Cricket Fielding Positions: Complete Guide to Every Position
Cricket has dozens of named fielding positions arranged around the pitch. This guide explains all standard positions, their names, abbreviations and the tactical purposes they serve.
Cricket's fielding position naming system covers the 360 degrees around the pitch, distinguishing between positions behind the wicket ('behind square') and in front of it ('in front of square'), on the leg side and the off side, and at different distances from the batters. There are over 30 named positions in common usage, each with tactical purposes. Understanding positions is essential for following commentary, reading scorecards and understanding match tactics.
The Off Side: Behind Square
Behind the batter on the off side (to the right of a right-hand batter): **Third man** — deep, backward of square, catching edges over the slips area. **Slip (first, second, third slip)** — close in behind the batter, catching edges from pace bowling. **Gully** — wider and squarer than slip, catching cuts. **Backward point** — behind square off the bat for cut shots. **Point** — square of the wicket on the off side. **Cover point** — in front of square off side, stopping drives. **Extra cover** — wider than mid-off, stopping the cover drive. **Mid-off** — straight to the off side, stopping straight drives.
The Leg Side: Behind Square
Behind the batter on the leg side: **Fine leg** — deep, behind square on the leg side, catching top edges from hooks and glancing shots. **Square leg** — squarer than fine leg, mid-distance. **Short leg** (or forward short leg) — very close on the leg side, used against spinners to catch balls that pop off the bat's inside edge or top edge on turning pitches. **Leg slip** — behind the batter on the leg side, similar to a slip but for leg-side edges.
In Front of Square: Both Sides
In front of the batter: **Mid-on** — straight on the leg side, stopping drives. **Mid-wicket** — wider than mid-on, leg side, stopping flicks. **Mid-off** — straight on the off side. **Covers** — wide off side in front of square. **Deep mid-wicket, deep square leg, deep cover, long-on, long-off** — boundary fielders in front of square and behind square. Prefixes: 'deep' means near the boundary; 'short' means close in; 'backward' means behind the batter's line; 'forward' means in front of the batter's line. 'Silly' (as in silly mid-on, silly point) means extremely close.
Frequently asked questions
What is 'cow corner' in cricket?
Cow corner is a colloquial term (not an official fielding position name) for the deep square leg/long-on boundary area, roughly between fine leg and long-on. It is the area where a powerful slog across the line to the leg side — the 'cow shot' or 'agricultural shot' — typically lands. The name derives from English village cricket fields where the rough area beyond the boundary on that side was where cows were kept. 'Deep cow corner' is sometimes used in commentary for very deep fielders in that zone.
How many fielders can be outside the 30-yard circle at one time?
During the powerplay in limited-overs cricket: only two fielders may be outside the 30-yard circle. Outside the powerplay in T20 cricket: a maximum of five fielders may be outside the ring (meaning at least five must be inside). In ODI cricket in overs 11-40: maximum four fielders outside. In the final ten overs of an ODI: maximum five outside. In Test cricket, there is no 30-yard fielding circle restriction — captains can place all nine fielders anywhere on the field, constrained only by the Laws' restriction on the number of fielders behind square on the leg side (maximum two behind square leg).