Cricket Fielding Positions
Team sports have always been popular and few people could remain indifferent before an important match. So, among all known sports like football or hockey, cricket has gained momentum.
This is a game where the key objects are a small ball and a bat and it all looks like a race thanks to which the audience’s interest is warmed up.
From the first days of its existence to its present state, cricket has managed to become a favorite sport for millions of fans, and one of the reasons is the uniqueness and presence of color in literally every game.
In addition to being colorful, cricket is also characterized by the rules of the game and the positional placement of the players.
The rules of the game are very difficult to understand for a simple passer-by because the scheme of the game is fundamentally different from all existing types of games and makes loyal fans study the nuances of the game.
The special positioning of each team member, interesting runs, and unique rules of the game rivet cricket fans to the screens and stadiums.
According to international standards on the rules of cricket, the number of players in the team for the entire duration of the tournaments remains 11 people. Each player has relatively similar responsibilities on the playing field. The goal of the game is to maneuver the ball and the bat in such a way that the ball will destroy the opponent’s wicket zone while avoiding the beating of the keeper of the wicket. By the way, it is often very difficult to bypass the keeper of the wicket, because it is in this position that the strongest players play.
If the opponent still managed to bypass the keeper and bring the wounds to the finish line, then the team gets points. As a result, the team with the most points is the winner of the match.
A team cannot be considered a loser until all batsmen have lost.
Once the team that was serving has knocked out all the opponents with a batsman, an important stage is the exchange of teams by the sides of the field.
Summing up the rules of the game, as in most sports, the winner is the one who scored the most points. In cricket, a point is equal to a run. Well, the number of runs directly depends on the distance at which the ball was hit.
As mentioned earlier, cricket attracts the attention of fans due to many features, including the length of matches. Unlike classic sports, where matches last up to 3-5 hours, in cricket, the game period can be up to 6 days!
Most test matches reach this length and they often end in a draw.
In such lengthy matches, in which national teams from different countries usually take part, each side has the opportunity to serve the ball and strike, which is equal to two innings and a shot on the wicket.
The standard cricket field is oval and large, but the brightest and most challenging events take place in the center and at the wickets. The playing area on the field is 20 meters long and three meters wide. At each edge of the playing area, there are wickets, which consist of stumps 22 centimeters wide and 71 centimeters high. There are handrails on the stumps. The task of all players and especially the keeper of the wicket is to protect it from opponents’ throws.
In cricket, it is very important to have fair refereeing for this. Two referees are invited for each match, often they are former players and they are located at two edges of the central court.
It is the responsibility of the referees to control the observance of the rules and the authority of the referees in cricket is undeniable.
At matches, all 11 players from each team are on the field, especially if they are the teams serving the ball. There is no concept of a bench for substitutes, as is customary, for example, in football. But only a few players are in the center playing area and the hitting team has only two batsmen in the center. Even though two batsmen are present in the center, only one can hit, and only when he is knocked out can the second batsman start the game.
The entire playing field is divided into zones and in the process of planning the game and conducting it, each of the territories has a high level of importance.
Since one of the main objects of cricket is the field, for new cricket fans, its features can become surprising and incomprehensible, since the concept of fielding is accepted in cricket.
What does it mean?
Fielding cricket positions is the arrangement and action of each of the team members in such a way that the game would be as fast and intense as possible. This kind of zoning helps to limit the number of runs the batsman makes and makes it easier to catch the ball from the batsman.
The zoning of cricket positions is the captain’s direct responsibility. He needs to place the players on the playing field so that being at one point or another, the player’s actions are victorious.
Often, viewers come to the match to get emotions from the runs and do not understand the whole scheme of Cricket Fielding Positions, sometimes a fan can get confused in the moments of the game, especially when commentators pronounce professional terms that are unfamiliar to an ordinary viewer. Some position names may seem very funny to most people, but they play a major role in the outcome of every match.
If a fan wants to position himself as a professional in cricket knowledge, then it will be important for him to study the nuances of each of the fielding positions.
This article will help in the process of this study. in which all positions and their descriptions are spelled out.
Cricket Fielding Positions Chart
The cricket field is a huge territory where the professionals of this sport show all their strength in matches. Of course, the oval shape of the field is standard, but there are also non-standard variations. Basically, the field diameter is from 137 to 150 meters.
1.The Close Catching.
This position is for the player who is next to the batsman to catch the ball more accurately. The accepted distance between the catcher and the batsman is fifteen yards. This distance was considered optimal so that the players would not interfere with each other and at the same time could fully fulfill their playing duties.
