Foundation
The basics every cricket fan should know. 4,516 guides, page 72 of 95.
Slip Cordon Height: Why Catching Position and Height Matter for Slips
The slip cordon catches edges from pace and swing bowling, but the height at which slips stand, their distance from the wicketkeeper, and their crouch position all affect what catches they can take. This article explains optimal slip catching position and why cordon height varies by bowler and pitch.
Read explainerThe Glance: Cricket's Finest Touch Shot Explained
The glance is one of cricket's most elegant shots — a subtle deflection off the face of the bat toward fine leg or backward square leg, using the ball's pace against the bowler. This article explains how the glance works, when it is the right shot to play, and why it is riskier than it appears.
Read explainerHow Wind Affects Cricket Bowling: Swing, Drift, and Speed
Wind direction and strength affect swing bowling, spin drift, and pace bowler speeds in ways that captains and bowlers specifically plan around. This article explains how wind influences bowling from different ends and how experienced bowlers exploit or manage it.
Read explainerMid-On's Role: Cricket's Most Underrated Straight On-Side Position
Mid-on sits directly on the on-side straight from the stumps, 20-30 metres from the pitch, saving singles from straight drives and flicks while providing captains a flexible option for field changes. This article explains the mid-on position's responsibilities across bowling types and formats.
Read explainerThe Back-Foot Cut Shot: Technique, Timing, and Risk
The cut shot is one of cricket's most attractive attacking strokes — played off the back foot to short deliveries outside off stump. This article explains the technical requirements of the cut, when it is the right choice, and the specific risks that make it one of batting's more dangerous attacking options.
Read explainerBowling the Over After a Wicket: Why the Follow-Up Matters
When a wicket falls, the fielding team's immediate response in the next delivery — and the next over — is a critical tactical window. This article explains why the period immediately following a wicket is so valuable for the bowling team and how captains exploit it.
Read explainerThe Inner Ring Field: Protecting the 30-Yard Circle in Limited-Overs Cricket
In limited-overs cricket, the 30-yard circle divides the infield from the outfield — and the placement of fielders in the inner ring determines whether a team can stop singles while still protecting boundaries. This article explains how captains use inner ring fielders strategically.
Read explainerThe Switch-Hit: Reversing Your Batting Stance to Confuse Bowlers
The switch-hit requires a batsman to change their batting stance from right-handed to left-handed (or vice versa) mid-delivery. This article explains the mechanics of the switch-hit, when it is legal, and why it has become one of cricket's most tactically disruptive shots.
Read explainerThe Off-Side Trap: How Bowlers Set Up the Outside Edge
One of cricket's most reliable wicket-taking strategies is the off-side trap — a combination of specific bowling line and field placement designed to draw the batsman into playing at wide deliveries and edging to the cordon. This article explains how the trap is set and why it still works despite being so well-known.
Read explainerThe Ring Fielder: How the 30-Yard Circle Is Guarded
A 'ring fielder' is positioned on or near the 30-yard circle — not fully infield and not fully outfield. This positioning creates specific coverage zones for singles and twos that purely infield or purely outfield configurations miss. This article explains the ring fielder's tactical purpose.
Read explainerDRS Review Strategy for Batsmen: When and Why to Review
Every batsman has access to team reviews under the DRS system — and the decision of when to use or preserve a review is one of modern cricket's most consequential in-game choices. This article explains how batsmen make review decisions and what happens when reviews run out.
Read explainerIntroducing a New Bowler: How Captains Time Bowling Changes
A new bowler coming on to bowl creates a recalibration moment for the batting team — and an opportunity for the bowling captain. This article explains how captains decide when to introduce new bowlers, what factors determine the change, and how the introduction is executed for maximum effect.
Read explainerSlip vs Gully: Different Positions for Different Edge Types
Slips and gully are both behind the batsman on the off side, but they catch different types of edges from different deliveries. This article explains the angle and distance differences between slip and gully, and how captains decide which to use in specific bowling situations.
