Fielders in cricket are tasked with taking catches, inflicting run outs, and restricting the flow of runs. To do so, the fielders position themselves at specific angles to the batter across the field. Excluding the bowler and the wicket-keeper, there are restrictions on how the nine players position themselves inside and beyond the 30-yard circle.
The way the fielders position themselves around the batter indicates whether the field setup is neutral, defensive, or attacking. One field position that is seen rarely in cricket is the straight hit. As the name suggests, it is positioned behind the bowler near the boundary line. This fielder is meant to block a shot that is driven straight past the bowler. However, there are some major issues that disallow the fielding side’s captain to position a straight hit.
The straight hit fielder is positioned at the backdrop of the sight screen. The sight screen is black or white depending on the color of the ball (white in limited overs cricket, red in first class cricket). The contrasting color of the ball and sight screen helps the batter in better seeing the incoming ball.
The arm of the bowler that releases the ball is in front of this sight screen. Any movement apart from the bowler’s arm can easily disrupt the batter’s focus. This can include movement of the groundsmen near the sight screen, or the spectators seated in proximity to the sight screen. This is commonly seen when batter often withdraw their stance during the bowler’s runup due to such hindrance.
If a straight hit fielder is placed, this player has to be extremely stagnant till the ball is released from the bowler’s arm. While the field position is legal, cricket pundits have scrutinized it for potential to cause disruptions in play.
