In the previous article, we spoke about the Mid off and the Mid on position, along with its terminology, earlier name, it’s importance in today’s game, and the players who normally get dismissed on this postions, along with the fact that why both of these positions have now become some of the most strategic positions on the cricket field in the modern version of the game. So continuing with our elucidation of the rest of the positions on the field, we come to the positions that are the contemporaries of the positions we discussed in the previous article. The positions that we will be talking about today are “Long off” and “Long on”.
To put it in simple terms, the long on and the long off positions are contemporaries of the mid off and mid on, with the only difference between the positions being is that the former are situated deep, and closer to the boundary, way outside the 30 yard circle. They are situated in such a way that they find themselves in a position that is almost right behind the bowler when he bowls, but not directly behind him. These positions are normally placed after the field restrictions are lifted, and is used majorly in limited overs cricket. The objective of the fielders is exclusively to prevent the boundaries and avoid getting taken for more than a single.
In modern cricket, the fielders with arguably the safest hands in the side are normally placed in these two areas. The reason being that there are a lot of catches that come in this area, with the batsmen trying to accelerate as the game progresses, or maybe due to the pressure of the scoreboard while chasing a particular target, so the fielders come in the picture whenever there is a lofted shot played in these directions. And it safe to say that some of the finest catchers in the game are rightfully the best fielders in both the positions.
However, none of them come close to Keiron Pollard. The man was an absolute menace at that position. He probably has a highlight reel of the amount of spectacular catches that he has seemingly pulled out of thin air. There was no catch he didn’t pull off. One hand stunners, diving at impossible angles. He has done it all. Pollard has been the gold standard for any young fielder who wants to make the position his own. Another fielder who is as safe as a house in the long on position is Virat Kohli, whose lightning quick agility and speed have saved countless runs as well as made sure that wickets are falling due to the same pressure.
One of the key dismissals that took place on either of the positions was that of Carlos Brathwaite in the 2019 world cup vs New Zealand. Needing only 6 runs to win with only one wicket in hand, Brathwaite smashed the ball hard, but not long enough, only for Trent Boult to take a safe catch down at long on, ending the Windies hopes of qualifying for the semifinals of the tournament.
