---
title: "Why Do Cricket Teams Send in a Nightwatchman Near the End of the Day?"  
description: "Why Do Cricket Teams Send in a Nightwatchman Near the End of the Day?"  
author: "Ilaria Giorgi"  
published: 2026-10-21  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/117949/why-do-cricket-teams-send-in-a-nightwatchman-near-the-end-of-the-day  
category: "Mix Category"  
tags: ["cricket", "Sports strategy", "Test Cricket"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# Why Do Cricket Teams Send in a Nightwatchman Near the End of the Day?

In Test cricket, a lower-order batter sometimes goes in ahead of a specialist batter when a wicket falls late in the day. I understand the basic idea is to protect a key batter from a short spell before stumps, but it seems risky to use someone less equipped to handle the bowling.

How do teams decide when a nightwatchman is worth sending in? Does the decision depend more on the time left, the pitch and conditions, or the match situation?


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/117949/why-do-cricket-teams-send-in-a-nightwatchman-near-the-end-of-the-day

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