Does batting tailenders at the end of lineup always make sense?

[subshakerz]

Outside of situations when you have a nightwatchman, are there other situations when tailenders can bat up the order in tests or ODIs?

 

[Adorable Asshole]

They could open on sticky wickets

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[TheJediBrah]

Plenty of situations. IMO, if anything, using tail-enders to see off difficult passages of play such as a new ball, soft wicket etc. actually makes more sense than using them as nightwatchmen

Then there's the opposite potentially using them as pinch-hitters which has happened before as well in the search for quick runs

 

[subshakerz]

Plenty of situations. IMO, if anything, using tail-enders to see off difficult passages of play such as a new ball, soft wicket etc. actually makes more sense than using them as nightwatchmen

Then there's the opposite potentially using them as pinch-hitters which has happened before as well in the search for quick runs

Precisely. Why isn't this tried out more?

 

[Silver Silva]

Outside of situations when you have a nightwatchman, are there other situations when tailenders can bat up the order in tests or ODIs?

When you need quick runs for a declaration there is no point sending out your specialist batsmen if you have a tailender that has ball striking ability example a Tim Southee , a Mitchell Starc , a Mark Wood ..

Also it's nice every now and again to give a tailender some responsibility especially a youngster , only with responsibility do players get better and more well rounded.

 

[Socerer 01]

Precisely. Why isn't this tried out more?

because of the risk of injuries to them presumably

 

[mr_mister]

When you need quick runs for a declaration there is no point sending out your specialist batsmen if you have a tailender that has ball striking ability example a Tim Southee , a Mitchell Starc , a Mark Wood ..

Also it's nice every now and again to give a tailender some responsibility especially a youngster , only with responsibility do players get better and more well rounded.

No point? Is this to protect their average or something?

Most specialist batsmen can strike a ball pretty well when the job requires and with far better consistency then your Southees or Woods

 

[ataraxia]

Touring teams should make their tail-enders open in NZ if sufficiently green and if their own openers are sufficiently inequipped. Train them to hold the bat in front of off stump and survive 30 balls each. Now the engine room becomes the batters simple.

 

[Prince EWS]

You definitely run the risk of one of your middle order players running out of partners at the end if you do it, not to mention giving opposition bowlers early confidence. That's why it's not done more.

Other reasons I can think of to do it more are:
1. Pink ball Tests.
2. Night-watchman as openers. Almost never happens but if a wicket falls first over then the #3 will often request one. Doesn't make sense IMO.
3. Just straight up newballwatchmen, Kyle Mills style. If you've only got one real opener and your 8 or 9 has a good defensive technique it could legitimately make sense to have them open even on the first morning. Opens you up to the opposition bowlers getting off to a flyer of sorts though, not to mention the ridicule if it fails (see the Kyle Mills example).
4. Dealing with superstition. Joe Root and Michael Clarke are great examples of players who should be able to bat better one place higher but have a superstitious attachment to their position that seems to actually play out because of mental factors. Telling Joe Root that he was actually batting 4 afterall because they were going to send Jimmy Anderson in at 3 to get out for a duck could make some sense. They did a soft version of this with Moeen in the Ashes.

But generally I'd probably only recommend the first two as being worth the downsides.

 

[wpdavid]

You definitely run the risk of one of your middle order players running out of partners at the end if you do it, not to mention giving opposition bowlers early confidence. That's why it's not done more.

Other reasons I can think of to do it more are:
2. Night-watchman as openers. Almost never happens but if a wicket falls first over then the #3 will often request one. Doesn't make sense IMO.

I think I've seen that happen not so long ago, were there was only one over to play and therefore the next batsman wouldn't have to come in if the nightwatchman was dismissed. I'm struggling to remember when it was though.

EDIT
Here it is, with Leach facing the one over to be bowled at the end of Day 1.

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[Howe_zat]

Depending on the level of cricket we're talking about, #3 can sometimes get a tailender to go in for them if they haven't yet finished their lunch and/or are the tailender's dad.

 

[wpdavid]

Depending on the level of cricket we're talking about, #3 can sometimes get a tailender to go in for them if they haven't yet finished their lunch and/or are the tailender's dad.

Mike Gatting must have pulled that one from time to time.

 

[wpdavid]

Another situation could be when the opening batsman was injured and none of the other proper batters seem worth being risked at the top of the order. In this game

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Andy Lloyd had to retire hurt in the first innings and took no further part. Paul Downton was a bit more than a tail-ender, as he usually batted at 7. But he opened the second innings in this game.

EDIT
Same story here, later in the same series.

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Paul Terry had his arm broken in the first innings but came back to the crease as last man to allow Lamb to reach his 100. He didn't bat at all in the second innings, so Downton did the necessary again, this time batting at 3

EDIT
Here's another. McCosker's jaw had been broken by a delivery from Willis that proceeded to bowl him. In Australia's second innings, O'Keefe was promoted from number 9 to open.

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[Dendarii]

Another situation could be when the opening batsman was injured and none of the other proper batters seem worth being risked at the top of the order.

Another example, Morne Morkel opening the batting after Graeme Smith broke his hand.

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