‘Bit’ players in cricket

It is probably a result of the sheer volume of one day cricket that is played these days, but sides seem to becoming increasingly dependant on ‘bit’ players to fill their teams and I believe this can be counter productive.

For instance, a side like England, are big into having a bunch of guys who sort of bat a bit and then trundle in and deliver a couple of overs of spin or medium pace. New Zealand is another side who prefer a similar strategy.

I suspect that in a lot of ways, this is promulgated by the fact that they don’t have enough depth player-wise to fill the team with specialists.

Worryingly I think South Africa might be trying to go this way as well, and I urge the selectors not to get suckered into this trap of flirting with the mediocre. I think too many coaches and selectors get suckered into this idea that you can stock your side with 10 guys who all bat and bowl and a wicketkeeper – it doesn’t work that way.

A lot of people call these players ‘all rounders’, but they are not. They are ‘bit’ players.

To me, a player like Adam Gilchrist is an all rounder. When he can average 50 with the bat and still keep wicket then you can be considered an all rounder. Jacques Kallis would be another example – it wouldn’t be unusual for him to score 100 with the bat and then take a fifer.

Differentiate between ‘bit’ players and those who play as all rounders.

Unfortunately winning cricket matches, very often comes down to a few cold hard moments in a game.

As a South African cricket fan / selector / player, you need to ask yourself – do I want an expert like Dale Steyn bowling a key over in a one day game or am I happy to rely on a trundler who comes in 115km/h?

What about batting wise? Would I rather have Graeme Smith, who has a proven track record of scoring hundreds quickly, or am I happy to pick a guy who MIGHT come off and score a 100 but has typically scored 20s and 30s?

Don’t get me wrong - variety is great in a side, but great sides are made by great specialists not by good ‘bit’ players…