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| In the sport of ], a '''nightwatchman''' is a lower-order ] who comes in to bat higher up the order than usual near the end of the day's play.<ref name="bbcsport">{{cite news |title=What is a night-watchman? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/rules_and_equipment/4183598.stm |website=BBC Sport |date=25 August 2005 |access-date=27 July 2020}}</ref> The nightwatchman's job is to maintain most of the strike until the close of play (remaining in overnight after the end of the day's play, hence the name) and so protect other, more capable batters from being out cheaply in what may be a period of tiredness or in poor light at the end of the day, and then again the following morning when the batters have not yet ‘got their eye in', or when the early-morning conditions may favour the bowlers. The theory is that losing two top-order batters in quick succession would be worse than losing one top-order batter and a ]. | In the sport of ], a '''nightwatchman''' is a lower-order ] who comes in to bat higher up the order than usual near the end of the day's play.<ref name="bbcsport">{{cite news |title=What is a night-watchman? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/rules_and_equipment/4183598.stm |website=BBC Sport |date=25 August 2005 |access-date=27 July 2020}}</ref> The nightwatchman's job is to maintain most of the strike until the close of play (remaining in overnight after the end of the day's play, hence the name) and so protect other, more capable batters from being out cheaply in what may be a period of tiredness or in poor light at the end of the day, and then again the following morning when the batters have not yet ‘got their eye in', or when the early-morning conditions may favour the bowlers. The theory is that losing two top-order batters in quick succession would be worse than losing one top-order batter and a ]. | ||
| However the nightwatchman's effort is not considered to be wasted, nor are they expected to play foolishly; otherwise they would not last very long. The role of nightwatchman is generally given to players who emphasise defensive technique over quick run-scoring. |
However the nightwatchman's effort is not considered to be wasted, nor are they expected to play foolishly; otherwise they would not last very long. The role of nightwatchman is generally given to players who emphasise defensive technique over quick run-scoring. There have been occasions when nightwatchmen have made a big score and six have made ] in ]es. Generally speaking, the nightwatchman plays conservatively on the night, but the next day may be allowed a freer role to score runs. ] would place himself in the role on several occasions while he was the New Zealand captain. Wicket-keepers may also take on the role, ], ], ] and ] have scored half-centuries in the role. | ||
| The tactic has its drawbacks - if the nightwatchman gets out before the end of the day, the batting team may need to send out a more capable batter to prevent the loss of further wickets, thereby costing the team a wicket while negating any benefit from using the nightwatchman; and even if the nightwatchman does survive until the end of the day, the beginning of the next day's play will see refreshed bowlers with better light facing a less capable batter. As a result, not all captains use the tactic |
The tactic has its drawbacks - if the nightwatchman gets out before the end of the day, the batting team may need to send out a more capable batter to prevent the loss of further wickets, thereby costing the team a wicket while negating any benefit from using the nightwatchman; and even if the nightwatchman does survive until the end of the day, the beginning of the next day's play will see refreshed bowlers with better light facing a less capable batter. As a result, not all captains use the tactic. ] abandoned the tactic during his captaincy of Australia.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=ESPN Cricinfo|title=A nightwatchman to remember|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/142512.html|date=17 October 2004|access-date=12 April 2012|first=Peter|last=English}}</ref> Furthermore, under ] England have instead favoured the lower order batter to play aggressively (the ]).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ashdown |first=John |date=2023-02-17 |title=Release the Nighthawk! England’s novel approach to the nightwatchman |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/feb/17/nighthawk-cricket-england-stuart-broad-nightwatchman |access-date=2023-07-20 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> | ||
| The nightwatchman is not to be confused with the ], a middle to lower order batter who is promoted up the order in limited-overs games, or in first-class games where their team is looking for a quick ], in the pursuit of quick runs without too much concern for their wicket. | The nightwatchman is not to be confused with the ], a middle to lower order batter who is promoted up the order in limited-overs games, or in first-class games where their team is looking for a quick ], in the pursuit of quick runs without too much concern for their wicket. | ||
| It is very rare, but not unknown, for a team to use nightwatchmen from the start of an innings begins late in the day. Teams will instead trust in the ability of the specialist opening batsman to do their usual job. Australian Captain and opening batter ] remarked that most batters will accept a nightwatchman when asked, but that as an opener he had never been offered one.<ref>https://occcricketstats.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/nightwatchmen-2-opening-and-wicket-keepers-2/</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | == Test centuries by nightwatchmen == | ||
| ] opened the 2nd innings as a nightwatchman in the 1st Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2009 having batted at 9 in the first innings. Herath took the final 6 balls of the day with usual opening batter ] at the other end. The next morning Warnapura was out caught on the second ball of the day while Herath scored 15 off 60 balls before an LBW dismissal to Younis Khan. ] who normally batted 10th or 11th opened as a nightwatchman for England in a 2009 Test match against Ireland, surviving a single over then top-scoring for the innings with 92 runs the following day before Ireland collapsed in the last innings to be all out 38 chasing 182. | |||
| In the days before covered wickets it was common for teams to protect the upper part of the order from a ] by reversing the batting order and hoping to exchange the inevitable loss of wickets for the time it would take for the wicket to start playing better. Although not necessarily done late in the day, the reversed order effectively turned half the order into nightwatchmen of sorts for the upper half. ] once scored 270 not out as the #7 batsman after such a reversal, with ] and ] opening and scoring 0 runs each in the only time either opened the batting in their Test career. | |||
| ⚫ | == Test centuries by nightwatchmen == | ||
| There have been six ] ] by nightwatchmen ({{As of|2019|lc=on}}), as recognised by ]:<ref name=cinw>{{cite web|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/282904.html |title=Records – Test Matches – Batting Records – Most runs in an innings by a nightwatchman |access-date=19 December 2016 |publisher=ESPN Cricinfo}}</ref> | There have been six ] ] by nightwatchmen ({{As of|2019|lc=on}}), as recognised by ]:<ref name=cinw>{{cite web|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/282904.html |title=Records – Test Matches – Batting Records – Most runs in an innings by a nightwatchman |access-date=19 December 2016 |publisher=ESPN Cricinfo}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 18:53, 3 January 2024
In cricket, a batter to be promoted to hold the strike till the end of the day | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Nightwatchman" cricket – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In the sport of cricket, a nightwatchman is a lower-order batter who comes in to bat higher up the order than usual near the end of the day's play. The nightwatchman's job is to maintain most of the strike until the close of play (remaining in overnight after the end of the day's play, hence the name) and so protect other, more capable batters from being out cheaply in what may be a period of tiredness or in poor light at the end of the day, and then again the following morning when the batters have not yet ‘got their eye in', or when the early-morning conditions may favour the bowlers. The theory is that losing two top-order batters in quick succession would be worse than losing one top-order batter and a tailender.
