Meaning & use
fine leg
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountablesport
In cricket, a fielding position behind the batter on the leg side, near the boundary.
Grammar: Often used without 'a' when talking about the position: 'He fielded at fine leg.' Can be countable when referring to the fielder: 'The fine leg caught it.'
Patterns
- field at fine leg
- be positioned at fine leg
- a fielder at fine leg
The ball flew high over the wicketkeeper and landed near fine leg.
He spent most of the afternoon fielding at fine leg, close to the boundary rope.
A catch at fine leg ended the innings just before tea.
Word forms
| plural | fine legs |
|---|
Common combinations
- field at fine leg
- The captain asked him to field at fine leg for the fast bowlers.
- a catch at fine leg
- The crowd cheered when the fielder took a stunning catch at fine leg.
- down to fine leg
- He glanced the ball down to fine leg for four runs.
- fine leg boundary
- The fine leg boundary is quite short at this ground.
Synonyms and how they differ
- leg slip
- A different close fielding position on the leg side, much nearer the batter than fine leg.
Word family
- leg side noun
- The half of the cricket field behind the batter's legs, as opposed to the off side.
- square leg noun
- A fielding position on the leg side, level with the batter.
Commonly confused: fine leg or square leg?
fine leg vs square leg
Square leg is level with the batter on the leg side, while fine leg is much further back near the boundary.
Practice
In cricket, where does a fielder at fine leg stand?
Choose one answer.
Fine leg is a position behind the batter on the leg side, close to the boundary. Square leg is level with the batter, and the off side is the opposite half of the field.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fine leg”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.