The Slip Cordon: Setting and Catching in the Most Demanding Fielding Position
The slip cordon — the chain of fielders standing behind and to the side of the batsman — is where edge catches are taken in Test cricket. A specialist slip fielder must be able to react to a ball travelling at 130-150 km/h that deflects off the bat's edge at an unpredictable angle, with 0.1-0.2 seconds of reaction time. This guide covers how the cordon is set, who stands where, and the technique for taking catches.
The slip cordon is positioned behind the batsman on the off side — first slip stands closest to the wicketkeeper, second slip stands next to first slip, and third slip (when used) stands further from the wicket toward the gully region. A gully fielder sometimes supplements the cordon (positioned squarer to the batsman than third slip). The cordon is used when the bowling conditions favour edge catches: seam bowling (ball moving off the pitch toward the off side), swing bowling (ball moving laterally in the air), and to a lesser extent leg-spin (which can produce thick outside edges). In conditions where edges are expected, the captain may deploy 2, 3, or even 4 slips plus gully.
Reaction Time Physics
The physics of a slip catch: a ball edged off a 140 km/h delivery travels at approximately 100-120 km/h after edge contact (some speed is lost in the edge). From first slip position (approximately 4-5 metres from the batsman), the ball travels to the fielder in approximately 0.13-0.18 seconds. The human visual reaction time for an unexpected stimulus is approximately 0.18-0.22 seconds — meaning that first slip has less time to react than the human visual system's base reaction time. How slip fielders manage this: they use anticipatory positioning (reading the bowler's delivery and the batsman's footwork to predict where the edge will go before it happens); peripheral vision (catching with wide-field visual processing rather than focused tracking); and muscle memory from thousands of catch repetitions in training.
Catching Technique
Slip catching technique: the slip fielder must stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent (ready to move laterally), and hands held loosely in front at waist height (the natural catching position). For low catches (balls edged near ankle height), the fielder must drop their hands fast while keeping their eye on the ball — the temptation to go to ground (like a goalkeeper dive) is wrong; the ball should be caught in the hand close to the ground rather than scooped. For high catches (balls that flick the top edge and travel upward), the fielder must move quickly to get under the ball and take it above head height. The most difficult slip catch: the ball that changes direction after the edge (thick edge toward gully, thin edge more vertical) — the fielder's anticipatory read was wrong and a pure reaction catch is required.
Cordon Configuration
Slip cordon configuration varies by bowling type and pitch conditions: fast bowling with pronounced swing → 3 slips plus gully (maximum cordon for pace bowling on a seaming pitch); fast bowling on a flat pitch → 2 slips plus gully; spin bowling → 1 slip plus a leg-side fielder (spin is less likely to produce off-side edges, more likely to produce leg-side deflections); reverse swing → 2 slips on the leg side (the batsman may play an inside edge back toward the leg side). The captain typically adjusts the cordon dynamically — when a new batsman arrives, extra slips are deployed (a new batsman is more likely to edge in the first 5-10 deliveries); when the batsman is settled, the captain may drop a slip to add a run-saving fielder.
Frequently asked questions
What is the slip cordon in cricket?
The slip cordon is the group of fielders positioned behind the batsman on the off side — typically first slip (closest to the wicketkeeper), second slip, and sometimes third slip. The cordon is designed to catch edges from the bat — when the batsman plays a stroke and the ball clips the outer or inner edge, it travels at an angle toward the cordon. The cordon is most commonly used in Test cricket under seaming conditions or when the ball is swinging, as these conditions produce more edges. In T20 cricket, the slip cordon is almost never used (batsmen play more attacking shots that minimize the chance of thin edges).
Who has taken the most slip catches in Test cricket?
Rahul Dravid holds the Test cricket record for most catches by a non-wicketkeeper with 210 catches in 164 Tests, predominantly taken at slip. Other high catch-count fielders: Steve Waugh (112 catches), Ricky Ponting (196 catches), Graeme Smith (200 catches), and Jacques Kallis (200 catches). Among current players, Steve Smith (Australia) has accumulated 150+ catches predominantly at slip. The distinction between fielding catches and wicketkeeper catches: the all-time catch record in Tests belongs to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (999 dismissals, including 99.9% taken as wicketkeeper — he was approaching 1000 when he was injured by a bail that hit his eye in 2012 and retired).
How fast does the ball travel to a slip fielder?
A ball edged from a fast bowling delivery (140 km/h) travels to the slip fielder at approximately 100-120 km/h, covering the 4-5 metres from bat to first slip in approximately 0.13-0.18 seconds. This is at or below the human visual reaction time threshold (0.18-0.22 seconds for an unexpected stimulus). Elite slip fielders manage this through anticipatory reading of the delivery and batsman's movement — they begin moving before the edge happens, based on their prediction of where the ball might go. The 'pure reaction' catch (no anticipation, just reaction to the edge) is described by former players as requiring the fielder to 'not think' — the catching motion must be automatic, not deliberate.