However the nightwatchman's effort is not considered to be wasted, nor are they expected to play foolishly; otherwise they would not last very long. The role of nightwatchman is generally given to players who emphasise defensive technique over quick run-scoring. There have been occasions when nightwatchmen have made a big score and six have made centuries in test matches. Generally speaking, the nightwatchman plays conservatively on the night, but the next day may be allowed a freer role to score runs. Daniel Vettori would place himself in the role on several occasions while he was the New Zealand captain. Wicket-keepers may also take on the role, Alan Knott, Wasmin Bari, Ben Barnett and Ian Healy have scored half-centuries in the role.
The tactic has its drawbacks - if the nightwatchman gets out before the end of the day, the batting team may need to send out a more capable batter to prevent the loss of further wickets, thereby costing the team a wicket while negating any benefit from using the nightwatchman; and even if the nightwatchman does survive until the end of the day, the beginning of the next day's play will see refreshed bowlers with better light facing a less capable batter. As a result, not all captains use the tactic. Steve Waugh abandoned the tactic during his captaincy of Australia. Furthermore, under Ben Stokes England have instead favoured the lower order batter to play aggressively (the nighthawk).
The nightwatchman is not to be confused with the pinch hitter, a middle to lower order batter who is promoted up the order in limited-overs games, or in first-class games where their team is looking for a quick declaration, in the pursuit of quick runs without too much concern for their wicket.
It is very rare, but not unknown, for a team to use nightwatchmen from the start of an innings begins late in the day. Teams will instead trust in the ability of the specialist opening batsman to do their usual job. Australian Captain and opening batter Mark Taylor remarked that most batters will accept a nightwatchman when asked, but that as an opener he had never been offered one.
Rangana Herath opened the 2nd innings as a nightwatchman in the 1st Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2009 having batted at 9 in the first innings. Herath took the final 6 balls of the day with usual opening batter Malinda Warnapura at the other end. The next morning Warnapura was out caught on the second ball of the day while Herath scored 15 off 60 balls before an LBW dismissal to Younis Khan. Jack Leach who normally batted 10th or 11th opened as a nightwatchman for England in a 2009 Test match against Ireland, surviving a single over then top-scoring for the innings with 92 runs the following day before Ireland collapsed in the last innings to be all out 38 chasing 182.
In the days before covered wickets it was common for teams to protect the upper part of the order from a sticky wicket by reversing the batting order and hoping to exchange the inevitable loss of wickets for the time it would take for the wicket to start playing better. Although not necessarily done late in the day, the reversed order effectively turned half the order into nightwatchmen of sorts for the upper half. Don Bradman once scored 270 not out as the #7 batsman after such a reversal, with Bill O'Reilly and Chuck Fleetwood-Smith opening and scoring 0 runs each in the only time either opened the batting in their Test career.
Test centuries by nightwatchmen
There have been six test centuries by nightwatchmen (as of 2019), as recognised by ESPNcricinfo:
There has been debate about whether Nasim-ul-Ghani (who later opened in a Test) and wicketkeeper Boucher were genuine nightwatchmen – however, in the matches in question they both came in at No. 6, at the end of the day, ahead of more recognised batsmen, and Cricinfo considers them to have been nightwatchmen.
Alex Tudor (of England) was close to making a century as a nightwatchman; he made 99 not out against New Zealand in 1999 at Edgbaston, and was stranded one run short of his maiden test century when Graham Thorpe got the total to the point where a boundary was needed for the win with Tudor being on 95 runs, needing a six to reach his century. Tudor then hit the winning runs with a four, leaving him on 99*.
Also close was Harold Larwood. In the final Test of the 1932–33 Ashes, Larwood made 98 as a nightwatchman, the highest innings made in the role up to that time.
References
- ^ "What is a night-watchman?". BBC Sport. 25 August 2005. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- English, Peter (17 October 2004). "A nightwatchman to remember". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- Ashdown, John (2023-02-17). "Release the Nighthawk! England's novel approach to the nightwatchman". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
- https://occcricketstats.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/nightwatchmen-2-opening-and-wicket-keepers-2/
- ^ "Records – Test Matches – Batting Records – Most runs in an innings by a nightwatchman". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
External links
- The Nightwatchman in Test Cricket: A Follow-up Analysis – A review on the effectiveness of using nightwatchmen
- The Myth of the Nightwatchman – Statistical analysis aiming to debunk the concept of nightwatchman