Point: The Key Off-Side Fielding Position for the Cut Shot
The point fielding position in cricket — where it sits (directly square of the wicket on the off side), what shots it defends against (primarily the cut shot), the difference between square point and extra cover, when captains bring point in as an aggressive catcher vs push it back as a boundary guard, and why point is one of the earliest-set positions in any cricket field.
Position Geometry
Point is positioned directly square of the wicket on the off side — at exactly 90 degrees to the batting crease, typically 20-25 metres from the batsman. It is one of the most fundamental fielding positions in cricket, present in essentially every field setting because it guards the cut shot (played square of the wicket) and the off-side push. Point is the off-side equivalent of square leg on the leg side: both positions guard the same geometric zone on their respective sides of the wicket. Point's specific name comes from cricket's oldest fielding terminology — 'point of the bat' was the colloquial reference to the front face of the bat, and the fielder positioned to intercept shots off this face became 'point.'
Primary Function
Point's primary function is intercepting the square cut — a shot played to a short, wide delivery outside off stump by swinging the bat horizontally across the body and directing the ball square of the wicket on the off side. Without point positioned, every decent square cut would go to the boundary. Point is also responsible for intercepting the back-foot punch through the off side — when a batsman punches a good-length delivery off their back foot through the off side at a flatter trajectory than the cut. The fielder at point must have excellent lateral movement and quick reflexes because both the cut and the back-foot punch can arrive at pace — a well-struck cut from an international batsman can travel at 80-90 km/h to the fielder who has perhaps 0.3-0.4 seconds to react.
Attacking vs Defensive Depth
Point's depth is a tactical signal. Close point (15-18 metres): the captain is using point as a catching position, expecting the batsman to cut at wide balls and take a thin edge or pop the ball to the close fielder. This is used against batsmen known to cut expansively. Standard point (20-25 metres): the normal position — covering both the boundary-stopping and catching roles. Deep point / deep backward point (boundary depth): purely a boundary guard, accepting that cuts will go to the boundary occasionally but preventing the boundary; this is used in death overs of T20 cricket or when the captain needs outfielders more urgently in other positions.
Frequently asked questions
Is point different from gully?
Yes — point and gully are adjacent positions but with different angles. Point is directly square (90 degrees from the off-stump line); gully is positioned forward of square (70-80 degrees), closer to the batsman and in the angle between point and the slip cordon. The cut shot that goes exactly square is for point; a slightly earlier cut (more forward) goes to gully; a late cut (slightly backward) goes to backward point. Gully catches edges that go too wide for the slip fielders but not far enough to be a standard point catch. In most cricket fields, gully and point are both positioned — the captain fills both because the cut and edge trajectories cover different angles.
Can the same fielder cover both point and gully?
In slow-pitch conditions where the ball travels slowly, a single athletic fielder might be able to cover both the point and gully zones by positioning centrally between them. This is very rare in international cricket because the ball moves too quickly for one fielder to cover both angles at top level. In limited-overs cricket where only 4-5 fielders are available in the outfield, captains sometimes combine the roles by placing a single fielder between point and gully and accepting that some specific-angle shots through either pure point or pure gully will not be covered. The 'split point' position is unofficial but understood — it is the compromise between covering point or gully when only one is available.
Why is point rarely mentioned in T20 powerplay tactics?
During the T20 powerplay, only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. The captain must choose very carefully which positions to use for those two outer fielders. Point is sometimes used as one of those positions (to stop the cut shot reaching the boundary) but is often sacrificed in favour of a straight boundary guard (long-off) or a leg-side boundary guard (fine leg). The result is that in many T20 powerplays, point is either vacant (the batsman can cut for four freely) or occupied but at the cost of another boundary area being unguarded. Batting teams specifically plan to cut in the powerplay when they notice point is vacant — the powerplay restriction creates exploitable gaps that batsmen pre-plan to target.