Cricket’s greatest openers: Technique, courage and genius

By Harsh Thakor*  

This is my selection, in order of merit, of the greatest opening batsmen ever. I have tried to strike a balance between Test and first-class statistics, as well as technical correctness and attacking skill. I have prioritised Test and first-class cricket over ODI cricket.

1. Jack Hobbs – His reign at the top possibly eclipsed that of anyone else in the history of sport, dominating before and after the war. His stunning first-class aggregate of 61,237 runs and staggering tally of 197 centuries may never be surpassed. He excelled on bad wickets and sticky dogs, and averaged over 60 in Test matches during the middle phase of his career while playing on some of the most bowler-friendly surfaces. His centuries against Australia on sticky wickets at The Oval in 1926 and at Melbourne in 1928–29 rank among cricket’s most defining and classical innings.

2. Barry Richards – Had his international career not been curtailed by apartheid, I would have backed Barry Richards to rank second only to Don Bradman. No one more completely epitomised all-round batting perfection and skill, or tore attacks apart so clinically. Barry transcended conventional realms of strokeplay, statistically overshadowing the great Viv Richards in World Series Cricket by averaging over 79, including a double century and an unbeaten hundred. When scoring 356 for Western Australia in 1972, including 325 runs in a single day, he scaled batting heights rarely witnessed. As a pure match-winner, he was unmatched as an opener.

3. Sunil Gavaskar – No batsman plundered runs and broke so many batting records in such a short span while facing the most lethal pace bowlers without the aid of a helmet. Gavaskar epitomised concentration, willpower, watertight technique and single-minded intensity, almost single-handedly carrying India’s batting mantle. Despite being primarily defensive in style, he set up some of India’s greatest victories against the West Indies at Trinidad in 1971 and 1976, and against Pakistan in Madras in 1980. His classic 221 at The Oval in 1979 nearly pulled off a miraculous fourth-innings chase of 438, with India falling just nine runs short. When he adopted an attacking approach, he produced blinders such as his 129 at Delhi and 90 at Ahmedabad against the West Indies in 1983–84. His final knock of 96 at Bangalore against Pakistan ranks among the finest innings played on a wearing track. He became the first batsman ever to reach 10,000 Test runs and set benchmarks as an opener that remain unsurpassed.

4. Len Hutton – Technically, arguably the finest batsman of all, who played some of the most classical innings on broken tracks. No batsman in his era was equally rock-solid while shaping many English victories at home and overseas. He averaged 56.67 in Tests, amassing 6,974 runs, which was phenomenal for his era. Among his finest innings were 364 at The Oval, 37 at Sydney on a treacherous wicket, and 205 at Kingston.

5. Victor Trumper – On bad wickets, arguably no batsman equalled Trumper in impetuosity and creativity. No opening batsman transcended pure genius in the manner he did. In England in 1902, Trumper reached almost surreal heights. During that summer of dreadful weather, he amassed 2,570 runs in 35 matches for the Australian team at an average of 48, with 11 centuries, the highest being 128. His career ended dramatically when South Africa toured Australia in 1910–11. Reviving his very best form, he scored 662 runs in five Tests at an average of 94.

6. Virender Sehwag – No opening batsman redefined the art of batting in his era or elevated strike-rate batting to such heights. Sehwag transcended batting destruction into realms unexplored. Few openers possessed such a penchant for mammoth scores, coming close to registering three triple centuries. He conquered even the most difficult tracks, such as when scoring 84 at Chennai against England in 2008–09 and 155 against Australia at Chennai in 2004. His 309 at Multan won India the game in 2004, while his 319 against South Africa in 2008 was another gem. He also proved his mastery against spin with a match-winning 201 in Sri Lanka. Despite lazy footwork, Sehwag produced strokes of surreal brilliance, particularly the square drive. Few openers could flay bowling attacks in the manner he did.