Read explainerBuilding an ODI Innings: How Teams Score 300+ in 50 Overs
Scoring 300+ runs in 50 overs requires a specific phase-by-phase plan — not just aggressive batting throughout. This article explains how elite batting teams construct high ODI totals through the powerplay, middle overs, and death overs phases.
Read explainerHow Bowling Captains Plan a Test Match Attack
A Test bowling captain must plan 150+ overs of bowling across five days — selecting which bowlers bowl when, setting fields, and managing the attack against evolving batting partnerships. This article explains how Test bowling captains structure their attack.
Read explainerLong-Off's Role: The Off-Side Straight Boundary Position
Long-off is positioned on the off-side boundary straight down the pitch — the mirror image of long-on. Together they form cricket's straight boundary coverage. This article explains long-off's specific responsibilities and how it differs from long-on in usage and catching demands.
Read explainerThe Sweep Shot's Hidden Risks: Why Batsmen Misuse It
The sweep shot is a key weapon against spin bowling, but it carries specific risks around LBW, top edges, and misreading the pitch. This article explains when the sweep is effective, when it goes wrong, and how batsmen manage its risk.
Read explainerFull Tosses in Cricket: Accident, Weapon, and Dismissal Tool
A full toss — a delivery that reaches the batsman without bouncing — is typically considered a poor delivery, but in specific situations it can be the bowling team's most effective wicket-taking delivery. This article explains when full tosses are accidental and when they are deliberate.
Read explainerMid-Off's Role: The Straight Off-Side Short-Range Position
Mid-off is positioned straight down the pitch on the off side — the mirror image of mid-on. It saves the off-drive single, takes close catches from checked drives, and provides a key relay-throwing position. This article explains the full responsibilities of mid-off across formats.
Read explainerThe Pull Shot: Mechanics, Timing, and Risk Management
The pull shot is cricket's primary weapon against the short-pitched delivery — a horizontal-bat swing that redirects a ball rising at chest or shoulder height toward the square-leg boundary. This article explains the pull's mechanics, the specific timing challenges, and how risk is managed.
Read explainerDeath Bowling: The Most Pressured 6 Overs in Limited-Overs Cricket
The death overs (overs 16-20 in T20 or 41-50 in ODIs) require a completely different bowling approach from the rest of the innings. This article explains the specific skills bowlers need to succeed at the death and the mental demands of bowling under maximum batting pressure.
Read explainerLong Stop: Cricket's Forgotten Fielding Position
Long stop is a fielding position directly behind the wicketkeeper — no longer used in professional cricket but historically important and still used in club and junior cricket. This article explains what long stop was, why it was retired, and when it might still be useful.
Read explainerDefensive Intent in Batting: The Art of Not Getting Out
Defensive batting is not passive batting — it requires specific intent, technical discipline, and tactical judgment. This article explains when and how batsmen use defensive intent strategically, and how to distinguish defensive batting from simply being unable to score.
Read explainerThe Pace-Off Delivery: Cricket's Most Effective Surprise Ball
The pace-off delivery (also called the slower ball) is a delivery bowled at significantly reduced pace from a fast bowler's standard — disguised to look like a full-pace delivery until the ball is in flight. This article explains the different types of pace-off deliveries, their mechanics, and when each is most effective.
Read explainerSaving the Cover Drive: Positioning the Cover Fielder
The cover drive is cricket's most elegant and most frequently hit boundary shot. This article explains how fielding teams position their cover fielders to minimise boundaries from the cover drive, and the trade-offs involved in loading the cover region with fielders.
Read explainerGuard and Crease Position: How Batsmen Set Up Against Different Bowlers
Before every innings, a batsman requests a specific 'guard' — a mark on the crease that indicates where their bat is positioned relative to the stumps. This article explains the different guard options, why batsmen change guard mid-innings, and how crease position affects shot selection.
