A cricket side is made up of 11 players, including a captain, a wicket keeper and several batsman and bowlers. When their side is not batting, each is considered a fielder.

It is up to each side how many bowlers and batsmen are in their team, but there needs to be a good balance of both.

• The captain – the most responsible position in the side. The captain usually has a say in the selection of the team. He or she is responsible for making the call (either to bat or bowl first) at the toss of the coin before the start of the match. The captain also sets out the tactics by telling his fielders where to position themselves.
• The wicketkeeper – one of the biggest positions of responsibility. The wicketkeeper is responsible for retrieving the ball every time almost every time it is bowled, unless it has been hit to another part of the field by the batter. He or she must be on their toes to take every ball that comes their way.
• Bowlers – are responsible for taking wickets by bowling the batter out. They must bowl consistently to prevent the batsmen scoring easy runs. A bowler usually bowls six balls before the next bowler on his side has his turn from the other end of the cricket ground.
• Batsmen or batswomen – are responsible for scoring the runs when it is their turn to bat. They must seize upon the bad deliveries from bowlers and protect their stumps at all times.

When the other side is batting all the opposing teams the players do the fielding. There are numerous positions in which a player can field and often determined by a number of factors including their speed, catching ability, the tactics required at the time and sometimes even bravery or seniority!

The positions on the field have some peculiar names which can be a touch mind boggling, but the following diagram (based on a right-handed batsman) should help get to grips with them.