Fielding Positions in Cricket: The Complete Visual Guide
By LBW Editorial Team · learnbeyondwicket.com · August 2026 · 7 min read
Cricket has more named fielding positions than any other team sport — over thirty distinct named locations on the field, each with specific tactical roles and sub-variations. Understanding fielding positions transforms your watching experience: instead of seeing eleven players standing randomly around a field, you begin to see a captain's tactical intention in every placement.
The coordinate system: off side, leg side, and square
Before learning individual positions, understand the coordinate system. The field is divided into the off side (for a right-handed batsman, the side the bat is on) and the leg side, also called the on side.
'Square' means level with the batsman; 'fine' means behind the batsman, closer to behind the wicket; 'straight' or 'mid' means in front of the batsman, closer to the bowler's end. Distances are described as close (within about 15 yards), mid-field (15–30 yards), and deep (30 yards to the boundary).
Behind the wicket: slip cordon and gully
The slip cordon occupies the area directly behind the batsman on the off side. First slip stands closest to the wicketkeeper; second slip is wider; third slip wider still. Slips are positioned to catch edges the wicketkeeper cannot reach.
Gully stands squarer than third slip — almost at right angles to the batsman — catching cuts and glances that fly behind square on the off side. Leg slip and leg gully mirror these positions on the on side.
In front of the wicket on the off side
Cover is the most populated area in off-side fielding: it lies at roughly 45 degrees from the batsman's crease, 20–35 yards from the bat. Extra cover is slightly straighter, closer to mid-off. Point is squarer — level with the batsman or slightly behind — and fields balls cut late. Mid-off stands almost straight ahead of the bowler on the off side.
These positions field the most common attacking shots from a right-handed batsman playing on the front foot.
In front of the wicket on the leg side
Mid-on is the leg-side equivalent of mid-off, standing forward and to the left of the bowler. Square leg is level with the batsman on the leg side. Fine leg is behind square, close to the boundary, stopping leg glances and sweeps.
Deep mid-wicket is the deep version of mid-wicket, roughly 45 degrees behind square on the leg side, positioned to stop the big leg-side hit in T20 cricket.
How captains use fielding positions tactically
A captain sets their field based on the bowler's plan and the batsman's known tendencies. An attacking field for a fast bowler early in an innings typically has two or three slips, a gully, a point, a mid-off, a mid-on, a fine leg, and a square leg — designed to take catches rather than save runs.
A defensive T20 field has only two or three infielders with the rest protecting the boundary — designed to concede singles but prevent fours and sixes. Changes happen constantly: a left-handed batsman flips which side is off and on, requiring most fielders to mirror their positions.
Conclusion
Fielding positions are the captain's language. Once you understand them, every field change tells a story: this bowler is trying to take a wicket here; this captain is protecting against this specific batsman's strength. Cricket's fielding complexity is one of the things that makes it endlessly watchable for the attentive fan.