10 greatest No. 5 batsmen in Test cricket history

The No. 5 position is arguably the most underrated position in all of cricket. The openers get their due, the finishers get their due and the studs at No. 3 and No. 4 are remembered as the legends with tons of runs. But with multiple roles during the best of times and the worst of times, the unsung heroes at No. 5 slog away thanklessly.They don’t get to pile on the runs on flat tracks and they are almost always under pressure on the bowler-friendly pitches. Over the years, the most under-appreciated batsmen have made No. 5 their home, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the torchbearer of everything under-appreciated in cricket, being the most famous representative. Some players like AB de Villiers and Michael Clarke have shone from that place, but the No. 5 by and large has been a quiet, unassuming, consistently crisis-weary role.Here we take a look at some of the most prolific No. 5 batsmen in Test cricket. Mind you, great players like Allan Border and VVS Laxman do not make it to this list purely because their versatility meant they were frequently moved around the batting order with not enough runs at this position. But the list is not bereft of legends; there are some really big names.

#10 M Azharuddin

Azharuddin had no weakness in his game apart from a tendency to lose concentration

M Azharuddin	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	94	4346	48.83	16/13
No. 5 at home	50	2634	56.04	11/6
No. 5 away	44	1712	40.76	5/7

One of India’s most successful captains and the only man to score three centuries on the trot after debut, Azharuddin averaged 48 at No. 5 but always gave the impression of a man who underachieved. With rubber wrists, Azharuddin was one of the game’s most stylish and elegant batsmen ever, capable of flicking balls well outside off-stump and sending them screaming through mid-wicket.

His game didn’t have a weakness except for an occasional loss of concentration. He was a good skipper in a relatively weak team; he laid the foundations for the Indian side that would go on to be world beaters, only to lose his legacy to match-fixing scandals.

Azhar was a mercurial player who played some inspiring innings once set, as seen in his conversion rate – he had more 100s than 50s at No. 5.

#9 Thilan Samaraweera

Thilan Samaraweera is best known for narrowly escaping a gun attack in Pakistan

Thilan Samaraweera	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	93	3903	47.59	11/21
No. 5 at home	43	1796	49.88	5/10
No. 5 away	50	2107	45.80	6/11

Thilan will always be remembered for being the man who had a brush with death on that fateful day when the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Pakistan. But he was also part of one of Sri Lanka’s most formidable middle orders that saw them do well at home and away.

Mostly a gritty batsman who preserved his wicket, Samaraweera averaged close to 50 at home but played more away, managing 32 fifty-plus scores, close to 1/3rd of the innings he played at No. 5. Wristy and usually calm during a crisis, Samaraweera complemented Mahela Jayawardene who preceded him in the batting order.

#8 Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq is often the Rock of Gibraltar in a fragile batting order

Misbah-ul-Haq	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	82	3564	53.19	8/26
No. 5 away	80	3499	53.83	8/26

No one has divided Pakistan cricket followers as much as Misbah has; he is the yin to Shahid Afridi’s yan, the complete antithesis. A dashing player, Misbah entered the Test arena very late but continues to defy age, captaining Pakistan even after turning 40.

Misbah has played 80 of his 82 innings at No. 5 away from home, but averages over 53 with 34 out of 82 innings resulting in 50-plus scores. More importantly, he is the Rock of Gibraltar in a fragile middle order that has seen Pakistan rely heavily on him in the last half a decade.

Misbah has often walked with the ball still new and Pakistan in doldrums with the total less than 50. In many ways, Misbah deserves a lot of credit along with Waqar for the slow turnaround after the exits of greats and match-fixing allegations.

#7 Mohammad Yousuf

It is hard to explain why Mohammad Yousuf, with an average over 53, was dropped so often

Mohammad Yousuf	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	78	3774	53.15	13/19
No. 5 at home	25	1328	63.23	5/6
No. 5 away	53	2446	48.92	8/13

A lazy elegance and a calm head made Mohammad Yousuf a batsman everyone loved to watch. No Pakistani batsman has ever been treated as unfairly as Yousuf, and it is hard to explain why a No. 5 batsman averaging over 53 was dropped so often from the team and had to make so many comebacks.

He was Pakistan cricket’s most popular scapegoat, a batsman capable of defying the best of bowlers anywhere in the world. Yousuf should have played a lot more than 90 Tests but things like associating with the ICL and a subsequent ban by the PCB are events most cricketers of his stature are better off not enduring.

A record-breaking 2006 of 11 Tests with 9 centuries also puts Yousuf among the list of batsmen with the most prolific calendar years in Test cricket.

