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Cricket Player Roles: Openers, the Middle Order, All-Rounders and Keepers

Who does what in a cricket XI: openers, the middle order, the tail and nightwatchmen, strike bowlers, all-rounders, wicket-keepers and the captain.

By Published 3 min read

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Key takeaways

  • Openers face the new ball, so they need patience and sound defence; the middle order, usually positions 4 to 7, must adapt to the match situation.
  • The lower order, or tail, bats last; a nightwatchman is a lower-order batter sent in late in the day to protect better batters.
  • Bowling roles split between strike bowlers, who attack in short spells, and those who contain runs.
  • An all-rounder regularly performs with both bat and ball; genuine all-rounders are rare.
  • The wicket-keeper is the only fielder allowed gloves and external leg guards, and often bats at six or seven; the captain wins or loses the toss and runs the field.

A cricket XI is 11 players with different jobs. Some are picked to survive the new ball, some to score fast at the end, some to take wickets and some to do two jobs at once. Knowing the roles explains a lot of what happens on the field, from why a bowler comes on at a certain time to why a team changes its batting order. This guide draws on Wikipedia's articles on batting order, bowling, all-rounders, wicket-keepers and captaincy.

The batting order

Position Role What it asks for
1–2: openers Start the innings against the new ball Patience, sound technique, good defence
3: completes the top order Can come in at any moment, often while the ball is new Technique and adaptability
4–7 (sometimes 8): middle order Build or accelerate depending on the match Defence against spin, attacking footwork, managing the strike
8–11: lower order, the tail Mostly bowlers Survival, and runs when they come

Wikipedia defines the top order as positions 1, 2 and 3, sometimes the most technically proficient batters with the best stroke play, who generally face the new ball and are expected to give the innings a good start. It explains the openers' burden in particular: a hard new ball with a pronounced seam, in conditions that favour the bowlers, and the job of staying in long enough to protect the batters further down. The captain can change the order at any time; there are no rules on the number of changes. The middle order, typically positions 4 to 7 and sometimes 8, often faces an older ball and spin, and must be able to make runs with the tail by manipulating the strike so that weaker batters are shielded from the best bowlers.

Flexible batting orders

The order is not fixed by the Laws, and captains change it:

  • The nightwatchman. When a wicket falls near the end of a day, a lower-order batter may be sent in so better batters are kept for the morning. Wikipedia's most notable example is Jason Gillespie, usually a number nine or ten, who made 201 not out at number three against Bangladesh in 2006.
  • Promotions for quick runs. Wikipedia notes England once sent middle-order hitters Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes in to open in a Test when they needed fast runs to force a result despite rain, and it describes a trend of wicket-keepers opening the innings in limited-overs cricket.

Bowling roles

Wikipedia distinguishes bowlers by job as well as by type:

  • Strike bowlers are used primarily to take wickets rather than to restrict runs, typically in short spells, at the start of an innings or to confront new batters.
  • Bowlers used mainly to restrict runs are the other side of that definition, which Wikipedia frames as taking wickets rather than restricting runs.
  • Pace and spin divide the attack by method, explained in pace versus spin bowling.

In limited-overs internationals, the ICC caps each bowler at 10 overs in an ODI and four in a T20I, so a team needs at least five bowlers' worth of overs.

All-rounders

Wikipedia defines an all-rounder as a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. A stricter definition of a "genuine all-rounder" asks for a player who can consistently win matches with either skill, though not necessarily both in the same match. By either definition, they are rare: Wikipedia notes one statistical analysis, by Ali Bacher in 2013, counted only 42 genuine all-rounders in the history of Test cricket. One reason is that batters and bowlers tend to peak at different ages.

The wicket-keeper

The keeper stands behind the stumps to stop deliveries, take catches, and complete stumpings and run outs. Wikipedia notes the keeper is the only fielder permitted to wear gloves and external leg guards. Against fast bowling, keepers stand well back; against slower bowling, they "stand up" close to the stumps to pressure the batter. Keepers generally bat in the middle order, often at six or seven. Cricket fielding positions shows where everyone else stands.

The captain

Wikipedia describes the captain as usually experienced, a good communicator and one of the most regular members of the side, responsible for team selection. Wikipedia notes the home captain tosses and the away captain calls, and the toss winner chooses to bat or bowl first; how cricket pitches affect play explains why that choice matters.

Every role is judged by different numbers, which cricket stats explained covers. In Cricket Sport Career Simulator, one of our sports career games, player creation starts with choosing your cricketer's role and style; the game guide explains how a career builds from there.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What does an opening batter do?
Openers bat first and face the new ball, which is hard with a pronounced seam. Wikipedia notes these early conditions favour the bowling side, so openers need patience, sound technique and good defence, and ideally stay long enough to protect the batters below them.
What is an all-rounder?
A cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. A 'genuine' all-rounder is often defined as one who can win matches with either skill, which is rare; Wikipedia notes one analysis counted only 42 genuine all-rounders in Test history.
What is a nightwatchman?
A lower-order batter sent in when a wicket falls near the end of a day's play, so that more capable batters are kept for the next morning. Wikipedia's most notable example is Jason Gillespie, who usually batted at nine or ten, scoring 201 not out as a nightwatchman against Bangladesh in 2006.
Where does the wicket-keeper bat?
Often in the middle order. Wikipedia notes wicket-keepers generally bat in the middle order, often at number 6 or 7, and that in limited-overs cricket some keeper-batters are promoted to open.

Sources

  1. Batting order (cricket) (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
  2. All-rounder (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
  3. Wicket-keeper (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
  4. Fast bowling (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
  5. Captain (cricket) (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed

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