What is the significance of the batting order ?

A good question and there are literally hundreds of theories about what makes a good and equally a bad batting order.

But here are my thoughts to start getting potential Captains for the coming season thinking about this very important issue.

As a general rule, specialist batsmen bat towards the top of the order and bowlers bat towards the bottom of the order. This is obvious, but it is the tweaking and fine tuning that make or break an innings.

Some batsmen are more suited to the demands of opening than others, and this is a very important consideration. The opening batsmen are the first impression that the opposition get of what they are up against in terms of batting, and it is important to set a good standard. For this reason I think it is important to have two capable batsmen who can blunt the opening attack and set a good tone for the innings. It is also important to note that the openers will usually have to be fully effective at facing fast bowling. If a batsman prefers facing spin bowlers he will probably be better suited to batting at 5, 6, or 7.

Numbers 3 and 4 are usually a combination of stroke players and steady eddies who can begin to accelerate the innings or drop anchor as the game dictates.

Numbers 5 and 6 are classically the big hitters who can come in and really finish the good work of the accumulators before them by smashing some hefty blows. These guys will have a good eye for the ball and play risky shots for maximum reward.

The tail is usually as good as the numbers 7 and 8 as these guys should be capable of rebuilding an innings if disaster has struck, but should also be capable of hanging around to support the remaining higher order batsman. Once the senior batsman has gone, they then take responsibility to get the best out of 9, 10, Jack that they can.

These thoughts are extremely general and take no account of what the Captain actually has to work with and the match situation.

What you may want to do is think about where you prefer to bat ? Are you better at attacking spinners ? Do you like opening ? Do you fancy the responsibility of nursing the tail ? The Captain has to make all these decisions on the day. But any Captain must be mindful of the fact that he has to balance fairness with giving Rosaneri their best chance of victory.