Guard and Crease Position: How Batsmen Set Up Against Different Bowlers
Before every innings, a batsman requests a specific 'guard' — a mark on the crease that indicates where their bat is positioned relative to the stumps. This article explains the different guard options, why batsmen change guard mid-innings, and how crease position affects shot selection.
What Taking a Guard Means
Taking guard is the process by which a batsman marks their position at the crease before beginning their innings: the batsman asks the umpire 'can I have [middle/middle-and-leg/leg]?' and the umpire aligns the batsman's bat with the requested position (the umpire looks directly down the pitch at the stumps from above); middle stump guard (the most common) positions the batsman so their bat is directly in front of the middle stump — giving maximum protection against balls aimed at the middle stump and the most central bat position; leg stump guard (or 'one leg') positions the batsman's bat in front of the leg stump — the batsman stands further toward the off side, opening more of the off side but reducing coverage of the leg stump; and two-leg guard (leg and middle, or 'two' in some conventions) positions the bat between the middle and leg stumps. The guard mark is scratched into the crease with the bat's toe — the batsman refers to this mark between deliveries to confirm their position hasn't shifted.
Why Batsmen Change Guard Against Different Bowlers
Batsmen adjust their guard and crease position between overs or at the fall of a new bowler's first delivery: against off-spin (turning from off to leg for a right-hander), many right-handed batsmen move to a leg-stump guard — the batsman's body position then protects the leg stump from the ball that turns sharply, and the open off-side lane allows the batsman to play the cut and the drive more freely through the uncovered off side; against fast bowlers bowling over the wicket with strong swing (inswing), moving further toward off stump reduces the inswinger's LBW risk — the ball must travel further across the body to hit a pad that is now positioned more toward off; and against bowlers who bowl around the wicket (from the left side of the crease for a right-handed bowler), the batsman may move slightly toward leg stump — placing the stumps in a more protected position from the new angle. Crease position adjustments are subtle (2-5 centimetres) but deliberately placed.
Moving Within the Crease to Change Angles
Beyond the initial guard mark, batsmen physically shift their position within the crease between deliveries: moving to the off side (toward the off side of the crease) while awaiting the delivery places the batsman outside off stump — turning the off-side ball into a middle-stump ball and potentially turning the outside-off delivery into a wide that they leave; moving to the leg side (stepping toward the leg crease) before the delivery places the batsman in front of the stumps in a position that turns an on-side ball into a middle-stump ball; and taking a deep crease position (stepping back toward the stumps rather than standing on the batting crease) allows the batsman to access balls that would be at an ideal driving length from a normal position — they are now more 'on the back foot' structurally. These crease movements are tactical responses to specific bowlers' strategies — a batsman who stands still at the same spot every delivery is giving the bowling team a fixed target.
Frequently asked questions
How does a batsman mark their guard on the crease?
The guard marking process is simple: after the umpire aligns the batsman's bat with the requested stump position, the batsman presses the toe of their bat into the batting crease to create a visible mark in the turf; the mark is typically a small indentation or line scratched into the grass — visible enough for the batsman to refer to between deliveries but not so large as to be a significant feature; in conditions where the crease is very hard (dry subcontinental pitches) or very muddy (wet conditions), the guard mark may be difficult to maintain — batsmen sometimes use the crease's white painted line as a reference instead; and some batsmen mark their guard mark more explicitly (digging the bat toe in more firmly) on difficult pitches. The guard mark's purpose is specifically to give the batsman a consistent reference point for re-setting their position after moving around between deliveries.
Can a batsman change their guard during an innings?
Yes — batsmen can change their guard at any time between deliveries: requesting a new guard mark from the umpire is completely legal and relatively common; the most common time to change guard mid-innings is when a specific tactical situation changes (a new bowler has begun bowling from around the wicket — the batsman wants to recalibrate their guard position for the new angle); and some batsmen change guard specifically when they feel they have 'drifted' from their starting position (after many deliveries, the batsman may have unconsciously moved their feet — re-marking the guard provides a physical reset to the original position). Changing guard is not a suspicious or unusual action — umpires are used to it and quickly provide the alignment. It is most common in Test cricket (where innings last long enough for natural drift to accumulate) than in T20 cricket (where innings are too short for significant positional drift).
What is backing away to leg and when is it used?
Backing away to leg is a deliberate crease movement made during the delivery stride — the batsman takes a step toward leg stump as the ball is being bowled: it positions the batsman outside the ball's line (the ball that would have been at the off stump is now at the middle stump relative to the batsman's new position) — creating more space on the off side for a deliberate cut or slash shot; it is used specifically against pace bowling when the batsman wants to play the cut but the ball is too straight for a conventional cut; and backing away creates LBW risk against balls that follow the batsman (a ball that curves into the body of a batsman who has backed away can hit the pad in front of the stumps). In T20 cricket, backing away to play a cut or ramp over the top of the wicketkeeper is used as a specific pre-planned shot for specific bowlers — the batsman pre-commits to the backing-away position before the delivery, limiting their options against deliveries that don't match the plan.