The greatest No. 6 Test batsmen of all time
Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting are two of the four Australian players in the ten-man listWe all know the importance of the top 5 batsmen in Test cricket. The guys at the top(1, 2, 3) builds the platform on which the middle order can perform. They blunt the new ball when it is swinging corners.The guys in the middle(4, 5) after a good start make use of the old ball to set up a big total for the team. When the team doesn’t get a good start, they are the ones who shoulder the responsibilities of both seeing out the new ball and then scoring runs of the old ball.But one of the most underrated positions in the batting order is that of the number six batsman. In a scenario when the team has got off to a great start, it is the number six who has to face the reverse swinging ball and then the new ball which becomes due after 80 overs.When there is a dodgy start the number six has to ensure that the team doesn’t suffer a collapse. What is more frustrating for the number 6 batsman is that he might be left stranded while batting as he runs out of partners.Since the beginning of cricket, we have seen some great number six batsmen. Let’s have a look at the top ten greatest number six batsmen of all time.
#10 Hashan Tillakaratne
Hashan Tillakaratne was a key member of the 1996 World Cup winning Sri Lankan team. He possessed immense patience and temperament and was able to put it into good use notching up several good knocks. His best performance, however, came against the West Indies when he scored a double century helping his team register a thumping win.
Tillekaratne played 75 innings at number six and scored 2843 runs at an average of 46.61. He scored seven Test centuries at the number six spot which includes his superb double hundred.