Taking the Ball Standing Back

In this lesson you will learn when a keeper chooses to stand back. Against seam and faster bowling, the ball arrives too quickly and bounces too high for most keepers to take safely and cleanly up at the stumps. Standing back gives you extra time to see the ball, move into line and take edges that carry. The decision is usually made with the bowler and captain, and it can change during a spell if the pitch is slow or the bowler is struggling for pace. At club level, many medium-pace bowlers can be kept to either way, so be ready to discuss it. The key aim when standing back is to take the ball cleanly, prevent byes and give edges the best chance of being caught.

• Stand back to seam and faster bowling
• More time to see the ball and move
• Decide with the bowler and captain
• Aim to take cleanly and stop byes

In this lesson you will learn how far back to stand. A good guide is to stand where the ball arrives at around waist height, or slightly below, after a normal good-length delivery. If most balls are reaching you on the second bounce or at your ankles, you are too deep. If they are arriving at chest height or above, you are too close. Use the first few balls of a spell, or the bowler's warm-up deliveries, to find the right spot, and adjust as the ball gets older or the pitch changes. Some keepers mark their depth with a small scuff in the grass so they return to the same spot each ball. Your slips should line up with you, so let them know if you move.

• Take a good-length ball at around waist height
• Too deep if balls arrive low or on the bounce
• Too close if balls arrive at chest height
• Adjust during the spell and tell your slips

In this lesson you will learn where to line up. Most keepers standing back position themselves so that their inside foot, the one nearer the leg side, is roughly in line with the off stump or just outside it. This gives you the best chance to take balls on or around off stump, where most deliveries and most edges travel, while still being able to move to the leg side. Your line may shift slightly depending on the bowler's angle, for example a left-arm bowler coming across a right-handed batter, or if the bowler consistently bowls wide of off stump. Check your line each time a new bowler comes on, and remember that you will need to adjust for left-handed batters too.

• Inside foot roughly in line with off stump
• Covers off stump where most edges go
• Adjust for bowler angle and left-handers
• Check your line for each new bowler

In this lesson you will focus on watching the ball and taking it with soft hands. Watch the ball from the bowler's hand, off the pitch and all the way into the gloves, without flinching or turning your head away. As the ball arrives, let your hands give slightly back towards your body, cushioning the impact rather than pushing out at it. Keep your fingers pointing down for balls below the waist and up for balls above the chest, with the little fingers together for the former and thumbs together for the latter. Avoid snatching or clapping the gloves shut. Relaxed hands make the ball stick, and they also reduce the jarring impact on your fingers, which helps prevent bruising and injury over a long season.

• Watch the ball all the way into the gloves
• Let the hands give back with the ball
• Fingers down for low balls, up for high
• Never snatch or clap the gloves

In this lesson you will learn a technique used by many top keepers when standing back, catching on the inside hip. Instead of taking every ball directly in front of the body, you move your feet so that the ball arrives beside your inside hip, the hip nearer the stumps. This allows your hands to give naturally past your body, gives you a clearer view of the ball and leaves you balanced to move towards the stumps for a throw. It also helps you ride the bounce rather than being cramped. Practise by having a partner throw or feed balls at waist height either side of you, stepping so that each ball arrives on the inside hip. This approach takes time to master, so build it up gradually.

• Take the ball beside the inside hip
• Lets the hands give past the body
• Clearer view and better balance
• Build it up gradually in practice

In this lesson you will learn how to cope when the ball does not bounce as expected. On club pitches, especially early or late in the season, some balls will keep low while others lift sharply. Stay low for as long as possible so that you are ready for the low ball, and trust your rise for the higher one. If the pitch is very uneven, you may move a little closer so that the ball has less time to change direction after pitching. Keep your body behind the ball when you can, so that if it misbehaves it hits your pads or body rather than running away for byes. Talk to your captain about the pitch, as this information helps with field settings and bowling plans.

• Stay low for the ball that keeps low
• Trust your rise for the one that lifts
• Move closer on a very uneven pitch
• Keep your body behind the ball as a backstop

In this lesson you will learn how the keeper and slip fielders work together. First slip usually stands slightly deeper than the keeper and a little to the side, so that both of you can see the ball clearly and dive without colliding. Agree in advance who takes the ball in the gap between you. A common rule is that the keeper goes for anything they can reach with a normal movement, and first slip takes the wider edges, but your team may agree something different. Call loudly and early when you are going for a catch. After every over, check that your slips are still level with you. Good teamwork in the cordon turns half-chances into wickets and prevents dangerous collisions.

• First slip a little deeper and to the side
• Agree who takes the ball in the gap
• Call loudly and early
• Check positions after every over