A cricket innings of a team begins when the two opening batters take to the field. The role of openers is paramount as they set the foundation and the tone for the team’s total.
An opening batter’s biggest challenge is to deal with the new ball’s movement. The ball tends to swing in the earlier overs, which favours the pace bowlers. The swing of the ball can deceive the batter, making them vulnerable to dismissal. Even if they do survive the initial swing attack, as the ball gets rough, they have to face the ball’s spin.
The swing and the spin is carried on till the end of the innings. It is a test of the batter’s fatigue and stamina. For the opening batter to survive such onslaught is like a lone soldier fighting the battle. There have been instances when the opener remains not out even after the team has been bowled out. This is known as carrying the bat in cricket.
An opening batter is said to carry the bat even if one of the batter has retired out while the others have been dismissed. The opening batter is not said to have carry the bat if the team is not all out, or if a score has been chased, or in any instance where the innings has ended without the team getting bowled out.
There have been over 70 instances in cricket where opening batters have managed to carry the bat in different formats of the game. Some notable players with landmark records while carrying the bat are listed below.
Bernard Tancret (South Africa) – In 1889, he became the first batter to carry the bat in test cricket. He scored 26 not out, which is the lowest score recorded by a batter while carrying the bat.
Jack Barrett (Australia) – First batter to carry the bat in test debut.
Bobby Abel (England) – First batter to score a century while carrying the bat.
Bill Woodfull (Australia) – First batter to carry the bat twice.
Desmond Haynes (West Indies) – First batter to carry the bat thrice.
Bill Brown (Australia) – First batter to hit a double century while carrying the bat.
Grant Flower (Zimbabwe) – First batter to carry the bat in One Day Internationals. Later, he also went on to become the first batter to carry the bat in two different formats when he achieved the feat against Pakistan in a test match in 1998.
Javed Omar (Bangladesh) – Records the lowest score (33) while carrying the bat in One Day Internationals.
Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) – First batter to hit a century while carrying the bat in One Day Internationals.
Chris Gayle (West Indies) – First batter to carry the bat in T20 Internationals.
