Key takeaways
- Position names work like coordinates: a word for the angle from the batter (point, cover, mid-wicket) plus a word for distance (silly, short, deep, long).
- For a right-handed batter facing the bowler, the off side is to the right and the leg, or on, side to the left; it flips for a left-hander.
- Attacking fields put catchers close to the bat, such as slips, gully, short leg and silly point; defensive fields spread players to the boundary.
- Law 28 allows no more than two fielders, other than the wicket-keeper, behind the popping crease on the on side, and bans fielders from encroaching on the pitch.
- In white-ball internationals, powerplay rules also cap how many fielders may stand outside the 30-yard circle.
Commentators talk about "a third slip", "a short leg" and "a man out at deep mid-wicket" as though everyone carries a map in their head. There is a logic to it. Wikipedia's article on fielding in cricket notes that positions are neither fixed nor precisely defined, but that the names roughly follow a system of polar coordinates around the batter. Once you know the system, you can place almost any fielder.
Off side and leg side
Everything starts from the batter. For a right-handed batter facing the bowler, the area to their right is the off side and the area to their left is the leg side, also called the on side. For a left-hander, the sides swap and the positions are a mirror image, so Wikipedia notes fielders may have to shuttle across when the batting partnership is one right-hander and one left-hander.
The naming system
| Part of the name | Examples | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Angle from the batter | Point, cover, mid-off, mid-on, mid-wicket, square leg, fine leg, third man | Which direction from the bat |
| Distance: close | Silly, short | Very close, or nearer than usual |
| Distance: far | Deep, long | Out towards the boundary |
| Fine-tuning | Wider, finer, straighter, squarer | Small adjustments to the angle |
"Silly" positions, Wikipedia notes, are so called because of the perceived danger of standing so close; fielders are permitted to wear a helmet and face guard, which Wikipedia says is usually done in positions such as silly point.
The main positions, by area
| Area | Off side | Leg side |
|---|---|---|
| Behind the bat, catching | Slips (first, second, third, numbered outwards from the wicket-keeper), gully | Leg slip, leg gully |
| Behind square, saving runs | Third man | Fine leg |
| Square of the wicket | Point, silly point | Square leg, short leg (also called bat-pad) |
| In front of square | Cover, extra cover, mid-off | Mid-wicket, mid-on |
| On the boundary | Deep cover or deep extra cover (a "sweeper"), long-off | Deep mid-wicket, long-on, "cow corner" |
Wikipedia lists a few informal names too: a sweeper is a deep fielder near the boundary on either side, used defensively to stop fours; cow corner is a jocular name for the boundary between deep mid-wicket and long-on; and on the 45 is a leg-side position 45° behind square, saving the single.
Attacking and defensive fields
Only nine fielders are available besides the bowler and wicket-keeper, so a captain has to choose between catching and saving runs. Wikipedia describes the trade-off:
- Attacking with pace: three or four slips and one or two gullies, plus mid-off, mid-on and fine leg. With up to six fielders on the off side behind the bat, Wikipedia calls this a 7–2 field.
- Attacking with spin: one or two slips, short leg or silly point.
- Defensive fields: players move out of the slips and gully to cover more of the field, giving 6–3 and 5–4 fields.
Bowlers want different fields; pace versus spin bowling explains why.
The Laws on placing fielders
The 2026 Laws of Cricket limit where fielders may be:
- No more than two behind square on the leg side. Law 28.4 allows no more than two fielders, other than the wicket-keeper, behind the popping crease on the on side at the instant of delivery. More is a no ball.
- Stay off the pitch. Law 28.5 says that until the ball touches the bat or body, or passes the bat, no fielder other than the bowler may have any part of their person on or over the pitch.
- No significant movement. Law 28.6 makes movement before the ball reaches the striker unfair, except minor adjustments, small movements towards the striker by fielders who are not close in, and movement in response to the stroke being played.
- The wicket-keeper stays behind. Law 27.3 requires the keeper to remain wholly behind the wicket from the instant of delivery until the ball touches the bat or body, passes the wicket, or the striker attempts a run. MCC's summary of the 2026 changes says this means a keeper is no longer penalised for having the gloves in front of the stumps during the bowler's run-up.
Breaking rules 1, 2 or 4 brings a no ball. Unfair movement under rule 3 is different: the umpire calls dead ball and awards 5 penalty runs to the batting side; no ball and wide rules lists the consequences. In ODIs and T20Is, powerplays add a further limit on fielders outside the 30-yard circle.
Fielding and catching under the 2026 Laws
MCC's 2026 edition also limits boundary catches: a fielder who jumps from outside the boundary may touch the ball while airborne only once, and must then land and stay inside the boundary for the rest of the delivery. Ways to get out covers catches in full, and cricket player roles the specialists who field where.
In Cricket Sport Career Simulator, one of our sports career games, fielding and wicket-keeping are skills your cricketer develops alongside batting and bowling.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
How are cricket fielding positions named?
Which side is the off side?
What is silly point?
How many fielders can be behind square on the leg side?
Sources
- Fielding (cricket) (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
- The Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, 4th Edition (2026), Laws 27 and 28 (opens in a new tab)Marylebone Cricket Club — accessed
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