Story: Cricket

Positions on a cricket field

This diagram shows the layout of a cricket game when a right-handed batsman at the top of the central pitch is facing the bowler at the other end of the pitch. The bowler is supported by a wicketkeeper (behind the batsman) and by nine other fielders who occupy some (but only nine) of the fielding positions marked on the diagram. There are two umpires: one at the bowler's end who is responsible for keeping count of the six balls in the over, and one at the square-leg position. At the end of the over the umpires swap position and another bowler begins from the top end, bowling to the batsman at the other end of the pitch. The outside perimeter is called the boundary. If the batsman hits a ball along the ground to the boundary, he or she scores four runs; but if the batsman hits the ball over the boundary on the full it counts for six runs. The inner circle is used in one-day cricket to restrict the number of fielders allowed in the outfield.

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How to cite this page:

Don Neely, 'Cricket - What is cricket?', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/diagram/38278/positions-on-a-cricket-field (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Don Neely, published 5 Sep 2013, updated 1 Apr 2016