5 innovative field placements seen in cricket in recent times

The infamous Bodyline tactics used by Douglas Jardine’s England side in the 1932-33 Ashes series involved placing several fielders behind square leg in catching positions, while the bowler aimed to bowl fast at the body of the batsman.Also read: Cricket Fielding Positions:The origins of field placement names in cricketThese tactics were designed mainly to counter the brilliant batting of Don Bradman and even though they were widely criticized, the tactics ensured that England neutralized the threat of Bradman and won the 5- match Test series 4-1.Over the years, captains and team managements have implemented innovative strategies in field placement, often successfully. We look at some of these field placement tactics used by captains in recent times, and their precursors in the past.

#1 Yorkshire Wall

How many times have you seen this?

Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale uses a tactic of placing four to six fielders catching in front of the batsman not more than 15 yards from the bat, which the team coach Jason Gillespie terms as the “Yorkshire Wall”.

The field placement is especially effective when a bowler bowls wicket-to-wicket and often helps in keep the run scoring in check. Batsmen are wary of playing a straight-drive which could be easily caught by the one the fielders standing in the “wall”.