Batting Crease and Guard in Cricket Explained
What a batting guard is, how batters choose their guard position, and how the crease affects dismissals and run-outs.
What Is a Batting Guard?
A guard is the position a batter marks on the popping crease before facing deliveries. The batter asks the umpire to indicate where the bat's base is in relation to the stumps, then marks that position by scraping a line in the crease. The guard gives the batter a reference point for their stance and for deciding whether a delivery is on-stump, off-stump, or outside. The three standard guards are middle stump, middle-and-leg, and leg stump.
Common Guard Positions
- Middle stump (or centre) — most common; batter positions the bat directly in front of middle stump
- Middle-and-leg (two-leg) — bat positioned between middle and leg stump; popular with many right-handers
- Leg stump (one-leg) — bat positioned in front of leg stump; helps bowlers see more off-stump, but reveals the batter's off stump
- Off stump — bat in front of off stump; very rare, used to monitor the off-stump line closely
The Popping Crease and Dismissals
The popping crease is the white line four feet in front of the stumps that a batter must remain behind to be safe. A batter is out stumped if the wicketkeeper removes the bails while the batter is out of their crease attempting to play. In run-outs, the batter must ground their bat or any body part behind the popping crease to be safe. Diving to make the crease is a standard technique in run-outs.
Guard and LBW
Guard position affects LBW decisions. A batter on a middle stump guard who is hit in front of middle stump has a ball hitting the stumps; on a leg stump guard the same impact point might find the ball missing off stump. Modern DRS ball-tracking accounts for the batter's position when determining the trajectory at stump height, so the guard choice influences the likelihood of LBW decisions going against a batter.
Frequently asked questions
How does a batter ask for a guard?
The batter stands at the crease in their batting stance and says 'middle', 'middle-and-leg', or 'leg' to the umpire. The umpire sights from the striker's end stumps down the pitch and indicates the position by aligning a finger or thumb behind the bat's face. The batter marks a line in the crease with the bat or a stud.
Do batters take guard every time they come to the wicket?
Yes — in professional cricket, every batter asks for a guard when they arrive at the crease. In some circumstances a batter may return to the same end after a run-out and simply use their existing mark.