Number 5 or 7: Where to bat De Kock In Tests?

Should the Proteas keep De Kock in the position that he as been very successful in, or move him up the order to try and get more out of him?

Bat your wicketkeeper at number 7, that has always been the advice. Well, not really. It has always been the way things have been done after the Gilchrist Revolution. Before then they batted lower than seven.

Andy Zaltzman does a brilliant statistical analysis of the evolution of the wicketkeeper's position over time, but here is the short version: up until 1999, only 22% of wicketkeepers batted at number seven. In the same period, about 50.67% of them batted in the bottom four, while 26.3% were in the top six. In the history of cricket, the number seven position was very much for the allrounders.

The big change came after the arrival of Adam Gilchrist and countries moved to emulate the ‘Gilchrist blueprint.’ The effect of the Gilchrist years is that, since 2000, 59% of wicketkeepers have batted at seven, and only 16% in the bottom four, while 25% came in the top six.

It has not just been the occupation of the position that teams sought to replicate, it was also the intentionally aggressive strokeplay that they were after. Counter-attacking when the team was under pressure, and taking the game away from the opposition when in a position of power.

But, even though they are the most sought after type of wicketkeeper, the wicketkeeper-batter/batter-wicketkeeper, they are hard to come by. At the end of the day, wicketkeeping is just as specialized as bowling. Some of the very best bowlers are not number 7 material, though they can wield a bat if really needed. Similarly, some of the very best, world-class, wicketkeepers cannot command a place in the team solely based on their batting. They might be decent, but certainly not spectacular.

This is because wicketkeeping duties come with high physical and emotional intensity. The mental fortitude required to concentrate on every delivery in the course of an innings is immense. Then there comes the physical demands of crouching at almost every delivery, the demands of athleticism: diving, jumping... No wonder it takes years of intense training to develop a world-class wicketkeeper.

But this is lost on many modern cricket fans. Many grew up on stories of the batting excellence of Gilchrist and Andy Flower and watched MS Dhoni and others who came after him, and as a result, they take for granted just how specialized wicketkeeping is.

Where To Bat Quinton De Kock In Tests

This is what makes keepers like Quinton De Kock special. They possess batting abilities that can earn them places in the team without employing their wicketkeeping skills. And they can also command places as specialist keepers too. They don't just bat seven, they play the "Gilchrist role."

This is why it came as a surprise when South Africa decided to bat De Kock at five during their recent tour of Pakistan. This was despite the fact that De Kock averages 49.87 coming in at seven, a position where he has also scored his highest score, 129 (not out) and 4 more centuries.

The idea to bat him up the order was probably informed by the need to have one of the best batters in the side higher up, contributing more. With a batting lineup that the Proteas have at the moment, only Quinton De Kock and Aiden Markram are natural stroke-players who can move the game forward. In the absence of another more attacking player in the squad, it makes a lot of sense to slot De Kock in there.

However, being that he is a wicketkeeper, you would want him to come in a little lower than that. Not many keepers can bat that high up the order and maintain good numbers in all areas. The intensity of keeping can sometimes place limitations on just how much higher up the order you can play your wicketkeeper. There is always a strong and sensible motive to be protective of your keeper.

And if you are a traditionalist, number seven would be perfect, but there is a catch. Seven is only perfect when you have a bowling line-up that boasts bowlers of Shane Warne or Glenn McGrath's quality. With one or both of them, a team doesn't really need a fifth bowler, and can therefore field a top six of specialist batters. The same is true when you have a Ben Stokes in your top six. As Tim Wigmore says, "If you have Stokes batting in your top 6, then you have less need for a keeper to be there too."

However, a team like the Proteas, on the other hand, has neither and is still developing those high impact allrounders or specialist bowlers that allow for a keeper to comfortably bat at seven. So, until then, South Africa needs to redefine its "Gilchrist role" position, adjust it upwards. But not as high up as five.

And six would look like the more ideal position.

Every Purist’s Nightmare In The Age Of The Allrounders

Test cricket is no longer a 5-day game. This is hard to accept, especially if you are a purist, but the fact is Test cricket is evolving into a shorter format. At best, it is becoming more of a 4-day contest.

With this in mind, there is less need for 4 specialist bowlers in the squad. Teams can now easily field 3 specialist bowlers. And instead of fielding bowlers who can somewhat bat at seven and eight, they should now be looking to field full-blooded allrounders in those positions.

Test cricket is evolving, it is no longer about going the whole 5-days, but about maximizing on phases of play, capitalizing on small advantages and momentum shifts. For example, scoring at a significantly higher run rate in the period just before the second new ball, in order to put a total beyond the opposition. It's now about shrewdly managing bowlers' spells. Pacers might benefit from shorter spells as it keeps them fresh and more lethal.

According to a paper, Evolution of Test Cricket in the Last Two Decades, the Test cricket run rate has gone up by 60% between 2010 and 2019. This is not the only change. Since 2010, only about twenty to 30% of Tests have last the full five days, while close to 60% of Tests obtain a result in four days or less.

For teams to achieve the fluidity required to adjust to situations and momentum shifts during the course of a match, they might need more allrounders in the setup. Of course, this can also mean longer batting lineups, but longer batting lineups would also mean that teams would be more dependent on part-timers should matches go the full 5 days. Otherwise, they would bowl their front line bowlers into the ground.

So, with Mulder and Linde in the squad, De Kock can still bat at seven, his most successful position, while Mulder who has 5 First Class 100s and 5 First Class 50s comes in at six. Or they can interchange positions depending on the match situation and present requirements.

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