7. Graham Gooch – Arguably the finest opening batsman against express pace bowling. Gooch aggregated 743 runs against the mighty Caribbean pace battery at an average above 43 in the West Indies. During the 1981 Caribbean tour, he averaged over 57, scoring 153 at Kingston and 116 at Barbados. His 154 against the West Indies at Leeds in 1991 ranks among the greatest Test innings ever played. Gooch also topped the batting averages in the 1987 Reliance World Cup. Characteristic driving, hooking and pulling defined his dazzling strokeplay. Against India in 1990, he amassed a record aggregate of 752 runs in a three-Test series, including 333 at Lord’s and a match aggregate of 456 runs.

8. Matthew Hayden – Statistically among the top five openers of all time and a tremendous match-winner. Hayden spearheaded arguably the strongest Test side ever from 2001 to 2007. No opener in his era was as calculatingly destructive and prolific. He scored the then world-record Test score of 380 against Zimbabwe, later surpassed by Brian Lara.

9. Geoff Boycott – Technically among the greatest batsmen ever, Boycott seldom gave bowlers even the slightest opportunity. Arguably no batsman surpassed the intensity of his concentration or the straightness of his bat, making him one of the hardest players ever to dismiss. In first-class cricket, statistically he ranks second only to Jack Hobbs among openers, averaging 56.94 and scoring nearly 50,000 runs. He displayed immense tenacity in the Caribbean during 1968–69, 1973–74 and 1981 on difficult tracks. He also played a stellar role in England’s Ashes triumphs in Australia in 1970–71 and at home in 1977.

10. Vijay Merchant – Merchant set standards close to Bradman’s level. Technically, he was arguably the finest Indian batsman ever and conquered the wettest English tracks during the tours of 1936 and 1946. He possesses the second-highest first-class batting average ever, around 72. His tally of 44 first-class centuries included 11 double centuries, one of them an unbeaten 359 against Maharashtra at Bombay in 1943–44. On the 1936 tour of England, he topped the batting averages with 1,745 runs at 51.32. In the Manchester Test, his 114 alongside Mushtaq Ali’s 112 produced a 203-run opening stand after India had followed on. During the wet English summer of 1946, despite losing considerable weight, he amassed 2,385 runs at an average of 74, including seven centuries. In the three Tests, he scored 245 runs in five innings, including 128 at The Oval.

11. Hanif Mohammad – Hanif staged one of cricket’s most monumental batting efforts when he scored 337 at Barbados in 1957–58 against a lethal West Indian attack. Technically, few batsmen of his era, let alone openers, could equal him. He mastered difficult wickets and shaped many important victories for Pakistan.

12. Gordon Greenidge – A perfect fusion of watertight technique and explosive power. For a brief period in 1984, Greenidge was arguably the best batsman in the world. Few openers combined such attacking aggression with technical solidity. His unbeaten 214 at Lord’s in 1984 represented batting virtuosity of the highest order, while his three centuries in England in 1976 were masterpieces on difficult surfaces.

13. Glenn Turner – Turner dramatically transformed himself from a defensive batsman into an attacking one to meet the demands of limited-overs cricket. He remains the most successful overseas batsman in English first-class cricket, scoring over 100 centuries. He scored a triple century in his 100th first-class match and once made 141 out of a team total of 169 against Somerset at Swansea. Turner also scored two double centuries in the West Indies in 1972, including 259 at Georgetown, and topped the batting averages in the 1979 Prudential World Cup.

14. Saeed Anwar – At his best, Anwar’s blistering strokeplay belonged in the league of Tendulkar and Lara. Few left-handers better defined batting artistry or played more scintillating innings. He broke the ODI world-record score by making 194 against India in 1997, while his unbeaten 188 at Kolkata in 1999 was a gem on a wearing surface.

15.Arthur Morris – A great match-winner who played a major role in propelling Bradman’s Invincibles. Morris was even selected by Bradman himself in his all-time team.

Opening batsmen just missing the cut include Alastair Cook, Desmond Haynes, Sanath Jayasuriya, Conrad Hunte, Bill Lawry, Bobby Simpson and Ian Redpath. Of course, my rankings are subjective, particularly in giving strong weightage to first-class records and in ranking Barry Richards and Vijay Merchant so highly. I gave Barry Richards the nod over Gavaskar because of his prowess as a match-winner, while Hobbs’ achievements speak for themselves.

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*Freelance journalist