Understanding Cricket Positions on the Field: A Beginner’s Guide for UK Players

If you have just joined your local village cricket club or are watching your first match on a sun-drenched English afternoon, the field placements in cricket can look baffling. Why is that fielder standing behind the batsman? What on earth is a silly mid-on? And why does the captain keep shuffling everyone around between overs?

Cricket fielding positions are one of the sport’s most fascinating strategic elements. Once you understand them, you will start to read the game in a completely new way — whether you are watching Surrey take on Yorkshire at a county ground, playing for your village side on a bumpy outfield in the Cotswolds, or just trying to make sense of the Laws of Cricket published by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

This guide breaks down every major fielding position, explains what each role involves, and gives you practical tips relevant to the UK game at every level.

The Basics: How the Cricket Field Is Organised

A cricket pitch is oval in shape, though the exact dimensions vary considerably. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sets recommended pitch sizes for different age groups and formats. At senior level, the boundary can extend up to 90 yards from the centre of the pitch, though at village level it is often considerably shorter due to the size of local grounds.

The field is divided into two broad halves relative to the batsman:

The off side — the side of the field in front of the batsman as they face the bowler (to the right for a right-handed batter)
The leg side (or on side) — the side behind the batsman’s legs (to the left for a right-handed batter)

Positions are also described as either infield (close to the pitch) or outfield (near the boundary). You will also hear terms like fine (behind the batsman, towards the bowler’s end or the wicket-keeper’s end) and square (directly to the side of the batsman).

Understanding these spatial references is the first step to making sense of all the named positions that follow.

The Non-Negotiable Positions: Bowler and Wicket-Keeper

The Bowler

The bowler delivers the ball from one end of the pitch and must bowl from behind the bowling crease, which is marked on the ground. According to MCC Law 21, the bowler’s feet must land in the correct positions — if they overstep the popping crease, it is a no-ball. Each bowler bowls a complete over of six legitimate deliveries before another bowler takes over from the same end.

After delivering the ball, the bowler takes up a fielding position set by the captain. They might be asked to cover the area at mid-off or mid-on — positions just forward of the batting crease on either side of the pitch — where they can intercept straight drives.

The Wicket-Keeper

The wicket-keeper is arguably the most demanding position in cricket. Positioned directly behind the stumps at the batting end, the keeper must catch the ball cleanly if the batsman misses it, take catches off edges, and complete stumpings when a batsman steps out of their crease.

Under MCC Law 27, the wicket-keeper must remain entirely behind the stumps until the ball passes the bat or the batsman attempts a run. Breaking this rule results in a penalty of five runs to the batting side.

At village cricket level in the UK, finding a reliable wicket-keeper is often one of the biggest challenges for club captains. The ECB’s All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket programmes actively encourage younger players to try the role from an early age.

The Close Infield Positions

Close infield positions sit near the batsman and carry the highest risk — and often the highest reward. Catches in these positions frequently come at great speed, and fielders here must be alert at all times.

Slip Cordon

The slips are positioned directly behind the batsman on the off side, in a line angling away from the wicket-keeper. There can be one slip (first slip), two slips, or as many as five slips in extreme circumstances (usually when the bowling conditions heavily favour the bowler, such as a seaming pitch at Headingley or a damp morning at New Road in Worcester).

First slip — stands immediately next to the wicket-keeper and catches balls that narrowly miss the keeper’s gloves
Second slip — positioned slightly wider and further back, catching thicker outside edges
Third slip — used when the captain wants to set a large slip cordon, usually against tailenders who play loosely outside off stump
Gully — slightly wider than third slip and squarer, covering the thick outside edge and the cut shot

England’s Test team has produced some outstanding slip fielders over the years. Players like Ian Botham, Mark Taylor (playing for England on Ashes tours), and more recently Joe Root have made the slip cordon look straightforward — though it is anything but.

Leg Slip and Leg Gully

These are the mirror positions of first slip and gully but placed on the leg side. They are used less frequently but become important when a bowler is consistently swinging the ball into right-handed batsmen or targeting the leg stump. You might see leg slip and leg gully used in county cricket when a left-arm seamer is bowling around the wicket.

