Fielding positions in cricket

Note that the field layout also depends on whether the batsman is left or right handed. The diagram below is for the (admittedly more common) right handed individual, where the off side is to the batter's right. For a leftie, the field would be a mirror image, so the slip fielder(s) would still be nearby and at about a 30 degree angle to the stumps, but they would be on the other side of the field.

Additionally, "square" means perpendicular to the pitch whilst "fine" suggests further around towards the keeper - so someone fielding, say, three lines down the diagram from SL (Square Leg) would be at fine leg.

It is also common to have more than one slip and there are defined positions for each of "first slip" through fourth slip. This means you can end up with fielders at first and third slip with a gap between them where second slip would be.

Of course, on side and off side have no rules associated with them as they would in most football sports. The on side is often called the leg side.

This is a comprehensive layout of all the fielding positions in Cricket, with a right-handed batsman. To adapt for left handers, the mirror image applies. Only 9 of these position can be used at any one time, excluding Bowler and Wicket keeper, which are compulsory. Additionally, in the aftermatch of the Bodyline series, you may only have three players on the leg side behind the bat. This stop you having 5 short legs and bowling at the batsman's ribs (result- lots of catches).

	    LON	                     LO




	       MON	          MO

DMW
	 	      Bowler	                        EC


        MW                                       C

                  SMON        SMO

                                              CP

                  SMW
SQL	              Batsman	   SP                   P
                  SL      |                         
		        |                         G    BP
	                 |	                 S4
	                 W	             S3
	                 |	       S2      
	                 |	  S1	
            45

 
                   FL          TM

Key:
LON Long On
LO Long Off
MON Mid-On
MO Mid-Off
DMW Deep Mid-Wicket
EC Extra-Cover
MW Mid-Wicket
C Cover
SMON Silly Mid-on
SMO Silly Mid-Off
CP Cover-Point
SMW Silly Mid-Wicket
SQL Square Leg
SP Silly Point
P Point
SL Short Leg
G Gully
BP BackwardPoint
W Wicket keeper. The line denotes the fact that the wickie can be anywhere along it, depending on the speed of the bowler.
S1-4 Slips First through fourth. Known as a 'Slip Cordon'
45 45, ie 45 degree angle.
FL Fine Leg
TM Third Man
n.b. Backstop is almost never used in cricket over the age of 12, by which time you have competant wicket-keepers.

The game of cricket has a colourful vocabulary. Batters may bat on a sticky wicket, and bowlers may bowl a maiden over, or even let fly with a googly. Some bowlers are even referred to as Chinaman, regardless of their ethnic background. The terms for the fielding positions are similarly interesting.

The basic fielding positions are (starting with the wicket-keeper, and traveling in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed by the bowler):

• wicket-keeper
• slips
• third man
• gully
• point
• cover
• mid-off
• mid-on
• mid-wicket
• square leg
• backward square leg
• leg slip
• fine leg

This is just the beginning, however. Each fielding position can be modified in two ways.

1. The fielder can be moved either further or closer to the batter. A position further from the batsman is referred to as "deep", for example, deep mid-off. A position closer to the batter is referred to as "short", for example short mid-off. When the position gets dangerously close to the batter, it is referred to as "silly", for example, silly mid-off.
2. As the angle of the fielder relative the batter changes, the terms "square" and "fine" may be used. Square refers to the fielder moving in the direction of an imaginary line that passes through the batter, perpendicular to the pitch, ie, in the direction of point (for the off side) or square leg (for the on side).

Thus the person fielding at mid-wicket may be described as either silly, short, deep, fine or square, and sometimes a combination of these such as "short square mid-wicket".

Note however that some fielding positions are not so easily modifiable by either deep/short/silly or fine/square. There is no silly backward square leg (it's simply called silly leg), and nor is there a silly gully, a square point, or a fine point. Finally, the wicket-keeper is immune from all these modifications.