The middle order moves up

According to Richard Boock in this morning's Herald, Stephen Fleming could well be chosen as an opener against Australia. With Skippy Sinclair already at the top, this means that both openers for the first test are likely to be converted middle order batsmen.

There has always been debate in cricket about whether you should select specialists in each position, or whether you choose the country's best XI players and jiggle the batting order around to fit them all in. New Zealand is almost unique in following this second course and I can't think of too many occasions when it has actually worked. Ken Wadsworth was turned from a batsman into a wicketkeeper and Bryan Young went the other way to become a successful opener. Jacob Oram has also done well as a top order batsman turned all-rounder, but other players we have tried to wedge into uncomfortable slots have not lasted so well. Recent failed experiments include Lou Vincent as an opener, Jeremy Coney at number three, Dipak Patel as a front-line off-spinner and Ken Rutherford as an opener. Of these different transitions, I would suggest that the most difficult is the one from middle order batsman to opening batsman. It involves a change of mind-set from aggressor to defender and a change of technique to adapt to the moving ball. It is also the request we seem to ask of our players most often.