Chris Martin and 10 of the Worst Tailenders in Cricket History

Genuine tailenders, the type of players who don’t even know which side of the bat is up, is becoming increasingly rare in Test cricket. Most modern day players have a vague idea of how to hold the fort when the pressure is on. Some, like Imran Tahir, resort to interesting tactics to help them get through the low light and tense matches.

Cricket has had some great tailenders throughout history, though. And by “great” we mean terrible. Glossing over some of the really bad players of yore, here’s a list of 10 of the worst tailenders in the game’s history. You don’t need to guess who is No. 1.

Add your favourites in the comments. 

10. Monty Panesar (England)

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Monty Panesar might not be the worst ever (who can forget his Ashes heroics in Cardiff?), but he was always comical to watch at the crease. Panesar almost always looked absolutely petrified at the crease and while his effort in Cardiff will forever be remembered as one of the great Ashes moments, the rest of his batting left much to be desired.

He averaged just 4.88 in the 68 innings he batted in and has a high score of just 26 during his time at the crease. He also made a duck on 20 occasions in Tests.

9. Fidel Edwards (West Indies)

Bikas Das/Associated Press

Fidel Edwards is another player who won't go down as the worst ever but an average of 6.56 in 88 innings puts him up there. Although he has a first-class top score of 40, Edwards never really managed to repeat that feat at international level.

Dismissed for ducks on 19 occasions in Tests, his best batting performances came in India. In three Tests he played there, he scored 55 runs (of his total 394) and averaged 18.33.   

8. Courtney Walsh (West Indies)

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Courtney Walsh was one mean fast bowler, but when he walked to the crease with bat in hand, he became a lamb. He averaged 7.54 across 185 innings, with a top score of 30 unbeaten. During those innings he hit an impressive 77 fours and 19 sixes. Those aren’t the worst figures for a tailender but most of those runs came through sheer luck rather than technique.

7. Glenn McGrath (Australia)

STEVE HOLLAND/Associated Press

Australian batsman Glenn McGrath waves his bat to the crowd after 54 no out at the end of play on the third day of play of the first Test match between Australia and New Zealand at the Gabba, Brisbane, Saturday Nov 20, 2004. Australia finish at 9 for 564

Glenn McGrath might have scored a half century in Test cricket, but that was very much a once-off incident. Most of the time, McGrath was comical with bat in hand, but he more than made up for it with his bowling.

6. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar (India)

Although he was a terrible batsman (averaged 4.07 in 80 innings and scored just 167 Test runs in total), Chandrasekhar deserves some credit for having played 58 Tests. He suffered from polio during childhood, leaving his left arm withered, but that didn't stop him from playing cricket. In that context, perhaps he's not such a bad tailender after all.

The video is of Chandrasekhar taking six for 38 against England, to help India to a historic victory. 

5. Jack Saunders (Australia)

Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press

Jack Saunders played for Australia in the early 1900s. A bowler with a big reputation, Saunders was quite useless with the bat. He played 14 Tests for Australia and scored just 39 runs in 23 innings at an average of 2.29. His top score was 11 not out.  

While no footage exists of him batting (none that we can find anyway), his stats are nothing short of atrocious. To make up for that horror, the picture for this post is of Mahela Jayawardene showing just how far cricket has progressed. 

4. Bert Ironmonger (Australia)

Another Aussie from way back, Bert Ironmonger's average is a lowly 2.62. He managed 42 runs in his 21 innings at the crease with a top score of 12. Better known for being the fourth oldest cricketer to make his Test debut (he was 45), Ironmonger was a wily spinner who was lucky if he knew which end of the bat to hold.

3. Phil Tufnell (England)

One of the few truly awful tailenders of the 1990s era, Phil Tufnell averaged 5.10 in 59 innings, scoring just 153 runs in total. He hit 13 fours in his time at the crease, but the video above tells you everything you need to know about his batting abilities (or lack thereof).

2. Pommie Mbangwa (Zimbabwe)

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Pommie Mbawngwa holds the dubious honour of having the lowest batting average in the history of Test cricket (for players who have played a minimum of 15 Tests). He averaged 2.00 in his 25 innings, scoring just 34 runs with a high score of eight. There could not be a better picture to accompany this post than him with Chris Martin discussing tactics.

1. Chris Martin (New Zealand)

Without a doubt, the worst tailender to ever live, Chris Martin’s efforts with the bat are some of the biggest jokes in cricket. The man himself can at least see the funny side and the video “How to bat like Chris Martin” is cult classic for all those who like to poke fun at his horrendous batting. In 104 innings, Marin averaged just 2.36 and he scored just 123 runs. On the bright side, he was dismissed for a duck just 36 times.