Cricket Pitch Markings: Every Line and What It Means
A cricket pitch has multiple painted lines defining creases, bowling zones, and fielding positions. Learn what each line is called, where it sits, and why it matters.
The Three Creases
The cricket pitch has three white lines (creases) painted at each end: the popping crease (4 feet in front of the stumps), the bowling crease (level with the stumps), and the return crease (perpendicular to the pitch at 4 feet 4 inches each side of the middle stump). These define where batters must ground, where bowlers must land their back foot, and the legal width of the bowling zone.
The Six-Yard Circle
While less commonly marked on the pitch surface itself, some grounds mark the six-yard circle — the area immediately in front of the wickets. This matters for run-out situations and for determining close-catching fielding positions. It is the zone where short-leg and silly mid-on fielders operate.
Wicket Area Markings
The stumps are set in the ground at the centre of the bowling crease line. The middle stump is placed exactly at the midpoint; the off and leg stumps are 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) to each side. The stumps and bails together are 28.5 inches (72.4 cm) wide.
Fielding Circles
The 30-yard fielding circle is marked on most limited-overs pitches using white dots or dashes at the appropriate radius from the centre of the pitch. Some grounds also mark the inner 15-yard area for fielding restriction purposes in T20 and other formats.
Frequently asked questions
How wide is the cricket pitch?
The cricket pitch (the prepared strip on which the game is played) is 10 feet (3.05m) wide and 22 yards (20.12m) long from popping crease to popping crease.
Why is the pitch 22 yards long?
22 yards corresponds to one chain — an old British unit of linear measurement equal to 22 yards. The standard pitch length was formalised in the Laws of Cricket in the 18th century when chain measurement was still in common use.