#6 Graham Thorpe

Graham Thorpe was one of England's most solid batsmen during a tough period

Graham Thorpe	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	78	3373	56.21	10/18
No. 5 at home	30	1488	64.69	4/9
No. 5 away	48	1885	50.94	6/9

One of England’s most reliable batsmen during a phase when they were relatively weak and had lost the Ashes for years at a stretch, Thorpe averaged 56 at No. 5 and over 50 away from home. He had an astonishing run late in his career, although his premature retirement after being omitted from the England team that would make history in 2005 was perhaps a little undeserved.

The elegant left-hander was a complete batsman, capable of attacking and defending against both pace and spin. For half a decade before his retirement, he was probably one of England’s best batsmen with as many as 18 not-outs in just 78 innings, making him a reliable presence down the order.

#5 Andy Flower

Andy Flower could have achieveed much more had he belonged to a stronger unit

Andy Flower	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	82	3788	54.89	9/22
No. 5 at home	39	1846	52.74	4/10
No. 5 away	43	1942	57.11	5/12

Flower is a vastly underrated cricket, mainly because of the team he played for. Nevertheless, he was part of the golden generation of Zimbabwe cricketers who were taking their team in the right direction until cricket became victim to national politics.

Flower is easily one of the greatest No. 5 batsmen in the game with a huge average of close to 55. More importantly, he averaged more away from home, an impressive 57, which is more than what the most prolific batsmen at No. 5 averaged at home.

Flower’s conversion rate wasn’t exactly high but a major factor for that was the relatively weak team he played for. As part of a stronger batting order, Flower could have achieved a lot more.

#4 AB de Villiers

Test cricket deserves more from AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	66	3574	63.82	13/13
No. 5 at home	36	2150	65.15	9/8
No. 5 away	30	1424	61.91	4/5

AB de Villiers is still an active cricketer and already, he is No. 8 on the list of most prolific No. 5 batsmen in Test cricket. It is scary to think De Villiers hasn’t yet reached the heights he is capable of reaching.

He averages 64 at No. 5 and more importantly, averages over 60 both home and away. 26 out of his 66 innings have resulted in a 50-plus score.

De Villiers is remembered for his exploits in the shorter formats of the game, but like his highest score of 278* would suggest, he is capable of great things in Tests too. He is one of those rare geniuses who make their stunning numbers sound like an underachievement. Test cricket deserves more from AB de Villiers.

#3 Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke has a Bradmanesque average at No.5, but unwisely moved to No.4

Michael Clarke	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	110	5959	60.80	20/20
No. 5 at home	45	3299	84.58	12/9
No. 5 away	65	2660	45.08	8/11

The Ashes loss ended Michael Clarke’s career a little prematurely. Battling a weak back all through his career, Clarke made a habit of beating the odds, inheriting a weakened team and turning it into a bunch of fighters. Clarke himself had some daddy hundreds at No. 5; the move to No. 4 was unwise and it cost him a lot.

At No. 5, especially at home, Clarke averaged a whopping 84.5 which is as Bradmanesque as it can possibly get. With 40 fifty-plus scores in 110 innings, his 60.8 at that position makes Clarke one of the greatest No. 5 batsmen of all time.

Interestingly, Clarke had fewer ducks than Waugh or Chanderpaul, showing he contributed more often. His conversion rate was better than both Chanderpaul and Waugh too.

#2 Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh brought solidity to Australia’s middle order

Steve Waugh	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	142	6754	56.28	24/29
No. 5 at home	75	3561	56.52	11/19
No. 5 away	67	3193	56.01	13/10

The world remembers Steve Waugh as the architect of the Invincible Team. But more importantly, he was the one who brought grit and character to the Australian middle order. Waugh was a bulldog, ready to fight for the last scrap, play ugly cricket but survive, and making sure he saw his team through the tough times.

His conversion rate was brilliant and he had 53 fifty-plus scores in 142 innings, indicating that every time he walked out at No. 5, there was a high chance he was going to contribute. Waugh also had more centuries away from home, which should be another feather in his cap.

Waugh’s fighting capabilities preceded Gilchrist’s counter-attacking punches, and that ensured Australia’s lower middle order was in absolutely safe hands. Waugh was also the only batsman to bat at that position in more than 100 Tests. He also had 22 not-outs to his credit.

#1 Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Shivnarine Chanderpaul is the greatest No. 5 Test cricket has seen

Shivnarine Chanderpaul	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/50s
No. 5 overall	151	6883	56.41	19/35
No. 5 at home	70	3180	57.81	9/17
No. 5 away	81	3703	55.26	10/18

The greatest No. 5 the game has seen, Chanderpaul accumulated more runs at that one position than many players have over an entire career. Chanderpaul averages over 55 at that position both home and away, which in itself is an incredible accomplishment.

54 of his 151 innings have been meaningful, which is more than 1/3rd. He has also had 29 not-outs, indicating that he has batted with the tail many times. Despite the fact that Chanderpaul’s career mostly overlapped with the declining phase of West Indian cricket, it could be said that the stalwart was a pillar of strength in that brittle middle order.