- Inner ring.
This is the territory of double meaning. The ring is 30 yards in size, it is in fact a circle where players are not allowed to pass the ball.
The presence of this zone helps to save a lot of time on runs and holding blows that could get into this zone.
Fielding positions in this circle are of several types:
- Gully;
- Leg Gully;
- Point;
- Square Leg;
- Cover;
- Mid-wicket;
- Mid-off;
- Mid-on!
Playing in this territory requires tremendous concentration and quick reactions, as the batsmen, whose role is to hit the ball in the air, are very fast and sometimes even aggressive and the reaction time can be minimal.
- Outfield.
This zone is intended for players whose goal is to defend the border area of the playable territory. The most significant flanks are Long-off and Long-on and their location is on the right and left sides of the central straight border and, accordingly, make up the periphery of the field.
The players that the captain puts in this zone are very strong because sometimes the result of the whole match depends on them. They must defend the borders and catch blows approaching this area.
All Fielding Positions Names and Explanation in Cricket
There is a huge mixture of standard laws and uniqueness in cricket. So, the number of players and their positions are quite natural concepts. But as for the names of Cricket Fielding Positions, then many may be shocked. Therefore, it will be very important to understand all positions for an adequate assessment of the course of the game.
- Wicket-Keeper
One of the strongest players is often the wicket-keeper. His form as well as his duties are different from other players. Only gatekeepers are fully equipped in the form of a helmet and knee shields.
The result of the team depends on the player in this position because he must defend the territory from the approach of opponents. Every mistake is fraught with the loss of the team.
Throughout the game, the keeper of the wicket also acts as moral support for the team, during the match he must shout words of support for his team.
- Slips
In the fielding positions next to the keeper of the wicket, there are also players whose role is called slips. This is essentially an attacker and an invader at the same time, which must defend against any approach of the bowler.
There can be from one to four slips in the game, and the distance between each should be up to 10 yards.
- Third Man
In important matches, on the left side behind the wicket, spectators can see the player who is called the third man in the world of cricket. Throughout the match, this player’s position is 45 degrees from the wicket, thereby controlling the danger zone on the playing field.
Since this position is designed for defense, not attack, in rehearsal matches teams prefer to ignore the third man position as they expect to attack opponents during the match rather than defend.
- Gully
Since during any team game there is a moment of catching a game object, it is very important to have a position in the field, which will purposefully ensure catching from different distances.
So, the gully is in a close-catching position and is located on the left side of the wicket square. Once in this zone, the ball has a sharp drop in the chances of reaching the victory point, but the gully player must always be in full combat readiness since it is in this zone that the ball has the highest speed.
- Point
In order to observe the individual play of the strongest players, the viewer should pay attention to the position of the point, which is located on the left side of the square of the wicket. These players are critical to the game and have a responsibility to prevent strong hits from opponents.
The point zone is divided into two parts:
- The inverse point, which is behind the square of the gate.
- A stupid point, playing a game on which would not be a winning decision.
The difficulty level of the defense of this zone increases at the moment when the batsman tries to strike hard offside.
- Cover
The cover is the busiest offside territory throughout the match and of course, some of the strongest players should be here.
The purpose of this section is to stop the running and attack that comes from the batsman.
- Mid Off
This is the ideal place for the captain to hit as close as possible to the bowler and be able to advise, correct and support throughout the game.
Mid-of-position can be found 25-30 yards from the batsman. As well as in other zones, you can find the concept of silly mid-off, the position of which is intended to control the game of the batsman and prompts a faster response.
- Long Off
The player’s task in this part of the field is to be fully prepared and discouraged by the batsmen who try to enter this area.
- Long On
An analogy to the Long off is the long-on position, only its location is on the last border of the field on the batsman’s side.
- Mid-On
By analogy with the mid-off, there is also a mid-on position, but only its location is on the leg-side in the field.
- Mid-Wicket
On the leg side, between square leg and mid-on is the Mid-wicket.
The main purpose of this fielding area is not to attack the batsmen, but to save their run.
- Square Leg
A rather funny name for the fielding position sometimes confuses the audience, but such a position as Square Leg is indispensable for cricket. Its location is on the side of the square of the gate. The second referee is also in this radius.
- Fine Leg
Every bowler wants to rest during the game, such a zone is also provided in the fielding and this is a fine leg.
This important area of the field behind the batsman allows players to save time on the run.
