Slip or Gully: How Captains Choose Their Off-Side Cordon Configuration
When a pace bowler is bowling to a right-handed batsman, the captain must decide how to configure the off-side close catching positions — whether to use slips, gully, or a combination. This article examines the factors that determine the ideal off-side close-field setup and how this changes with the bowler type, batsman, and match situation.
What Slips and Gully Catch
The slip cordon (first slip, second slip, third slip) catches edges from balls that the batsman plays at but misses cleanly — the ball deflects off the outside edge of the bat and flies at various angles behind the wicket on the off side. First slip catches the thinnest edges (flying at shallower angles from the bat); second and third slip catch slightly thicker edges (flying at wider angles). Gully — positioned wider than the slips, at approximately 45 degrees behind the batting crease — catches edges and slashes from short, wide balls where the batsman attempted to cut or slash. The key distinction: slips catch the defensive edge (a ball the batsman was playing defensively at but edged); gully catches the attacking edge (a ball the batsman was trying to hit but got a thick outside edge).
Factors That Determine the Configuration
The specific combination of slips and gully depends on: the bowler's delivery type (an outswing bowler moving the ball away from the right-hander targets defensive edges that fly to the slip cordon — 3 slips, no gully is appropriate; a bowler who bowls short and wide generates cut shots and slash edges — 2 slips plus a gully is better); the batsman's tendency (a batsman who defends consistently at good-length deliveries is a slip target; a batsman who slashes at short, wide balls is a gully target); the pitch conditions (new, swinging ball favours more slips; old, slower ball with less swing favours fewer slips and more batting-zone coverage); and the match situation (early in a Test when wickets are the primary goal, more close catchers; later in a limited-overs match when containment is needed, the close catchers may be replaced by boundary riders).
The Evolving Off-Side Cordon in T20
T20 cricket has dramatically reduced the use of traditional slip cordons and gully: the batting team's aggressive approach means that a batsman standing at the crease playing defensive strokes (that would produce slip catches) is playing the wrong T20 cricket. T20 batsmen typically attack from the first ball, meaning more balls are hit aggressively rather than defensively. This reduces the frequency of thin edges to slips. As a result, T20 captains often use only 1 slip (or no slip) and instead place extra fielders in the gaps between mid-off and cover point where aggressive batsmen are driving. The exception: the powerplay's field restrictions mean close catching positions are still sometimes used in T20 powerplays when the bowling plan targets an outswing edge opportunity.
Frequently asked questions
Can a captain have 4 slips and a gully simultaneously?
Yes — a captain can have 4 slips and a gully at the same time, giving 5 close catchers behind the wicket on the off side. This configuration (which was occasionally seen in Tests in favourable conditions for pace bowling) places 5 of the 10 outfield positions in the off-side close-catching zone. It leaves the on side effectively unguarded (with only mid-on, fine leg, and perhaps one other fielder) and removes boundary coverage from most of the off side. This configuration is only used when the bowling plan gives extremely high confidence that the batsman must play defensively at outside-off-stump deliveries — typically when the ball is new, swinging, and the pitch is offering lateral movement. A single well-timed on-drive through the deserted on side would concede 4 runs — the captain accepts this risk for the catching opportunities generated.
Where does 'silly mid-off' fit into the off-side close-field configuration?
Silly mid-off is a very close fielding position — extremely close to the batsman's position on the off side (within 5-7 metres of the bat) — used specifically when the bowling plan expects the ball to turn back from outside off stump (left-arm spin bowling to a right-hander, for example). Silly mid-off (and the equivalent silly mid-on positions) catch the ball that the batsman plays defensively toward the on side but deflects off the bat's inner edge toward the close fielder. These positions are high-risk for the fielder (facing deliveries hit hard from close range without protection) and are only used in specific spin-bowling configurations where the batting team is batting very defensively and the probability of a deflection is higher than the probability of a powerful direct hit at the fielder.
How do teams decide when to remove the close catchers and protect boundaries?
The transition from close-catching focus to boundary-protection focus in a bowling innings depends on: the match situation (in ODIs, once the powerplay ends, most close catchers are removed regardless of how the bowling is going); the partnership's maturity (two batsmen who have batted for 30+ overs each are less likely to produce slip catches — they've read the bowling and their defensive technique is now reliable); and the specific scoring rate needed (if the batting team is scoring at above 5 per over, the fielding team may need to add boundary riders to prevent the match running away from them, accepting that close-catching opportunity is sacrificed). In Tests, close catchers remain through most innings phases as long as the match situation doesn't require containment — the Test format always prioritises wickets over run containment.