Read explainerSeam Position and Bowling Angle: How Bowlers Control Movement
A fast bowler's seam position at the moment of delivery determines how the ball moves after pitching. This article explains the different seam positions, how bowling angle changes the seam's effect, and how bowlers combine angle and seam to create specific movement types.
Read explainerTaking the Boundary Catch: Technique and the Over-the-Rope Rules
A boundary catch — taking a catch at the rope's edge while keeping both feet in the field — is one of cricket's most athletic dismissals. This article explains the technique for the boundary catch, the specific rules around the rope, and what happens when a fielder steps over the boundary.
Read explainerPressure Management in Batting: Staying Calm When It Counts
Elite batsmen don't just have better technique — they have better systems for managing the psychological pressure that specific match situations create. This article explains the pressure points batsmen face and the specific mental techniques they use to perform under them.
Read explainerThe Variety Over: Mixing Deliveries Within a Single Over
A 'variety over' is a bowling strategy where a bowler deliberately varies the length, pace, line, and delivery type within a single over — rather than bowling consistently at one length and pace. This article explains when variety overs are used and their effect on batsmen.
Read explainerShying at the Stumps: The Direct Hit Run-Out Attempt
A direct hit at the stumps — throwing from the outfield to hit the stumps without a relay — is one of cricket's highest-risk, highest-reward plays. This article explains the technique, when to attempt it, and what happens when it misses.
Read explainerBat-Pad Catches: Cricket's Closest Catching Position
The bat-pad fielder is positioned just a metre or two from the batsman — closer than any other fielder except the wicketkeeper. This article explains what a bat-pad catch is, where the fielder stands, and the specific risks they face.
Read explainerWicketkeeper Gloves: How They Work and Why They Matter
The wicketkeeper's gloves are the most specialised equipment in cricket — designed for catching fast deliveries, protecting the hands, and enabling the precise stumping movement. This article explains glove construction, how keepers use them, and why glove quality affects keeping performance.
Read explainerFootwork Against Fast Bowling: Moving to the Right Position
Good footwork against pace bowling is the foundation of all other batting skills — without being in the correct position, the bat cannot make correct contact. This article explains the key footwork principles for playing fast bowling and the specific movements that batsmen use.
Read explainerThe Flipper: Leg-Spin Bowling's Secret Weapon
The flipper is a leg-spin variation that skids through lower and faster than the standard leg-break — its key feature is that the ball appears to be a full-length delivery but rushes through at a different trajectory. This article explains how the flipper is bowled and why it is one of cricket's hardest deliveries to play.
Read explainerCatching Positions in Cricket: Where Fielders Stand to Take Chances
Catching positions are fielding placements specifically designed to take catches rather than save runs. This article explains the main catching positions, what deliveries they target, and how teams build catching configurations around their bowling attack.
Read explainerSquare Leg Catching: High Catches and Slog Sweeps
Square leg is one of cricket's most important catching positions for spin bowling — the zone where slog sweeps, miscued pulls, and top-edges from hook shots frequently land. This article explains the square leg catcher's specific role and the catching skills required.
Read explainerLast Man Standing: How Number 11 Batsmen Are Coached to Survive
The number 11 batsman is the least-experienced batter in the lineup. When they arrive, the recognised batsman at the other end must both protect their partner and continue scoring. This article explains the coaching approach for number 11s and the tactics that help them survive.
Read explainerThe Googly: Leg-Spin's Counter-Intuitive Variation
The googly is a delivery that looks like a leg-break but turns in the opposite direction — the wrong way for a right-handed batsman. This article explains how the googly is bowled, why it is so effective, and how batsmen try to identify it.
Read explainerBackward Square Leg: Where Hook Shots Go
Backward square leg is positioned behind the batsman's leg side — the specific zone where top-edged hooks and fine leg glances travel. This article explains the position's role against pace bowling and how it functions as both a boundary-saver and catching position.
