At a general level it can be argued that there are four types of batsman in cricket.

These are top order batsmen, middle order batsmen, batting and Bowling all rounder, pinch hitter batsmen and lower order batsmen. However, each type of batsman will have different roles within each different format of the sport. For example, a top order batsman in test match cricket has a very different role to a top order batsman playing T20 cricket.

Additionally, there are also left handed and right handed batsmen. Right handed batsmen have their left hand at the top of the bat handle, and have their left foot furthest down the wicket. Left handed batsmen are the opposite, they have their right hand at the top of the bat handle and stand with their right foot furthest down the wicket.

Let’s now take a look at each format of cricket and look at the different types of batsmen that you’ll commonly see within each of them.

Test cricket is the most traditional form of the game, with each match lasting for a maximum of 5 days. Because games are so long, this often requires cricket teams to pick specific batsmen with certain batting styles that allow them to play long, game changing innings.

Top Order Batsmen In Test Cricket

Top order batsmen in test cricket and other long formats of the sport are usually the batsmen who come in at numbers 1 – 3 in the batting order. Their main responsibilities are as follows:

1. See off the new ball – When the ball is new it is at its most dangerous, so top order batsmen will try to bat for enough time to allow the ball to deteriorate.
2. Accumulate runs steadily – In test cricket there isn’t huge pressure on top order batsmen to get their team off to a flying start. A steady accumulation of runs is often the better (and safer!) way to go.
3. Keep wickets in hand – If all three top order batsmen get dismissed quickly at the start of an innings, this can put immense pressure on the middle and lower order to score runs. Therefore, many top order batsmen will try not to play too many reckless shots early in their innings to avoid unnecessary wickets.

Batting at number 3 is slightly different to opening, and the batsman that bats at number 3 in tests will usually be a hybrid between a middle order player and an opener. This is also the position in which many teams will place their best batsman. The perfect number 3’s in my opinion were guys like Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid. Whenever England came up against India or Australia during their era’s they were the two batsmen I was most afraid of!

If you want to know what a great top order test batsman looks like, look no further than guys like Rohit, Rahul and Ricky!

Middle Order Batsmen In Test Cricket

Middle order batsmen are usually the ones that bat from number 4 to number 7 in a cricket team. Often this will include a wicketkeeper batsman, who will usually bat at number 6 or number 7. The main responsibilities of a middle order batsman in test cricket are as follows:

1. To anchor the innings and see off the new ball if early wickets are lost
2. To rotate the strike efficiently and score runs at a good rate once the ball gets older
3. To bat effectively against the spinning ball and against high pace in between the new balls
4. Bat with and score runs with the lower order batsmen if necessary

One of my favorite middle order batsmen is Steve Smith .

Steve has everything that a middle order batsman needs to be successful.

Against pace bowling he has wonderful rhythm and excels against the short ball, meaning that fast bowlers can’t launch a full-scale short ball attack against him without being hit away for runs. He’s also very adept at hitting the ball through the off side and regularly plays the most beautiful cover drives. Perhaps his most signature shot though is the back foot glide through the slip cordon and down to third man.

Lower Order Batsmen In Test Cricket

Lower order batsmen are usually the ones that bat from number 8 to number 11 in a cricket team. The batters in these positions are likely to be specialist bowlers or all-rounders. Nowadays though, all lower order batsmen are expected to be able to contribute with the bat, and as a result they will all work pretty hard on their batting during net sessions. In previous eras, batsmen in these positions in the order would have struggled to stick around at the crease for any significant length of time. The main responsibilities of a lower order batsman in test cricket are as follows:

1. To protect their wicket and provide a partner for the top/middle order batsmen to bat with
2. To bat aggressively and try to score as many runs as quickly as possible if they are batting with other lower order batsmen

Because lower order batsmen are often better at bowling than they are at batting, there aren’t many I can really put the spotlight on in this section. However, most test teams like to have a bowling all rounder at number 8 in the order who is a decent batsman – and there are a few good ones on the international scene right now.

My favorite lower order batsmen are guys like Chris Woakes and Ravi Ashwin. Opposition teams will often think that they are ‘bowling at the tail’ when either of these players walk to the crease – but they often end up regretting feeling that way!

If you’re a bowler, remember not to give up on your batting! Being a good batsman as well as a good bowler could help you to get into the starting 11 in the place of more one dimensional players!

Different Types Of Batsmen In Limited Overs Cricket?

