The Nightwatchman: From Zero to Hero in Cricket’s Toughest Situation
Nightwatchman. Have you heard of this term before?
No, I am not talking about any movie/web series or the security guard of your society. I am talking about the term used in cricket.
Yes, you read that right.
Now, what is a nightwatchman?
Well, if you are a cricket lover like me, then you know what it means. But if you don’t know, then don’t worry.
I will explain it in this blog. Let’s play!
What is a nightwatchman?
A nightwatchman is a lower-order batter who comes to bat towards the end of the day’s play in a First-Class match or a Test match.
These batters are not as skilled as the top-order batters, but they are expected to hold their ground for a shorter period.
Why is a nightwatchman used in cricket?
Well, the intention behind sending a lower-order batter is to protect the wicket of top-order batters in challenging conditions.
The challenging conditions can be poor light, which makes it difficult to see the ball, and the ball can swing or spin unpredictably.
Such conditions make it difficult to score runs, and teams can lose wickets. To minimise the risk of losing your best batter's wicket, teams often send lower-order batters—the nightwatchman.
Let me break this down for you with an example.
Suppose India has scored 110 runs with 1 wicket lost. Opening batter Rohit Sharma and number 3 batter Cheteshwar Pujara are batting towards the end of day 2 with 4 overs remaining. That’s when Rohit Sharma gets out LBW.
Now the question arises: should India send regular number 4 batter Virat Kohli or promote a lower-order batter as a nightwatchman?
Most teams will choose to send a nightwatchman to bat the remaining overs. This allows the top-order batters to avoid playing in challenging conditions at the end of the day and be ready to face the bowlers the next day.
You may be wondering why a lower-order batter is sent to face difficult situations rather than a top-order batter.
Look, the main aim is to protect your big wickets. If you have enough wickets in hand, you can score big runs and maybe win the Test match as well.
It’s a tactical decision based on the playing conditions.
Expectations from a nightwatchman
The nightwatchman sent in to bat may not be the team’s best batter. And they are not expected to score big runs.
They should have strong defence techniques to stay at the crease for an extended period.
However, depending on the circumstances, they should be able to play aggressively as well.
One important thing, they should be able to play in high-pressure scenarios by keeping their mind calm. And they shouldn’t get intimidated by the field setup or the crowd.
What if the nightwatchman gets out quickly?
Continuing with the above example, if the nightwatchman gets out in a few balls, then it’s better to send Virat Kohli so that further wickets don’t fall.
There is no rule, oh sorry, no LAW that states that a team may only send one nightwatchman to bat. So the batting team can still choose to send another nightwatchman if they wish to.
Nightwatchmen who scored big
Let me make this clear: Don’t underestimate the nightwatchmen. They can bat and bat longer. Here are some notable mentions.
1. Syed Kirmani
In 1979, Syed Kirmani, the Indian wicketkeeper, scored a century against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
This feat made him the third batter to score a century as a nightwatchman after Nasim-ul-Ghani (101) in 1962 and Anthony Lungford Mann (105) in 1977.
He came to bat after Sunil Gavaskar got out towards the end of the first day and went on to score 101 (not out). This was also his maiden Test century.
His knock helped India beat Australia by an innings and 100 runs.
2. Alex Tudor
Alex Tudor, sent in to bat at number 3, scored 99 (not out) for England against New Zealand in 1999 at Edgbaston.
He missed his maiden century by 1 run as England needed 4 runs to win the match and Tudor needed 6 runs as he was batting on 95.
But he could only manage to get 4 runs by hitting the boundary. He didn’t get his well-deserved century, but what matters is that he helped the team win.
You can watch his innings here.
3. Jason Gillespie
Now you wouldn’t believe this, but Jason Gillespie from Australia scored 201 (not out) runs against Bangladesh in 2006. This is insane!
And he still holds the record for the highest Test score by a nightwatchman.
Have a look at his inning.
Conclusion
The tactic of sending a nightwatchman can work pretty well sometimes, or it can backfire as well.
It totally depends on the condition and how well the nightwatchman plays towards the end of the day and the next day if they survive for a longer time.
And if they do play well, then they can do wonders as seen in the above examples.
That’s it from my side. There are many more cricket terms that cricket fans don’t know. I’ll be uncovering them in the next blogs.
Till then, bye-bye!
