bat deep

English

Verb

bat deep (third-person singular simple present bats deep, present participle batting deep, simple past and past participle batted deep)

1. (cricket, of a team) To have a significant number of talented batters, even batting low in the order.
   • 2010 October 28, Hachette New Zealand, Shane Bond - Looking Back, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

     I thought they were a brilliant side to watch. They might have been a bit regimented in the way they went about things but they had pace with the ball and in the field, and they batted deep, with guys like Mark Boucher, Lance Klusener and Shaun Pollock often coming in at numbers seven, eight and nine.

2. (Australia, by extension, of a group) To have significant depth of talent.
   • 2019 March 21, Nick Riewoldt, “AFL 2019: St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt lists the 12 most irreplaceable players in the AFL”, in Fox Footy‎^[1]:

     A player that can play so well forward and so well in the midfield is so hard to replace. I would play him 70–30 forward–midfield because I like his ability to score. They bat deep in the midfield and he is so damaging closer to goal.

   • 2021 October 14, Dominic Perrottet, “Question Time: Ms Melanie Gibbons, Member for Holsworthy”, in parliamentary debates (New South Wales Legislative Assembly), page 7,287:

     The problem I have is there is just way too much talent in the Liberals and The Nationals. Everyone wants our members… It is hard when you lead a team that bats deep: There is always going to be demand for our talents elsewhere.

   • 2024 September 4, Jasper Chellappah, “AFL Draft state-of-play: Your club's biggest need in the deepest draft pool ever”, in ESPN‎^[2]:

     The good news is this draft bats deep and there's talent to snare late.