I confess, I follow cricket thoroughly and have for years and understand the game – however the naming of fielding positions has continued to baffle me.
Third man: There are eleven men on the field, why is he singled out? You could have “first man”, “second man”…
Slip: Did someone slip?
Point: How can one position be singled out as “point”.
Cover: Why cannot cover be on the on-side assuming that you are “covering” for the ball? And then someone decided to add “extra cover” – very imaginative!
On versus Off: Who first decided which side was on and which was off?
Mid wicket: Not close to the middle of the wicket is it?
Silly: Silly mid on/off etc. – definitely someone had to be playing a practical joke like “he looks silly standing there” and it took on????
So what is the history behind this and any explanations (logical or otherwise)? Any others to add?
I would like to add a few :
Mid on/off are also no where near the middle of wicket.
Gully: what does that mean?
Long leg: I think its the position exactly behind the wicket-keeper at the boundary. Don’t know the cause though?
Comment by trideep — May 17, 2008 @ 9:27 am |
I think the mid/long/short options (in some strange way) makes sense to me in relation to the ground. But no clue on what gully means :-)
Comment by ipl08 — May 18, 2008 @ 6:16 am |