Cannon82
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- Oct 26, 2012
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I agree. Batting is highly specialised. They're openers, top order and middle order and aside from the odd anomaly, few excel outside of their specialised position. Swap Matthew Hayden and Steve Waugh and both their performances suffer. I've seen statistics on game coverages so often showing different batsmen's averages at various places in the batting order and almost all are significantly stronger in one or two positions only. The only common exception to this is the explosive middle order bat who opens in the short forms.
Not going to re-start the argument all over again, but I disagree on it being "highly specialized". We're not talking about the difference between a prop and a halfback or a ruckman and back pocket - the duties are the same in Test cricket. Watch ball, play on merit, adapt to pitch / match conditions. You switch Matt Hayden and Steve Waugh, and it may make a difference, but they're not suddenly going to average 30 apiece.