View source for Off side

{{Short description|In cricket, part of the field of play}}
{{about|the term in cricket|the term in other sports|Offside (sport)||Offside (disambiguation)}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2021}}

The '''off side''' is a particular half of a [[cricket field]].

{{Multiple image
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| image1 = Charles Lucas Townsend, playing forward.jpg
| caption1 = A left-handed batsman. The off side is on the right side of this picture.
| image2 = Archie MacLaren.jpg
| caption2 = A right-handed batsman. The off side is on the left side of this picture.
}}
A cricket field may be notionally divided into two halves, by an imaginary line running down the middle of the [[cricket pitch|pitch]], through the middle [[Stump (cricket)|stumps]], and out to the [[Boundary (cricket)|boundary]] in both directions. The off side is the half of the field ''in front of'' the on-strike batsman, when the batsman is in normal batting [[Batting (cricket)#Stance|stance]]. Which half of the field is the off side therefore depends on whether the on-strike batsman is right-handed or left-handed. The other half of the field, behind the on-strike batsman, is called the [[leg side]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/sports/cricket-sport/Strategy-and-technique#ref703731 |title=Strategy and technique |work=Britannica |access-date=25 October 2024 |quote=The field is spoken of as being divided lengthwise into off and on, or leg, sides in relation to the batsmen's stance, depending upon whether he bats right- or left-handed; the off side is the side facing the batsman, and the on, or leg, side is the side behind him as he stands to receive the ball.}}</ref>

From the point of view of a right-handed [[batting (cricket)|batsman]] facing the [[bowling (cricket)|bowler]], it is the right-hand side of the field.<ref name=glossary>{{cite web |last = Williamson |first = Martin |url = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/239756.html |title = A glossary of cricket terms |publisher = ESPNCricinfo |access-date = 2 January 2020 |date=17 April 2007 |quote='''Off-side''' The side of the pitch which is to batsman's right (if right-handed), or left (if left-handed)}}</ref> The off side consists of the entire half of the field stretching from behind the batsman-end [[wicket]], around third man, square of the wicket on the off side, the covers, and mid/long off, up to the opposite bowler-end wicket and, behind it, the straight field. To the opposing bowler facing a right-hand batsman, it is the left side of the field. The left-handed batsman's off side is to their left and to the opposing bowler's right.

==Fielding on the off side==
[[File:Cricket fielding positions2.svg|thumb|Fielding positions]]
In the diagram, [[fielding (cricket)|fielding]] positions are shown for a right hand bowler approaching over-the-wicket to bowl to a right-handed batsman. Off side field positions in this diagram include the [[slip (cricket)|slips]], gully, point, cover, mid-off, third man, and long off. Because of the typical line of attack of bowlers, the off side is usually more well-defended with more fielders than the [[leg side]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|title=What Is The Off Side And Leg Side In Cricket?|url=https://cricketershub.com/off-side-leg-side/|access-date=2021-04-26|website=Cricketers Hub|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Batting and the off side==
Some common batting strokes that are played through the off side include straight drive to long off, the [[Cover drive (cricket)|cover drive]], the square cut, the late cut, and the glance to third man. Batsmen skilled in strokeplay through these regions, particularly square of the wicket and through the covers, often become favorites for fans to watch because of the relative difficulty of mastering such shots. Various batsmen have distinguished their style and success through the off side, including such greats as [[Sachin Tendulkar]], [[Brian Lara]], [[Garfield Sobers]], [[Kumar Sangakkara]], [[Jacques Kallis]], [[Rohit Sharma]], [[Chris Gayle]], [[Virender Sehwag]], and [[Sourav Ganguly]].

==See also==
*[[Cricket terminology]]
*[[Leg side]]
*[[Fielding (cricket)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Cricket terminology]]