Where Is That, Captain? Trivia Quiz

Answer: batsman

As the batsman stands at one end of the pitch waiting to attempt to hit the ball, all field positions are defined in relationship to him. Leg (or on) side positions are on the same half of the field as his body, while off side positions are in the other half of the field. This means that the names for specific spots on the ground are not fixed - the batsman will sometimes be at one end of the pitch, sometimes at the other end, which reverses on and off sides. And a left-handed batsman stands on the other side of the stumps to bat, which again reverses the on and off sides. Confused yet? Wait, there's more!

Throughout this quiz, all players will be referred to as 'he' because 'he/she' is awkward, and I hate using 'they' when referring to a single person, however politically correct it is becoming to do so. This is not to ignore the many women who play cricket, and to whom all these comments equally apply.

Answer: wicketkeeper

The wicketkeeper must stand behind the stumps, to field the balls that the batsman misses (and sometimes those that he deflects, rather than hitting them properly). It is up to him to decide exactly how close he will stand, and whether he is going to crouch or stand in his position; the decision is based on his judgment about how the next ball is going to be delivered.

There is a position called long stop, but it is a long way behind the keeper, on or near the boundary of the field. Catcher and shortstop are baseball positions.

Answer: bowler

A bowler must deliver the ball with an action that does not involve bending and straightening his elbow. The ball usually bounces on the wicket before reaching the batsman, adding an extra dimension of unpredictability to its trajectory. If the bowler's arm goes over the wicket at the non-batting end of the pitch as he delivers it, he is said to be bowling 'over the wicket'; if his bowling arm is on the far side of his body from the wicket, he is said to be bowling 'round the wicket'.

Answer: slips

The slips cordon consists of up to 6 players standing along an arc that starts near the wicket-keeper and curves around the pitch on the off side. The more players, the closer the arc comes to 90 degrees. It is usual to have 2 or 3 slips - extra players are added to increase the pressure on the batsman if it is anticipated that he may nick the ball and produce a short flight that can be caught.

However, this means that large areas of the field will not be protected, so the batsman can score freely if he gets the ball past the slips. Gully players also stand on an arc, slightly further away from the pitch, and with the curve usually starting at about the angle where a 5th or 6th slip might be.

Answer: square leg

Square leg stands square of (perpendicular to) the wicket on the leg side of the field, near the square leg umpire. Point is the corresponding position on the off side; straight hit is on the boundary at the far end of the field from the batsman; fine leg is roughly on a line that is halfway between square leg and long stop, the boundary position directly behind the batsman's end of the pitch.

Answer: near the boundary on the off side, at about a 45 degree angle at the batsman's end

The position of third man was added to the previously-established positions of point and slip in the early days of the game, hence its name. The corresponding position on the leg side is called fine leg; a player directly opposite the slips would be at leg slip or leg gully; fielders near the bowler at the start of his run-up might be at mid-off or mid-on, depending on exactly where the bowler chooses to start.

Answer: deep mid-wicket

Adjustments to the basic fielding positions are described by some standard adjectives placed in front of the basic name. 'Deep' and 'long' mean further from the batsman while 'short' means closer to the batsman; 'fine' means at an angle closer to the imaginary line running between the stumps while 'wide' means at an angle further from that line.

Answer: I moved to be behind the batsman's crease, instead of in line with it

Changes along imaginary circles (staying at roughly the same distance from the batsman) to fielding positions which are usually square (in line with the batsman's crease) are often described as moving the fielder to be behind that line ('backward') or in front of it ('forward'). Of course, if you move too far along the circle, you end up in another named position.

Answer: silly mid-off

There are a number of suicidal positions so close to the batsman that the fielder is likely to get hit by the ball (and then, in theory, hold onto it) that these players use a helmet for safety. They include silly mid-on, silly mid-off, silly point, and silly square leg (also called bat-pad).

The names make it clear why it is usually the newest and/or least influential member of a team who is asked to field there! The other three terms refer to positions near the boundary, where helmets are not necessary.

Answer: cow corner

One can only imagine the origin of this nickname - the cricket pitch in a field with cattle nearby? It always gives the commentators a chance for a giggle.