In Cricket, What Is An "All-rounder"?

An all-rounder is a cricketer who bats and bowls proficiently, and is worth a place in the team for either discipline.  The mark of a true all rounder is a batting average that exceeds a bowling average - ie the player scores more runs with the bat than he concedes with the ball.  They give the team a massive advantage in that they can field, in effect, six batsmen, a wicket-keeper and five bowlers - as England did with great results in the Ashes series of 2005.

Great all-rounders include Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee - who were, amazingly, all playing during the same period - and, earlier, Australia's Keith Miller and West Indians Learie Constantine and possibly the greatest of them all, Gary Sobers.  Nowadays Jaques Kallis and Freddy Flintoff are the most well-known all rounders.

Allrounder means a cricketer who can bowl, at & field