Cricket Fielding Positions Explained: A Beginner's Guide
Updated: 31 October 2026 · Author: Cricket Match Scorecard Editorial
Silly point, deep backward square leg, third man: cricket's fielding names can sound like a private joke. But they follow a simple system. Once you understand the off side, the leg side and a few words like "deep" and "short", nearly every position explains itself.
Off side and leg side
Imagine a batter standing at the crease. The side of the field that their chest faces is the off side, and the side behind their back (where their legs are) is the leg side, also called the on side.
So for a right-handed batter, the off side is on their right as they look down the pitch. For a left-hander, it is the opposite. When a left-hander and a right-hander bat together, the fielders must change position every time the strike changes, which is why captains value that combination.
The words that modify a position
- Deep or long: further from the batter, near the boundary.
- Short: closer to the batter.
- Silly: very close to the batter, and a little dangerous.
- Square: in line with the batting crease.
- Fine: close to the line of the pitch, behind the batter.
- Backward and forward: behind or in front of square.
Put these together and "deep backward square leg" stops being odd: it is a fielder on the boundary, on the leg side, slightly behind square.
Behind the batter
- Wicketkeeper: the only fielder allowed gloves, standing behind the stumps.
- Slips: beside the keeper on the off side, waiting for an edge. Teams may use several in a row, numbered first, second and third slip.
- Gully: a little squarer than the slips, for hard edges and cut shots.
- Third man: on the off-side boundary behind the batter, stopping edges and late cuts.
- Fine leg: on the leg-side boundary behind the batter, for glances and top-edges.
Square of the batter
- Point: on the off side, square of the batter, for cut shots.
- Square leg: on the leg side, square of the batter, where the second umpire stands.
In front of the batter
- Cover: on the off side, between point and mid-off, covering the classic drive.
- Mid-off: on the off side, near the bowler.
- Mid-on: on the leg side, near the bowler.
- Midwicket: on the leg side, between square leg and mid-on, for the flick and pull.
- Long-off and long-on: on the boundary, behind the bowler, waiting for big hits straight down the ground.
Close catchers
Silly point and silly mid-off stand almost next to the bat on the off side, and short leg and silly mid-on do the same on the leg side. You will see them mostly in Test cricket against spin, wearing helmets, waiting for a bat-pad chance.
How captains use the field
Attacking fields
Slips, a gully and close catchers show a team is chasing wickets. It leaves gaps elsewhere, so a batter may get runs from edges and drives. It is most common with a new ball or when a new batter has just come in.
Defensive fields
Fielders spread to the boundary to stop fours, conceding singles. A "sweeper" on the boundary at deep point or deep midwicket is a typical move in the last overs of a limited-overs innings.
Limited-overs restrictions
In white-ball cricket, fielders are limited in how many can be outside the 30-yard circle, as our powerplay guide explains. In all cricket, only two fielders may be behind square on the leg side at the moment of delivery.
Using this while watching
Look at where the fielders are before a ball is bowled. Three slips means the bowler is trying to get an edge. A deep point and a deep cover suggest the bowler will bowl wide outside off stump. A good field often tells you the plan before the ball is delivered.
These positions also appear in scorecards when catches are recorded: see how to read a cricket scorecard.