Short Leg

Short leg is arguably the bravest position on a cricket field. The fielder stands very close to the batsman on the leg side, typically just a few feet away, often wearing a helmet and protective gear. This position is set to catch balls that the batsman glances off their pad or body.

Forward short leg sits slightly in front of the batsman’s position, while backward short leg is slightly behind. In club and village cricket, fielding here without proper protection is strongly discouraged. The ECB’s Fielding Regulations for recreational cricket recommend that fielders under 18 always wear a helmet when fielding within 8 metres of the batsman’s stumps.

Silly Mid-On and Silly Mid-Off

These positions are placed directly in front of the batsman on the leg side (silly mid-on) and the off side (silly mid-off). The term “silly” in cricket refers to a dangerously close position — and for good reason. These are used primarily in spin bowling situations, hoping to catch a batsman who is pushing forward tentatively at a turning delivery.

You will frequently see these positions in Test cricket when an off-spinner like Moeen Ali is operating on a deteriorating pitch at The Oval late in a match.

The Mid-Infield Positions

The mid-infield sits at roughly 30 to 40 yards from the batsman. In limited-overs cricket, particularly in the Powerplay overs (Overs 1–6 in a Twenty20 match), fielding restrictions enforced by the ECB and the Laws mean that at least two fielders must be inside the 30-yard circle at all times, making these positions critically important.

Mid-On and Mid-Off

These two positions are among the most common in all forms of cricket.

Mid-off — stands on the off side, roughly level with the non-striking batsman’s crease. Their primary job is to cut off straight or slightly wide drives and to back up the bowler’s end.
Mid-on — mirrors mid-off on the leg side. They cover the straight drive on the on side and back up the wicket-keeper’s end.

Both positions also serve a vital function in run-outs. A sharp throw from mid-off or mid-on to either end can dismiss a batsman who has strayed out of their crease while attempting a quick single.

Mid-Wicket

Mid-wicket is positioned on the leg side, wider than mid-on and roughly square of the wicket. It covers the pull shot and the flick off the legs. In Twenty20 cricket as played in the Vitality Blast — the premier domestic T20 competition in England and Wales — mid-wicket is constantly under pressure as batsmen look to hit boundaries through that region.

Cover and Extra Cover

Cover is placed on the off side, between point and mid-off. It is one of the most prized fielding positions in the game. A brilliant cover fielder can be worth 15 to 20 runs across an innings by cutting off drives that would otherwise reach the boundary.

Extra cover is positioned slightly straighter and wider than cover, plugging the gap between cover and mid-off. When a bowler wants to cut off the on-drive as well, they may push mid-off wider to create a de facto extra cover position.

Point and Square Leg

Point — stands square of the wicket on the off side. This position primarily covers the cut shot, where a batsman chops at a wide delivery and angles it towards the off side boundary.
Square leg — mirrors point on the leg side. It covers the pull shot and the sweep, and the square leg umpire in recreational cricket traditionally stands near this position (though at professional level, two independent umpires stand at each end of the pitch).

The Outfield Positions

Outfield positions are designed primarily to stop boundaries and take catches from big hitting. In village cricket, where boundaries are often shorter, well-placed outfielders can make a significant difference to the final scoreline.

Fine Leg and Third Man

Fine leg — stands on the leg side, behind the batsman’s stumps, close to the boundary. This position covers the glance, the flick, the hook, and the paddle sweep. It is one of the positions most often used for boundary protection in T20 cricket.
Third man — the off-side equivalent. It sits behind the batsman’s stumps on the off side and covers the late cut, the edge that travels to the third man region, and any glanced deflections off the outside of the bat.

Long-On and Long-Off

These are the deep versions of mid-on and mid-off, stationed near the boundary at either side of the pitch behind the bowler.

Moving Forward

Once you have the fundamentals in place, the possibilities open up considerably. The UK offers fantastic opportunities for anyone interested in this hobby, and with the right foundation you will be well placed to make the most of them.