Top 5 number 5s in Tests for England

Batsmen at different batting positions have different roles to play and it is the same with the number 5 batsmen. The number 5 batsman needs to have the necessary defensive technique to play in Test cricket but in addition to that, he needs to be a good player of spin as well.

After all, in most cases, he will be coming on to bat when the spinners will be in operation. Additionally, he might have to bat with the tail on many occasions and would also have to make peace with the fact that he would not get many opportunities to bat long on batting friendly pitches.

England have had their fair share of great number 5 batsmen over the course of their cricketing history and many of them have gone on to become great batsmen in their own right.

Here is a look at 5 of the best.

#5 Paul Collingwood

For a long time in his career, all-rounder Paul Collingwood was regarded as an ODI specialist but once he broke into a Test side, he showed that he was a very capable batsman in the longest format. From 2003 through to 2011, the right-hander played in 68 Test matches for England and he batted at number 5 in 47 of those.

Collingwood was not a batsman who was known for spectacular stroke-making but he had a sound defensive technique, a decent range of attacking strokes and was comfortable on both the back foot as well as the front foot. Lastly, he was excellent against spinners and had the patience to play the long innings when possible.

He is the second highest scorer at the position for England with an aggregate of 2578 runs with an average of 39.66, which is lower than his career average of 40.56. Collingwood scored 6 centuries and 11 half-centuries as England's number 5.

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