Ken Barrington started as a free-scoring off-side player, but, determined to regain his place in the England Test team, he opened his stance and became a defensive leg-side player. In the 1960s he was the backbone of the England team, whose batting had proved so fragile to the Australian bowling in the 1958–59 Ashes series, but he was a match-saver rather than a match-winner, always best in a crisis. The selectors, press and public thought that he surrendered the initiative too much to the bowlers, but a batsman of his calibre could not be ignored. He was a great worrier and had trouble sleeping during a Test match or if he was not out overnight, which led in turn to exhaustion. As a batsman he was a nervous waiter in the dressing room and preferred to bat at number three to reduce the tension. He would smoke cigarettes to calm himself down and would watch closely to see how the wicket was playing.