The Slip Cordon: How Fielding Captains Decide How Many Slips to Position
How the slip cordon is set up in Test cricket — the typical number of slips in different conditions, why captains add or remove slips based on pitch, ball age, and batsman, the communication between the captain and slip fielders, why the slip cordon is positioned differently for pace vs spin bowling, and how T20 cricket has transformed slip fielding usage.
The Standard Slip Cordon
In Test cricket with a new ball in favourable swing or seam conditions, captains typically position 3-4 slips and a gully. First slip (closest to the keeper) catches the thicker outside edge; second slip catches the finer edge; third slip and gully catch the very fine edge or deflection from gully-height catches. This configuration concentrates fielding resources in the edge-catching zone where the new ball creates most wicket opportunities. As conditions change (ball gets older, pitch flattens, batsman settles), slips are removed: removing third slip first, then second slip, eventually reducing to one slip or none.
Matching Slips to Conditions
The number of slips is a real-time tactical decision based on: pitch condition (seaming pitches require more slips — edge probability is higher); ball age (new ball with shine = swing = edge probability; old ball without swing = fewer edges expected); batsman (an aggressive driving batsman creates more edge opportunities than a defensive one); and score context (a fielding team needing wickets urgently keeps attacking slip positions; a fielding team trying to contain in a draw scenario removes slips for defensive positioning). The captain adjusts after each over based on how much movement the bowler is generating.
Slip Cordon for Spin Bowling
Spin bowling requires a different slip cordon from pace bowling. Against off-spin to a right-handed batsman, edges typically go between first and second slip. Against leg-spin, edges can go to slip or the leg-side. Most spin bowling attacks use 1-2 slips alongside a bat-pad fielder at silly point or short leg — the bat-pad fielder catching the ball that pops up from hitting the spinning ball. The leg-spinner's edge typically travels finer (toward the gully and backward point region) while the off-spinner's edge travels squarer to first slip.
Frequently asked questions
Does a captain ever set four or five slips?
Yes — four slips and a gully is occasionally seen when conditions are very heavily in the bowling team's favour: very late swing, significant seam movement, and an inexperienced batsman. Five slips has been used rarely — it requires the captain to remove all outfield protection and is only rational when batting scoring opportunity is so limited that boundary prevention is irrelevant. The most aggressive slip configurations are typically seen in the first 2-3 overs of a Test match under cloudy English conditions — before the new ball has been played in and the batting team has settled.
What happens when an edge beats all the slips?
An edge that passes the entire slip cordon is a boundary or a run opportunity for the batting team. Edges that beat the slip cordon are not fielded — the ball goes to the third man or fine leg boundary. The frequency of edges beating the slip cordon is part of the captain's tactical calculation: with 4 slips, any edge going above or between slips produces a boundary, but the cordon catches more catches. With 1 slip, more edges go for runs but the one slip position is at higher probability. The optimal configuration depends on the probability of edge per delivery vs the runs cost of edges that beat the field.
Are slip fielders always positioned in the same location relative to each other?
Slip fielder positions are adjusted by the captain based on the bowler's line, the batsman's typical edge direction, and ball age. First slip is always closest to the keeper; second slip is 1-2 metres further; third slip or gully is further still. However, the horizontal spacing can be compressed or expanded based on edge probability direction. Against a left-hander, the slip positions shift because the edge direction changes. Experienced captains make minor slip position adjustments between balls based on where they observe edge probability from each delivery.