‘Night-watchman’ is the most paradoxical concept in cricket.
The idea is to protect the next recognized batsman for the next day’s play, rather than exposing him in the same evening in rather testing conditions. But, how can a batsman of far lesser ability be sent to bat in place of a far more accomplished batsman and relied upon to survive that day’s play?
It may be found amusing, but it’s as much part of the Test matches as the white clothing, the follow-on, three sessions in a day, and so on.
The night-watchmen are sent to bat for the sole purpose of playing out the remaining few overs of that particular day and shielding the next recognised batsman. But, there have been a few instances when these nerdy not-so-good batsmen have actually gone on to do much more than what the team expected of them.
Listing such ‘night-watchmen’ heroics, here are the 5 most impactful innings by a night-watchman in Test cricket:
5. Steven Finn (England)
Match: England vs New Zealand | March 6-10 2013 | Dunedin, New Zealand | Scorecard
Score: 56 (203 balls)
Batting Position: Number 3
It was during the 2013 England’s tour of New Zealand when Steven Finn produced this match-saving innings for the three-lions.
The English side was floored for 167 in the first innings as Neil Wagner and Bruce Martin picked up 4 wickets apiece for the hosts. New Zealand continued their dominance in the next innings too, piling up 460 runs on the board with the loss of 9 wickets before finally declaring.
