What Are the Different Fielding Positions in Cricket?

Do you know the difference between long-off and silly mid-on? If you say “No”, then you are on the right site. The cricket fielding positions in cricket have various names, some of which sound pretty strange. You will hear them mentioned all the time by the commentators when you are watching a game, so you must get to know the difference between them all. In this article, we will go through each fielding position and explain the whereabouts of a cricket field they are, as well as provide you with a few more knowledge that you will need to know if your captain instructs you in that position.

All the Fielding Positions Explained:

The bowler and wicketkeeper positions are easy to recognize, and almost all of us know them. But what about the other fielders? Here is a short description of each of the positions listed above –

• Slip: Slips stand next to the wicketkeeper on the offside and are generally placed in an arc.
• Fly Slip: A fly slip stands further away from the wicket in a ‘mid’ location.
• Gully: A gully is close to the slip position but is located just behind the wicket line on the offside.
• Third Man: A third man will be either short or deep. Their position is behind the wicket on the offside.
• Point: A point fielder stands on a square to the wicket on the offside
• Sweeper: This is a modern cricket fielding position and typically refers to a point fielder on the boundary.
• Long Stop: It is an outdated position located directly behind the wicketkeeper on the border.
• Deep Mid-Wicket: Located on the boundary on the leg side. It is also known as Cow Corner.
• Cover: On the offside between point and mid-off
• Cover Point: At a specific position between the point and cover
• Extra Cover: On the offside between the cover and mid-off
• Mid Off: A relatively straight location, close to the bowler on the off side
• Mid-Wicket: At the halfway point between the bowler and wicketkeeper on the leg side
• Square Leg: On the leg side, at a position square to the wicket
• Backward Square: On the leg side, behind the square position
• Leg Gully: A position on the leg side, just opposite to a traditional gully
• Leg Slip: Closer to the wicketkeeper on the leg side, contrasting to a traditional slip
• Fine Leg: At a 45-degree angle between the square leg position and the wicketkeeper on the leg side
• Long Leg: Similar to the fine leg, a long leg will be placed near the boundary rope.
• Long On: As per Mid On but near the boundary
• Short Leg: A close catching position in front of the square on the leg side
• Mid On: Slose and straight to the bowler on the leg side
• Long Off: As per Mid Off but near the boundary rope

Basic Field Setting:

Most fielders are placed on the offside simply because a batsman is likelier to hit the ball in this cricket fielding position. Television viewers may hear commentators refer to a 7-2 field or a 6-3 field, which relates to the split between offside and leg-side fielders. So, in that first example, six fielders will be on the offside and three on the leg side.

An attacking field is normally in place at the start of a game, and there may be several slips in test cricket. Based on their proximity to the wicketkeeper, there can be a first slip, second slip, third slip, and so on. Along with the ‘short’  and ‘silly’ fielders, these are known as the catching positions. As the match progresses, that field may start to move out if the batting side is on top. The deep and long fielders may move from catching to run-saving positions.

Away from test cricket, one-day matches and T-20 games have specified fielding restrictions, also known as a powerplay. Captains can still select where to place their fielders, but there will be limits on the number of fielders allowed outside a marked 30-yard fielding circle.

Finale words:

Cricket depends more on the fielders instead of the batters and bowlers on the fields. A good fielder can save many runs and let his team win. So finally, as a fielder, you should get your task on the field according to the sense of the cricket fielding position. How you catch the ball as a fielder or whether you rub and shine one side of the ball can actually impact the overall game result.