection against pulls and slog-sweeps.
How captains set fields for pace versus spin
Field settings change with the type of bowling. Against a fast bowler with the new ball, you often see slips, gully and a fine leg. To learn how different bowlers operate, see this beginner guide to the types of bowling in cricket.
Against spin, the close catchers move to short leg and silly point, and the ring tightens to stop the batter using their feet for easy singles. New batters can also study cricket batting tips for beginners to understand which gaps fielders try to close.
Worked example: a new-ball seamer versus a death-over bowler
To make cricket fielding positions click, place all nine fielders for two very different overs, each with a right-handed batter.
Over 2, new-ball seamer. The captain is hunting wickets while the ball is hard and swinging, so most fielders cluster behind and square of the bat: first slip, second slip, gully, point, cover, mid-off, mid-on, square leg and fine leg. Six of the nine sit on the off side, where an out-swinger draws the edge, while fine leg stops the glance for four. No one guards the straight boundary yet.
Over 19, death over in a T20. The aim is now damage control, and the rules allow only five fielders outside the circle: long-off, long-on, deep cover, deep mid-wicket and deep square leg on the rope, with backward point, mid-off, mid-on and a short fine leg saving singles inside. The slips have vanished entirely. The same eleven players have re-shaped the field for a new job.
Attacking versus defensive field plans compared
Most fields sit between all-out attack and pure defence. The table shows how the same nine fielders shift between the two extremes for a right-handed batter.
| Feature | Attacking field | Defensive field |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Take wickets | Stop boundaries and dry up runs |
| Typical use | New ball, last few wickets, a batter under pressure | Death overs, a set batter hitting freely, flat pitch |
| Close catchers | Two or three slips, gully, short leg, silly point | None, or a single slip at most |
| Boundary riders | One or none | Four or five on the rope |
| Runs conceded | Higher, singles flow easily | Lower per ball, but soft singles allowed |
| Risk to captain | Leaks runs if no wicket falls | Lets a good batter rotate strike comfortably |
Reading a field this way reveals the captain’s thinking: a ring packed with catchers means they sense a wicket; fielders strung along the boundary mean containment.
Famous fielding traps and catches that shaped matches
Some field placements are part of cricket history, worth knowing because they show positions doing a specific job.
- The leg trap (leg theory): catchers packed at leg slip, leg gully and short leg, fed by bowling at the batter’s body. England’s notorious Bodyline plan in 1932-33 used exactly this leg-side cordon to unsettle Australia.
- Bat-pad catchers against spin: short leg and silly point lurk inches away for a ball that pops off the bat and pad. Indian spinners on turning Chennai or Nagpur pitches build whole plans around these two catchers.
- The deep catch that won a final: in the 1983 World Cup final, Kapil Dev ran back from mid-wicket for a long over-the-shoulder catch to dismiss Viv Richards, a moment many credit with turning the match India’s way.
The lesson for a beginner is simple: a position is only useful when it matches the plan.
How powerplay numbers become real positions
In limited-overs cricket the law fixes how many fielders may stand outside the circle, and those numbers decide the whole field shape.
- T20 powerplay (overs 1-6): at most two fielders outside the circle, usually parked at deep square leg or fine leg and at third man or long-off, with the rest crowded in.
- T20 after the powerplay (overs 7-20): up to five fielders may go to the rope, which is why boundaries are easier to defend at the death.
- ODI rules: only two are allowed out for the first ten overs, four for overs 11-40, and five for the last ten.
One more rule shapes the leg side: no more than five fielders may stand there at any time, a limit brought in to stop negative bowling. So when you see only two riders on the boundary early in a T20, it is the powerplay rule, not the captain’s choice, forcing the field in.
A simple way to remember the field
If the names feel like a lot, use a clock face. Imagine looking down at a right-handed batter from behind the bowler: the bowler runs in from twelve o’clock and the wicketkeeper sits at six, directly behind the stumps.
- The off side covers roughly twelve to six o’clock on your right: cover, point and third man live here.
- The leg side covers twelve to six on your left: mid-wicket, square leg and fine leg sit on this half.
- Anything with “deep” or “long” in its name is near the boundary; anything with “short” or “silly” is close to the bat.
Once you fix the keeper at six and the bowler at twelve, every other position falls into place around the clock, and practising this over a few overs makes the layout stick.
How fielders change through an innings
Cricket fielding positions are never fixed for long: with the new ball a captain attacks with slips, in the middle overs fielders spread to choke singles, and at the death several drop to the rope against big hitting. Watching these shifts is the captain reading the game in real time.
Frequently asked questions
How many fielding positions are there in cricket?
There is no fixed number, but commentators commonly refer to around 35 named cricket fielding positions. A captain uses only nine outfielders at once, plus the bowler and keeper, so most of these names are simply options for where those nine can stand.
What is the difference between the off side and leg side?
The off side is the side the batter faces when ready, while the leg side is behind their legs. For a right-handed batter, the off side is to their right and the leg side to their left, and these sides flip for a left-hander.
Which fielding position is the hardest for a beginner?
Slip and short leg are the toughest, because the ball arrives fast with little reaction time and demands sharp reflexes. Most beginners start at positions like mid-on or cover, where they get a clearer view of the ball and more time to move.
Why do fielders keep moving between balls?
Captains adjust cricket fielding positions based on the bowler, the batter’s strengths, the match situation and the field restrictions in play. Moving a fielder a few metres can close a favourite scoring area or set a trap for a shot the batter likes to play.
What are the field restrictions in a T20 powerplay?
During the first six overs of a T20 innings, no more than two fielders may stand outside the 30-yard circle. This forces seven into the ring, which makes boundaries easier to find and is why scoring rates are highest in those early overs.
What is a bat-pad fielder?
A bat-pad fielder, such as short leg or silly point, crouches very close to the batter to catch a ball that pops up softly off the bat and then the pad. The position is used mainly against spin on a turning pitch, where such chances are common.
Conclusion
Once you know the off side from the leg side and can name a slip, a cover and a long-on, cricket fielding positions stop being a mystery. Next time you watch a match, try to spot why the captain places catchers close in or pushes fielders to the rope. That small habit will deepen your understanding faster than you expect.
