Wicketkeeping: Standing Up and Standing Back
Also known as: wicketkeeping, wicket keeper stance, how to keep wicket, standing up to the stumps, standing back as a keeper, wicket keeping technique
A wicketkeeper crouches with weight on the balls of the feet, gloves together and head still. They rise with the ball rather than ahead of it. Against pace, stand back far enough to take the ball at about waist height. Against spin, stand up close to the stumps, stay low and bring the gloves back to the stumps for a stumping.
Start in a balanced crouch, feet about shoulder-width apart, with your weight on the balls of your feet. Hold the gloves together with the fingers pointing down, and keep your eyes level and still. Many keepers set up slightly outside off stump so they can see past the batter. Stay down until the ball pitches, then rise with the bounce. Move your feet to get your body behind the line, and let the ball come into the gloves with soft hands.
Against pace you stand back. Find a distance where the ball arrives at about waist height after its carry, and adjust as the ball gets older and the pitch changes. Against spin and some medium pace you stand up, close to the stumps. That takes away the batter's chance to leave the crease. It makes a stumping possible and lets you take edges that would drop short. Stay low longer, because the ball bounces later and less.
Law 27 sets the limits. The keeper is the only fielder allowed gloves and external leg guards. Glove webbing may only join the index finger and thumb. From the bowler's release, the keeper must stay wholly behind the stumps until the ball reaches or passes the batter, or the batter tries a run. Before the ball reaches the batter, the keeper may only move a few paces forward, sideways to the line, or in response to the shot. The ECB recommends a helmet or face protector for keepers standing up. In England and Wales, under-18s standing up must wear one.
Tips by skill level
Practise staying down until the ball bounces, then rising with it. Ask a teammate to throw balls that bounce in front of you, and catch them at chest height.
Against spin, take the ball on the stumps' side of your body where you can. A shorter path back to the bails turns half-chances into stumpings.
Example
Against a leg-spinner, the keeper stands up a short distance behind the stumps. The batter charges and misses. The keeper stays low, takes the ball cleanly and sweeps the gloves back onto the stumps for a stumping.
Why it matters
The keeper is involved in almost every ball. Good keeping saves runs, creates stumpings and turns half-chances into wickets.
Common mistakes
- Standing up too early and snatching at the ball
- Standing so far back to pace that edges fall short
- Moving the gloves in front of the stumps before the ball has passed the batter
- Standing up to the stumps without a helmet
Frequently asked questions
How do I stand as a wicket keeper?
Crouch with your feet about shoulder-width apart, weight on the balls of your feet, gloves together with fingers down and eyes level. Stay down until the ball pitches, then rise with the bounce.
When should a wicket keeper stand up to the stumps?
Usually against spin and some slower medium pace. Standing up keeps the batter in the crease, makes stumpings possible and lets you take edges that would drop short.
Can the wicket keeper's gloves be in front of the stumps?
Not once the bowler has released the ball. Under Law 27.3 the keeper must stay wholly behind the stumps after release. That lasts until the ball touches the batter or bat, passes the stumps, or the batter tries a run.
Sources
- MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026), Law 27 (The wicket-keeper), pp. 90-93
- MCC: Laws of Cricket changes for 2026, item 8 (Law 27.3.1, position of the wicket-keeper after release)
- ECB Recreational Cricket Safety Guidelines (Dec 2025 update): helmets for keepers standing up, p. 2; under-18 keepers, p. 13
Related terms
- StumpedA batter is out stumped if the wicket-keeper breaks the wicket while they are out of their ground and not attempting a run. No other fielder may be involved. You cannot be stumped off a no ball, but you can be stumped off a wide. Keep part of your bat or body grounded behind the popping crease.
- Slip CatchingSlip catching is the specialist skill of catching edges in the slip cordon, the fielders placed behind the batter on the off side. It usually takes exceptional reflexes and soft hands.
- Catching PositionA catching position in cricket is the stance and body alignment a fielder adopts while waiting for a possible catch — soft knees, hands in front, eyes on the ball — to maximise reaction time and secure the catch.
- Leg-SpinLeg-spin is spin bowling where a right-arm bowler spins the ball from leg to off: away from a right-handed batter, or left to right as that batter sees it. The bowler's wrist rotation provides the spin.
- Cricket Helmet and Neck GuardA cricket helmet with a faceguard or grille protects the head and face from the ball. A neck guard, or stem guard, attaches to the back of the helmet to protect the upper neck. Rules vary by country and level. In England and Wales, under-18s must wear a helmet with a faceguard or grille when batting against a hard ball.
Cricket analysis is in development
Motion Lab does not analyze this sport yet. Keep exploring the terms in this section.