Bat and ball / Andrew Hughes / 14 January 2009 /

Andrew Hughes is somewhat sorry to see the death of the lower-order batsman who is little more than a sitting duck but is excited by the emergence of a new breed of player: the number eight spinner who has a genuine responsibility to score runs, epitomised by the likes of Paul Harris and Daniel Vettori.

Let us contemplate Cameron White, the Victorian cricket captain. If you're picturing a top-hatted gent with a bushy beard, then you've got the wrong Victoria. I'm thinking of the Australian state, rather than the Empress of India, although the two are of course related: 'God Save Your Gracious Queen' and all that.

No, Cameron White captains Victoria and occasionally plays for Australia. So what sort of player is he? Well, he's a hard-hitting, flat-spinning all-rounder, of the type that used to clog up many an English county team before the Kolpacks arrived. Obviously, being Australian, he's a bit better than that, but you get the idea. More importantly, his elevation to the Test team in India illustrated how cricket has changed in what is now expected of lower order batsmen.

Whatever Happened to the Bunnies?

Professionalism demands a constant striving for improvement. I'm sure this must be a good thing, but I can't help reflecting that it also tends to suck some of the joy out of sport. Delightful eccentricities and charming but pointless traditions are swept aside in the pursuit of productivity and efficiency. Cricket has not been immune. Gone are the days when a chap could stand with hands in pockets in the covers or idling on the square leg boundary, smoking a fine Havana whilst the ball trundles past him. Gone too is that endearing breed: the tail end batsman. One or two struggle on, but even Chris Martin is betraying evidence of coaching. So who is to blame for this dreary turn of events? Our Antipodean cousins, of course.

Men At Work

Just as Gilchrist queered the pitch for wicket-keepers, so the Australian dominance forced other countries to come up with ways to challenge. One idea was that a team should always 'bat deep'. Duncan Fletcher was particularly enamoured of this and in a radical departure from tradition began to demand that his bowlers also knew which way up to hold the bat. When Matthew Hoggard and Ashley Giles saw England home at Trent Bridge in 2005, he was vindicated. Nowadays, those teams such as West Indies and Sri Lanka who lack such bowlers who can bat find themselves at a disadvantage, with a tail that begins at seven or sometimes even six.

Yes, but can he bat?

The pressure on bowlers to contribute with the bat has been felt most strongly by spinners. Despite the march of Warne and Murali, they remain an endangered species in many parts of the world. Ever since Clive Lloyd's West Indians demonstrated what havoc four pacemen can wreak, spinners have found themselves the first to be dropped and the last to be picked. A spinner, particularly outside the subcontinent is as likely to spend as much time looking over their shoulder as they are rehearsing their doosra.

Lucky Number Eight

So brushing up their batting skills is the smartest way for a slow bowler to enhance and prolong their international career. The number eight position, that traditional boundary between middle order and tail is invariable filled by a spinner these days. Vettori, Harris and Harbhajan spring to mind, with Warne, Kumble and Giles amongst those retirees who also filled that position. It isn't a role exclusive to spinners. England's Stuart Broad is a more than capable number eight. But there has been no clearer demonstration of the preference of modern selectors for spinners-who-can-bat than the choice of Cameron White ahead of Jason Krejza for three out of the four Tests Australia played in India this autumn.

Can we go home yet?

White has since lost his Test place to another spinner-who-can-bat in the shape of Nathan Hauritz, but he continues to be a one day option and his undefeated 40 on Tuesday helped Australia wrap up a 2-0 Twenty20 series win. South Africa can look forward to another thrashing in the upcoming one day series. The visiting coach, Mickey Arthur, has admitted his team need to work on their limited overs game, but three days is presumably not long enough to overhaul a misfiring Proteas outfit. Australia are strong favourites to win the first match at the MCG on Friday at [1.48] with the visitors on [3.0] and rising.

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