Cool Heads, Big Hits: The Art of the Finisher

Twelve needed from the last over. The crowd is on its feet and the batters have been told what everyone knows. The bowler runs in, the fielders are spread, and the man at the crease looks entirely unbothered. That is the picture of the finisher: the batter who treats the most pressurised moment in the game as work he was born to do.

What a finisher does

A finisher is not simply a big hitter. He is a player who bats late in an innings, usually from number five to number seven, and whose job is to close out a game. In a chase, that means guiding the side across the line. In a first innings, it means lifting the total in the last few overs from a good score to a great one.

The skills are a mix. Power is useful, but so are placement, running between the wickets, and the ability to read the bowler's plan. The best finishers work out which bowler to attack and which to see off, and they understand the required rate as well as they understand their own game.

Bevan: the original calm

The finisher as a recognised type was established in one-day cricket in the 1990s, and Australia's Michael Bevan is often seen as the template. He lacked the swagger of the great hitters, but he had an extraordinary ability to nurdle singles, find gaps and keep the target within reach. He took Australia home from precarious positions so often that his role became a part of one-day cricket's vocabulary.

The lesson was that finishing was not only about sixes. The tension of a chase is eased when a batter keeps the scoreboard moving and refuses to panic. Bevan's approach made a virtue of patience at the death, and it set a standard for the many who followed.

Klusener and the power game

Not every finisher worked with a nudge and a run. South Africa's Lance Klusener, a left-handed all-rounder with a heavy bat, was the opposite: a forceful striker who drove the ball with ferocity. At the 1999 World Cup he was one of the stars of the tournament and was named the player of the competition. His performance in the semi-final against Australia at Edgbaston, which ended in a tie in dramatic circumstances, remains one of the most talked-about moments in the competition's history.

Klusener showed what power could do when it was backed by timing. His approach was an influence on a new generation who saw that the last overs could be attacked from ball one, a view that suited the faster pace of the modern game.

Dhoni: the master of the chase

India's MS Dhoni brought an unusual composure to the role. He would build an innings in a way that seemed lazy, taking a single here and a two there, then explode in the last few overs with ferocious straight hitting. His six that clinched the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai is among the best-known shots in the sport's history, hit off Nuwan Kulasekara to complete a famous chase.

What stood out was his sense of timing: not just in the shot but in the decision. He would take a chase deep and then trust his hitting to finish it, and the calm he displayed made his teammates and fans believe the outcome was never in doubt. Michael Hussey, nicknamed Mr Cricket, was another who added a steady hand to Australia's lower middle order.

How the format reshapes the role

In Twenty20, the role has become more specialised. Batters such as Andre Russell of the West Indies, Hardik Pandya of India and England's Jos Buttler have thrived by hitting boundaries from the start of their innings, often with only a few balls to face. Bowlers, in turn, have developed slower balls, wide yorkers and cutters to restrain them, which has made the death overs one of the most closely contested phases of the game.

Rule changes, such as the field restrictions that apply for most of a limited-overs innings, have also shaped how finishers work. With only a few fielders allowed outside the circle early on and more later, batters must adapt their approach to the changing field.

The mind of a closer

Beyond the strokeplay, the finisher's real strength is mental. He must accept that failure is likely, that a mis-hit may end the chase, and that the crowd will remember the result. He has to commit fully to a plan and trust his instincts. Most of the great finishers have shown an ability to slow their heartbeat in the moments that frighten others.

• Know the required rate, but do not be ruled by it.
• Pick the bowler you will attack and the one you will see off.
• Back your strengths, even when the situation is tense.
• Treat each ball as a separate task, not as the whole match.

Why we love them

The finisher gives cricket its sense of theatre. A match can drift for hours, and then, in a few minutes, someone seizes it. That blend of tension and release is why the great closing innings remain among the most-watched moments in the sport. The runs are decisive, but the real thrill comes from watching a person stay calm when everybody else cannot.