"You can't really have someone who's a good bat, but can't bowl - they become a liability," Tony Panecasio said.

"Everyone has to bat and bowl, so you can't have a weakness - you have to do all three disciplines."

Kiama resident Panecasio plays first grade for Lake Illawarra in the South Coast District Cricket Association competition.

The left-arm orthodox spinner is also association president.

The 51-year-old has been playing indoor cricket for about 25 years, and will represent NSW in the over-45s division at the upcoming national titles.

The indoor cricket national titles, the 2015 Australian Masters Championships, will take place at Ultimate Indoor Sports at Silverwater. The competition runs from May 23-May 30 in a variety of age divisions. At the end of the tournament teams are presented with trophies/awards and players are named in various Australian teams.

This will be Panecasio's 19th year representing his state, with his team defending champions. He said the indoor incarnation presented its unique challenges.

"The main thing you have to keep in mind is you have a restricted area, and you have to change your shots," he said.

"There's no 'cow corner' slogs. You have to watch your technique, to try and get it over fielders' heads."

The spinner said the indoor game, played year-round, wasn't as popular as many other sports.

He said he enjoyed both forms of the game, but the two-hour timeframe for an indoor game was appealing to many players.

He believed it still served a purpose, especially during winter for outdoor players who wanted to keep their skills sharp while not taking too much time away from family.

"The two [indoor and outdoor] do feed into each other; the skill set is very similar. You're still looking at placement as a batter, and as a bowler you still have to have the accuracy."