So, the fielding team in a cricket game has 11 players on the ground; one is a bowler, and one of them is a wicketkeeper. The rest of them—9 players—are fielders. Fielding positions in professional matches depend upon a lot of factors, like powerplay, spin bowling or pace bowling, new ball leather or old leather, the kind of ball (whether tennis or leather), the kind of pitch, the bowling end, the length of the boundaries, the batsman batting, and some other factors too. Words such as midwicket, deep third man, and others would be tough for you to understand, but we have made it very easy for you. The cricket ground has two parts. One is the 30-yard circle from the pitch, and the other is beyond that circle till the end, to the boundary. Every position inside the circle has a deep version, which is just the extension of the position but outside the circle and near the boundaries. In every fielding position, the term 'deep' is used before their names as a prefix when they are fielding at boundaries. So, let's get started learning about these fielding positions along with some strategies that can win you games. Cricket Fielding Positions Image Source: Zap Cricket Close Fielding Positions These fielding positions come very close to the batsman and are used mostly in test cricket to put maximum pressure on a batsman. These fielders make use of each and every mistake a batsman makes and hold onto those catches off the wrong defenses. These are the most unsafe and dangerous fielding positions, and many players get seriously injured at these positions, but as cricket is the game of grit and determination, these fielders give it everything for the team. Wicket Keeping Wicket keeping is very much the wicketkeeper's most important fielding position on the cricket field. Standing just behind the batsman and the stumps, a wicketkeeper has unreal reflexes that help him take extremely quick catches. He also aids the captain in making important decisions, like DRS, and sledges the batsman to mentally irritate him. Also Read | ODI Powerplay Rules: A Comprehensive Guide for Cricket Enthusiasts Slips This is a very crucial fielding position in the game of cricket; the fielders standing in the slip position have to be very quick and responsive because the ball comes very fast to the slip fielders. In this position, a player stands just on the right of the wicketkeeper in the same position with some difference. In white-ball cricket we don't see slips much, but in test cricket we often see slips on the field. Steve Smith and Ricky Ponting are the best slip fielders in the history of the game. Point Balls hit to the square of the ground on the offside are supposed to be hold by the player at the point position. Cut shots and square cuts that the batsman plays run quickly towards the boundaries, so the fielder at point has to be quick and cover a lot of distance in a short amount quickly. Gully It is also a very crucial position in the game of cricket; in this position the ball comes at different angles and at high speed, so the person standing in this position has to be very active. This is a field position between the slips and point. Ajinkya Rahane and Cameron Green are the two best Gully fielders in modern-day cricket. Square Leg This position is on the leg side of the batters; in this position, the fielder stands at the same angle as the point’s fielder on the leg side of the batter. When the fielder is standing inside the ring, it is called a short square leg, and when the fielder is standing outside the circle, it is called a deep square leg. Also Read | What is Slow Over Rate in Cricket? Rules and Penalty Explained Mid on and Mid off There are two fielding positions. Mid on and mid off are placed on either side of the pitch in the 30-yard circle. They have to stop each straight drive down the ground hit by the batsmen. If you're stopping those straight drives during the powerplay by diving, you're the hero on the pitch. Such fielders require tremendous agility, a good throwing arm, and need communication of ideas with the bowlers. We mainly witness captains taking these positions in case they're not fielding at any other place. Long on and long off These are the same positions as Mid on and Mid off, but the only difference is that when the fielder stands inside the ring, it is called Mid on and Mid off, but when the same fielder goes outside the circle, closer to the boundary, it is called Long on and Long off. They both are very crucial positions because bowlers get so many wickets from these positions. Third Man Now you know the position of wicketkeeper and point fielder, so you can easily understand the third-man position. This is the position between the wicketkeeper and the point fielder. This is also a very important field position because it is a running-saving position. Fine Leg This is the position between the left hand of the wicketkeeper and the deep square. When this fielder stands inside the circle, it is called a short fine leg, and when it is outside the circle, it is called a deep fine leg. Mid Wicket It is the hot spot in the game of cricket because a lot of balls come to this position of the fielding. In this, the fielder stars between the log on the fielder and deep square leg. Remember how deep mid wicket is, where bowler Ben Stokes held on to in that game of the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup versus South Africa? That's one of the safest places on the field for the fielder stationed there—no dropped catch, no misfield.