In 50 over and 20 over cricket, batsmen have very different responsibilities when compared to test cricket. A team innings in these shorter forms of the game only lasts a few hours, and the aim is to score as many runs as quickly as possible. This has led to the rise of explosive players who are capable of scoring at a fast rate from ball number one. Let’s have a look at the roles of the different players as well as some famous examples below…

Top Order Batsmen In Limited Overs Cricket

Top order batsmen in 50 over and 20 over cricket are also the batsmen who come in at numbers 1 – 3 in the batting order. Batting in the top order in limited overs cricket is very different to test cricket because of the importance of the ‘powerplay’. The powerplay is a period at the start of the innings (usually 4 overs long in T20’s and 10 overs long in 50 over cricket) in which the bowling team can have only a couple of fielders on the boundary. This means the majority of fielders will be close to the bat or ‘inside the ring’. Once the powerplay is over, the fielding team can position more fielders on the boundary. Their main responsibilities are as follows:

1. Get the batting side off to a fast start in the powerplay
2. Keep wickets in hand if possible
3. Keep rotating the strike – don’t just look for boundaries
4. See off the movement of the new ball when it swings in the first few overs

For years in limited overs cricket opposition teams used their spin bowlers to slow England’s batsmen down. Because England players didn’t come up against too many high quality spinners, they never seemed quite sure of how to attack them. As a result, the scoring rate always slowed! Jonny Bairstow is a different beast though. He’s an excellent player of spin bowling and will often try to hit them out of the attack early – putting the bowling side on the back foot. I can remember some savage innings’ he has played against the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, and a lot of this was due to his ultra-aggressive approach and willingness to use his feet and hit over the top.

If you want to know what it looks like to be one of the most destructive top order batsmen in the world in white ball cricket, check out some of Jonny’s innings for England, Yorkshire or the Sunrisers in the last few years!

Middle Order Batsmen In Limited Overs Cricket

Middle order batsmen are usually the players that bat at numbers 4-7 in a limited overs batting line up. The players in these positions need to be incredibly versatile due to the number of different situations they can find themselves in over the course of a match. The main responsibilities of a middle order batsman in limited overs cricket are as follows:

1. To keep the scoring rate high through the middle overs of the match by hitting boundaries
2. To play an accumulation role and keep wickets in hand if early wickets were lost
3. To ensure they are batting at the end of the innings
4. To rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking over
5. To launch an all out attack at the end of the innings when quick runs are required

AB de Villiers is probably my favourite limited overs middle order batsman of all time. If you ever watched him performing in the IPL or for South Africa in his prime, you’ll know exactly why I chose him! When batting in the middle order in ODI cricket, AB averaged a mammoth 58 runs per innings at over a run a ball. An average like this is not something you see very often in white ball cricket and shows what a special player he was. At the time of writing he averages almost 40 in T20 matches, and these runs come at a strike rate of 150. Not only does he score a lot of runs, he gets them at a fantastic rate!

The clue to why AB was so good is in his nickname – Mr 360. He received this nickname because he was one of cricket’s first 360-degree players, meaning that he was capable of hitting boundaries and scoring runs anywhere on the field. When he was at his best, it seemed like he could hit any ball from any bowler anywhere that he chose, and this made him an absolute nightmare to bowl to. Whether it was scooping the ball over the keeper’s head, playing reverse sweeps against fast bowlers, or going down on one knee and smacking the bowler into the stands over mid-wicket, he was always trying to ruin a bowler’s day.

If his team gets off to a solid start and provides a platform for him, AB is an excellent boundary hitter who doesn’t take long to get himself in when he arrives at the crease. This tells you all you need to know about his ball striking ability! If his team gets off to a rocky start with a few wickets lost early, then his ability to accumulate runs, build a foundation and then launch an attack later in the innings is second to none. Even though he made England’s bowlers suffer on many occasions, I’ve always been a huge fan of AB de Villiers. If you’ve never seen him play, make sure you check out some of his all time greatest innings’ on youtube. They’re all a joy to watch!

Lower Order Batsmen In Limited Overs Cricket

Lower order batsmen in limited overs cricket are usually numbers 8 – 11 in the batting order. Most coaches and team captains will be hoping that the top order and middle order batsmen do all of the batting in limited overs matches, but of course there are many situations where the lower order batsmen end up being called upon! Therefore, they need to be ready when that happens! The main responsibilities of a lower order batsman in limited overs cricket are as follows:

1. Score as many boundaries as possible at the end of an innings – especially when batting with another lower order batsman
2. Take singles and give the strike back to your partner if you’re batting with a top/middle order batsman

Lower order batsmen aren’t asked to bat as much in ODI’s and T20’s as they are in tests, so it’s rare for people to have a favourite lower order player! However, there are countless players who’ve played match winning innings’ while batting at numbers 8 – 11 in the order. Players like Chris Jordan of England, Harbhajan Singh of India, Rashid Khan of Afghanistan and Chris Morris of South Africa have all batted brilliantly at number 8 in ODI’s and T20’s, and every single one of them is capable of hitting multiple boundaries and taking the game away from a bowling side if they don’t bowl well enough to them at the death.

If you’re a bowler and you want to make it in T20/ODI cricket, then make sure you practice your batting enough so that you have the ability to strike a few sixes at the back end of an innings. These kinds of abilities really add to your value as a player which is never a bad thing!