What is an All-Rounder in Cricket?

Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport, right? But it’s not just about batters or bowlers.

There are some players who are equally good at batting and bowling, which increases their value in a team. Such valuable players are called all-rounders.

But what exactly makes a player an all-rounder?

Here, we’ll glance at the skills and qualities of an all-rounder in cricket.

What is an all-rounder in cricket?

An all-rounder is someone who has the capability to bat and ball whenever a situation arises.

See, most teams have specialist batters and bowlers in their ranks, whose primary task is to bat and bowl. Now, some of these batters may be handy bowlers, while the bowlers may know how to hold an end for some time.

But when a team is in a bad situation, they need an extra batter or a bowler. Now according to rules, a cricket team can only have 11 players, and there’s no substitution unless there’s a concussion injury.

That’s when all-rounders come into the picture. Such players are better batters than the specialist bowlers and better bowlers than the specialist batters.

So teams stock up on all-rounders and try to have 2-3 of them in the playing XI according to their squad balance. But all-rounders also have classifications among them according to their strengths.

Also Read | The Ten Greatest All-Rounders of All Time in Cricket

Classification of All-Rounders in Cricket

The classification is not too complicated. It’s based on every all-rounder’s core skills and strengths.

Complete Genuine All-Rounders

These types of all-rounders are equally adept at batting and bowling. And they may be among the top 6 batters and top 4 bowlers for their respective teams.

Moreover, with time, fielding has also become an integral part of a player’s skillset. So someone who contributes across all departments at par can be termed a genuine all-rounder.

Batting All-Rounders

These players have batting as their core strength, while bowling is their secondary skill. Such batting all-rounders may be among the top 5 batters of their team while being the 5th or 6th bowlers.

Someone like South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and Australia’s Shane Watson qualify as batting all-rounders.

Bowling All-Rounders

This is the exact opposite of the batting all-rounders. The bowling all-rounders’ core strength is bowling, while batting is their secondary skill. 

Such all-rounders can contribute with the bat in the middle or lower order. Kapil Dev and Shaun Pollock were some of the best bowling all-rounders.