Extra Cover Fielding in Cricket Explained
What extra cover is, where it stands, and how it fills the gap between cover and mid-off in the off-side field.
Where Is Extra Cover?
Extra cover stands between cover and mid-off on the off side of the pitch, at roughly 30°–40° from straight, approximately 25–35 metres from the bat. It plugs the gap that develops between a wide cover position and a mid-off standing straight. When a batter drives with the full face of the bat to the off side and the ball bisects cover and mid-off, extra cover is the position designed to cut it off.
The Cover Region in Cricket
The off side between 30° and 60° from straight is the broadest, most heavily used zone in cricket. Captain set the following positions to cover it: mid-off (straight), extra cover (30°–40°), cover (45°–55°), cover point (55°–65°), and point (75°–85°). Extra cover occupies the middle of this arc and sees the most ball from orthodox off-drives and wide-of-straight flicks from right-handed batters.
- Off drives that are slightly wider than straight but not wide enough for cover
- Half-drives pushed without full weight to the off side
- Under-edges off drives that balloon toward the off side
- Ground balls off thick outside edges that deflect forward of point
Deep Extra Cover
On flat pitches with attacking batters, captains move extra cover to the boundary, creating 'deep extra cover.' This boundary fielder handles lofted drives between long-off and deep cover. In T20 cricket, deep extra cover is one of the five positions outside the ring in the second half of the innings and sees a high volume of lofted shots from right-handers targeting the straight off-side boundary.
Frequently asked questions
Is extra cover always in the field in Test cricket?
Not always — on a bowler-friendly pitch, the captain may remove it to add a catching position. On a flat pitch in good batting conditions, extra cover is almost always in the ring.
What is the difference between cover and extra cover?
Cover is wider (more toward square) at roughly 50°–55° from straight; extra cover is more straight at 30°–40°. Extra cover fills the gap between mid-off and cover.
Does extra cover appear by name on scoreboards?
Sometimes. Many scorecards record 'caught extra cover' for catches there. Broadcasters also use it frequently when describing field placements.