In the game of cricket, a tailender refers to somebody who is near the end of the batting order.
All 11 players in a cricket team are required to bat, although approximately 4 of the players are chosen for their bowling ability rather than their batting ability. These 4 are the tailenders.
Tailenders are a sometimes comical sight on the cricket field. Their ineptitude with the bat is often made up for by a crash or crash through approach which is always entertaining, but sometimes frustrating for the bowling team. The worst of the tailenders are called bunnies, and the very worst are sometimes referred to as ferrets, as ferrets always go in after bunnies.