Cricket fielding positions are named by combining the angle a fielder stands relative to the batter with how far they stand from the pitch, giving spots such as slip, gully, point, cover, mid-off, mid-on, midwicket and fine leg. There is no numbered grid as in some sports; instead the captain arranges nine fielders (the bowler and wicketkeeper take the other two roles) using a shared vocabulary that every player understands. Learn the logic and the whole field falls into place.
Off side and leg side: the first thing to learn
Every position sits on one of two halves of the ground. The off side is the half in front of a right-handed batter as they stand ready. The leg side, also called the on side, is the half behind their legs. Because these halves are defined by the batter, they flip for a left-hander, which is why captains rearrange the field when a new batter of the opposite hand arrives. Positions are then described as close (a few yards away, catching), in the ring or infield (saving quick singles), or in the deep or on the boundary (stopping fours and taking catches from big hits).
The catching cordon behind the bat
Close to the wicketkeeper on the off side sit the slips, angled to catch thin edges. First slip stands nearest the keeper, with second and third slip fanning outward. Just squarer and a touch finer is the gully, guarding harder edges that go a little straighter. On the leg side behind the batter, leg slip and leg gully do the mirror job. These attacking positions are common with a new ball or spin turning sharply.
Off-side ring and boundary positions
Moving in front of the batter on the off side: point stands square, cover and extra cover fill the arc toward the bowler, and mid-off is straight and level with the bowler. Deeper versions carry the word deep, so a fielder on the boundary square of the wicket is deep point, and one wide on the drive is deep cover or long off further round. Third man patrols the boundary behind point to stop edges that beat the slips.
Leg-side ring and boundary positions
On the leg side, square leg stands square of the batter, with midwicket between square leg and the straight fielder mid-on. Fine leg guards the boundary behind square leg for glances and hooks, while long on and long leg cover the straighter and finer deep areas. A short leg fields very close on the leg side, helmet on, waiting for a bat-pad catch.
A quick position map
| Position | Side | Distance | Main job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slip | Off | Close | Catch edges beside the keeper |
| Gully | Off | Close | Catch harder square edges |
| Point | Off | Ring | Stop square cuts and drives |
| Cover | Off | Ring | Cut off off-side drives |
| Mid-off | Off | Ring | Straight drives, run-saving |
| Mid-on | Leg | Ring | Straight drives on the on side |
| Midwicket | Leg | Ring | Flicks and pulls |
| Square leg | Leg | Ring | Square leg-side shots |
| Fine leg | Leg | Deep | Glances and hooks to the rope |
| Third man | Off | Deep | Edges past the slips |
Why captains keep moving fielders
Field settings are a running conversation between captain and bowler. An attacking field packs catchers close for wickets; a defensive field spreads out to save runs, and this often changes with the powerplay restrictions that cap how many fielders sit outside the inner circle. A wrist spinner bowling a googly may want a slip and a short leg to catch the batter pushing forward defensively. Understanding fields also makes formats clearer, since limited-overs cricket forces specific placements the longer game does not, as explained in our guide to cricket formats.
Compound names simply stack these ideas together. Adding backward pushes a position further behind square (toward the wicketkeeper’s end), so backward point sits a little finer than point, and backward square leg is angled behind square on the leg side. Adding silly means very close on the batting side, as in silly point or silly mid-on, where a fielder crouches near the bat hoping for a defensive pop-up. Fly slip sits deeper and finer than the regular slips. None of these are new positions to memorize; they are the same off/leg, close/ring/deep grammar with a modifier attached.
Once you can picture off and leg, then close, ring and deep, any commentary that mentions a fielder at deep backward square leg or short extra cover will make instant sense. The names are just shorthand for an angle and a distance, and every captain in the world uses the same vocabulary to move nine fielders into the exact spots a bowler wants.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the off side and the leg side?
The off side is the half of the field in front of a right-handed batter as they take stance, on the side the bat is held. The leg side (also called the on side) is behind the batter, on the side of their legs. For a left-hander the two sides swap over.
What is a slip fielder?
A slip stands next to the wicketkeeper on the off side, angled behind the batter, to catch edges that fly off the bat. Teams often set two, three or more slips in a row, numbered first slip, second slip and so on outward from the keeper.
How many fielders can a team have?
A team fields eleven players. One is always bowling and one keeps wicket, which leaves nine fielders the captain can position around the ground, subject to any fielding restrictions in force.
Do fielding positions change for left-handed batters?
The names stay the same but they mirror to the opposite side, because off and leg are defined by the batter. A captain resets the field whenever a left- and right-hander are batting together.
