Fielding Positions in Cricket: A Clear Guide to Every Spot

Ask a new fan why a fielder is standing exactly where he is and you’ll usually get a shrug. There’s no jersey number or grid reference to point to. Every spot on a cricket field has a name instead, built from two things: which side of the pitch it’s on, and how far it sits from the batter. Once those two rules click, the whole map of the field starts to make sense, and you can watch a captain set a field and guess what he’s planning before the next ball is bowled.

Off side vs leg side

Picture a line running straight down the pitch through the batter’s stance. Everything in front of that line, on the side the bat faces, is the off side. Everything behind it is the leg side (sometimes called the on side).

For a right-hander, off side is to the right, leg side to the left. Flip it for a left-hander: off side swaps to the left, leg side to the right. That’s why fielders jog to new spots the moment a left-handed batter comes to the crease, even though nobody has changed the names of the positions, only which side of the pitch they now sit on.

Three extra words refine the picture further. “Square” means level with the batter. “Fine” means close to the line of the stumps, behind the batter. “Forward” means in front of the batter, toward the bowler.

Close catching positions

These are the fielders standing a few metres from the bat, close enough to hear the batter breathe. They come out when a bowler is attacking, or when the ball is gripping and turning off the pitch.

• Wicketkeeper — crouches behind the stumps, takes the ball, and is often the one completing stumpings and run-outs.
• Slips (first, second, third, and so on) — line up beside the keeper on the off side, waiting for outside edges.
• Gully — squarer than the slips, still on the off side, for the thicker edges that fly wider.
• Silly point — right in front of the bat on the off side. The name says it all: it’s a dangerous place to stand.
• Short leg (bat-pad) — the leg-side mirror of silly point, crouched and close, hunting the same bat-pad chance.

Infield positions

Move out to roughly 15 to 30 metres and you’re in the infield ring, where fielders cut off singles and stop the ball before it reaches the rope.

• Point — square on the off side, there to cut off the cut shot.
• Cover — a little forward of point, covering anything driven through the off side.
• Mid-off — straight down the pitch on the off side, near the bowler.
• Mid-on — mid-off’s twin on the leg side.
• Mid-wicket — sits between mid-on and square leg, on the leg side.
• Square leg — level with the batter on the leg side, behind the umpire, watching for flicks and pulls.

Outfield and boundary positions

Push these same fielders back to the rope and they become boundary riders, guarding against fours and sixes. Limited-overs cricket, where batters take more risks, leans on them heavily.

• Third man — deep behind the slips on the off side, mopping up edges that beat the keeper.
• Long-off — deep and straight on the off side, well behind mid-off.
• Long-on — deep and straight on the leg side, behind mid-on.
• Deep cover — cover’s job, just done from the boundary.
• Deep mid-wicket — mid-wicket’s job, also from the boundary.
• Fine leg — deep and behind square on the leg side, there for the hook and the fine glance.

Position	Side	Typical role
Wicketkeeper	Behind stumps	Catches, stumpings, run-outs
Slip	Off	Catch outside edges
Gully	Off	Catch thick edges
Silly point	Off	Close bat-pad catches
Short leg	Leg	Close bat-pad catches
Point	Off	Stop the cut, save singles
Cover	Off	Stop drives, save singles
Mid-off	Off	Guard straight off-side drives
Mid-on	Leg	Guard straight leg-side drives
Mid-wicket	Leg	Stop flicks and clips
Square leg	Leg	Stop pulls and glances
Third man	Off	Stop edges past the keeper
Long-off	Off	Catch and stop lofted drives
Long-on	Leg	Catch and stop lofted drives
Fine leg	Leg	Stop glances and hooks