| Cricket is a battle between bat and ball; it is a battle | | | | Hooper, the West Indian batting enigma, was a |
| that involves batsmen, bowlers and fielders. Although | | | | specialist batsman who managed to scalp over 100 |
| every cricket player must field and bat, there exist | | | | Test wickets. Cricket experts considered neither of |
| specialist batsmen and bowlers. Some players | | | | them to be all-rounders. To many, Wasim was |
| develop their batting and bowling skills to such a high | | | | merely a good lower-order batsman and Hooper was |
| level, that they are considered all-rounders. | | | | an occasional bowler who had a fair share of success |
| In cricket, all-rounders are players who have more | | | | with the ball whenever he bowled. |
| than one specialty (typically batting, bowling or wicket | | | | Some players' statistics make a stronger case for |
| keeping). The conventional view of all-rounders is that | | | | all-rounder status than Hooper's or Akram's. Cricket |
| of players who can bat as well as they can bowl. | | | | pundits consider these players batting or bowling |
| However, the concept of the all-rounder has evolved | | | | all-rounders. West Indian Chris Gayle (batting |
| to extend to wicketkeepers or even exceptional | | | | all-rounder) is very effective with the ball (in ODIs |
| fielders who can help to win matches purely by their | | | | and T20s anyway) but his batting is far stronger and |
| prowess in the field. In modern cricket, there is a | | | | more devastating. In 2009, Stuart Broad's batting |
| sub-classification of all-rounders into genuine | | | | shone brightly, making him a bowling all-rounder. |
| all-rounders, batting all-rounders, bowling all-rounders | | | | "Batting all-rounder" or "bowling all-rounder" is also a |
| and wicketkeeper-batsmen. | | | | transient term for a specialist batsman or bowler |
| Some cricket commentators opine that an all-rounder | | | | who becomes increasingly better at the other |
| is a player can earn a place in the team either as a | | | | specialty. New Zealand's Daniel Vettori started as a |
| specialist batsman or specialist bowler. Such a player | | | | specialist bowler. He then became a bowling |
| is a genuine all-rounder. One classic criterion for a | | | | all-rounder and, subsequently, a genuine all-rounder |
| "genuine all-rounder" was that the batting average | | | | when his batting average surpassed his bowling |
| should be higher than the bowling average. However, | | | | average. |
| several players in cricket bat and bowl but are merely | | | | An all-rounder is almost an indispensable member of a |
| "good enough" in either skill. They may not be able to | | | | cricket team. Such players provide more depth to |
| earn a pick on a team on the strength of their | | | | the batting order while giving the captain an extra |
| batting OR bowling but by virtue of their batting AND | | | | bowling option in the field as well. Most all-rounders |
| bowling. | | | | have an insatiable appetite for the game and love to |
| There are also many batsmen who can bowl and | | | | be in the midst of everything. It often does not |
| bowlers who have a decent batting average. Wasim | | | | matter how you choose to classify an all-rounder; the |
| Akram, Pakistan's lethal left-arm fast bowler, ended | | | | all-rounder's contribution to his team's effort are |
| his Test career with a batting average of 22.64. Carl | | | | normally beyond classification, anyway. |