Read explainerThird Man: The Fine Off-Side Boundary Sentinel
Third man is positioned at the fine off-side boundary — behind the wicketkeeper on the off side. This article explains third man's specific role against fast bowling, why the position is almost always occupied in limited-overs cricket, and the specific catching opportunities it provides.
Read explainerThe Reverse Sweep
How batters play the reverse sweep, why it unsettles spinners, and when the high-risk reward is worth it.
Read explainerThe Lofted Shot
What the lofted shot is, the mechanics behind hitting over the top, and when it is the right tactical choice.
Read explainerReverse Swing
How reverse swing works, why an old ball swings the wrong way, and which bowlers have mastered the skill.
Read explainerThe Nineties in Cricket
Why reaching 90 is where batting gets hardest, the psychology behind the nervous nineties, and how the best batters handle it.
Read explainerSeam Movement in Cricket
What seam bowling is, how the ball moves off the seam, and what conditions make seam bowling most effective.
Read explainerThe Opening Partnership
How opening batters set the tone for an innings, what makes a great opening partnership, and the different styles of opening play.
Read explainerLeft-Arm Over the Wicket
Why left-arm pace and spin bowlers create unique problems for right-handed batters, and how the angle differs from right-arm bowling.
Read explainerFoundation — Cricket Guides
Cricket is one of the world's great team sports — complex enough that a lifetime of watching reveals new layers, but accessible enough that the basics can be grasped in a single afternoon. This collection covers everything from how the game is set up to the fine details of technique that separate the world's best players.
A cricket match is played on an oval field with a rectangular strip of closely mown grass — the pitch — at its centre. Two teams of eleven take turns to bat and bowl. The batting team tries to score runs; the fielding team tries to take ten wickets and limit the runs conceded. The bowler delivers the ball from one end of the 22-yard pitch to the batter at the other end, who defends a set of three wooden stumps (with two bails on top). A run is scored when the batting pair — two batters on the field at all times — run between the wickets; a boundary four or six is scored by hitting the ball to or over the fence. These fundamentals have been unchanged for over two hundred years.
Batting technique combines footwork, head position, grip, and timing. The basic shots — the defensive block, the drive (on-drive, cover drive, straight drive), the cut, the pull, the sweep, and the hook — each require a different initial movement and bat path. Modern T20 cricket has added the ramp, the switch hit, and the scoop to the batting vocabulary. The difference between a batter succeeding in Tests and struggling in T20Is (or vice versa) is often one of intent and weight distribution, not raw skill: Test batting demands patience and leaving the ball correctly, while T20 batting rewards early positional adjustment and a willingness to play through the line.
Bowling is divided into pace (fast and medium-fast) and spin (off-spin and leg-spin, plus variations like the doosra, googly, carrom ball, and flipper). Pace bowlers use seam movement (the ball moving off the pitch) and swing (movement through the air) to beat the batter's defences; spin bowlers use turn off the pitch and drift through the air. The most challenging bowling is reverse swing — a worn ball moving into or away from the batter at pace — first pioneered by Sarfraz Nawaz and made famous by Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. The fastest deliveries ever recorded exceed 160 km/h; elite spinners can generate 2,500+ rpm of spin to turn the ball sharply off a dry, used pitch.
Fielding, once cricket's most neglected discipline, is now a match-winning skill. The modern fielding team is expected to stop every ball at the boundary, take acrobatic catches, and execute direct-hit run-outs within fractions of a second. The 12th man (first substitute) can field but cannot bat or bowl. Wicketkeeping — standing up to the stumps for spin or back for pace — is the most technically demanding fielding role: a world-class keeper like Adam Gilchrist or MS Dhoni is worth 50+ extra runs per match through takes, stumpings, and reaction catches. This Foundation category covers all of this and more across 4,500+ guides — from the absolute beginner's first questions to the tactical debates that occupy professional coaching staffs.
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