CW All-Time XI Openers

[weldone]

Hobby and Sunny

This

 

[JBH001]

Hobbs (pre-war) and Trumper.

That would be a beautiful partnership to watch on a sunny first morning of a test match.

 

[watson]

y no hayden? sehwag wtf?!

Hayden was rarely tested by a top notch attack. When he occasionally fronted up to a quality bowler such as Curtly Ambrose he didn't survive very long. For example, 3rd test 1996 at the MCG;

3rd Test: Australia v West Indies at Melbourne, Dec 26-28, 1996 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[fredfertang]

Barry Richards is as good a batsman as I've ever seen - such a shame he didn't have the opportunity to satisfy the slaves to stats regarding his quality

 

[kingkallis]

Hobbs & Richards

 

[smash84]

Barry Richards is as good a batsman as I've ever seen - such a shame he didn't have the opportunity to satisfy the slaves to stats regarding his quality

 

[uvelocity]

Hayden was rarely tested by a top notch attack. When he occasionally fronted up to a quality bowler such as Curtly Ambrose he didn't survive very long. For example, 3rd test 1996 at the MCG;

3rd Test: Australia v West Indies at Melbourne, Dec 26-28, 1996 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

you must be joking surely, to quote the scorecard from his second match. You know he played another hundred tests after this point, right?

 

[weldone]

3rd Test: Australia v West Indies at Melbourne, Dec 26-28, 1996 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

"I was a lamb to the slaughter, and I knew it," writes Matthew Hayden with disarming candour about the Boxing Day Test of 1996. "The West Indies knew it. Curtly Ambrose certainly knew it. If Curtly hadn't got me out that over then it would have happened in his next, or the one after that. I might as well not have bothered padding up because I was out before I got in. Every sportsman will tell you that there are times when you feel way out of your depth and you categorically know you're going to fail."

"Curtly was the best opposition bowler I ever faced by far. You were always under pressure with him. Did he bowl a bad over ... ever? A bad ball? A full toss? I'm sure he did, but it never seemed that way when you were facing him," Hayden said.

Sources: Dileep Premachandran: West Indies v India: the tables have turned | Opinion | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo
The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Hayden praises and criticises the stars

 

[watson]

you must be joking surely, to quote the scorecard from his second match. You know he played another hundred tests after this point, right?

That's right. And all after the era of the great West Indian and Pakistani bowlers apart from that test and a handful of others.

The next best attack he faced was probably England in 2005. The reverse swing of Simon Jones, and the conventional swing of Hoggard took him apart. Heaven help him against Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. To my knowledge he never faced Akram in a test match and only Waqar at the tail end of his career.

Also, can you imagine Haydan advancing down the wicket or 'standing his ground' to Michael Holding or Malcom Marshall? They'd have to take his helmet to the panel beaters inside 10 overs.

 

[Burgey]

That's right. And all after the era of the great West Indian and Pakistani bowlers apart from that test and a handful of others.

The next best attack he faced was probably England in 2005. The reverse swing of Simon Jones, and the conventional swing of Hoggard took him apart. Heaven help him against Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. To my knowledge he never faced Akram in a test match and only Waqar at the tail end of his career.

Also, can you imagine Haydan advancing down the wicket or 'standing his ground' to Michael Holding or Malcom Marshall? They'd have to take his helmet to the panel beaters inside 10 overs.

Course he would have stood his ground. Players improve/ go backwards, and they adapt to the era they play in. That's why blokes like Hobbs and Hutton succeeded over different eras, split by world wars.

You can't say he'd play the same way, but you can't say he would fail. The same would apply for Sehwag and the like.

 

[morgieb]

watson = Richard's multi?

 

[fredfertang]

watson = Richard's multi?

Nah - no mention of Tres

 

[uvelocity]

@weldone; Those quotes don't disqualify him from greatness. In fact the opposite, he is humble enough to admit Ambrose was too good for him at that point in time.

@wason; he scored tons facing Walsh, Donald, Waquar & Akhtar, Hoggard & Jones, Murali, Harmison & Flintoff in the World XI, and against Kumble. He made 30 hundreds, 29 50's and averaged 50. He sits 16th all time in test runs scored, and nobody above him has played less matches! He held the record for runs in an innings for a while, though this is in my eyes his least notable achievement bearing in mind the opposition.

I don't think he can be dismissed so easily. Definitely should be among the ATG's of openers.

 

[weldone]

@weldone; Those quotes don't disqualify him from greatness. In fact the opposite, he is humble enough to admit Ambrose was too good for him at that point in time.

Indeed.

I posted the quotes only because the scorecard reminded me of those, not for any other reason.

 

[uvelocity]

fair enough.

 

[Dan]

There were three distinct sections to Hayden's career - before the 2001 India tour, the Hayden-Langer era, and the Post-Langer segment.

Segment One - Batting average 24, 1 century

Segment Two - Batting average 58, 26 centuries

Section Three - Batting average 36, 3 centuries

After his watershed India tour until his opening partner retired, Hayden was arguably the best opening batsman in the world. Can definitely be considered with the ATG openers - doesn't have a hope in hell of actually making the team, but still.

 

[Debris]

How does Sid Barnes not even make the list?

 

[Howe_zat]

There were three distinct sections to Hayden's career - before the 2001 India tour, the Hayden-Langer era, and the Post-Langer segment.

Segment One - Batting average 24, 1 century

Segment Two - Batting average 58, 26 centuries

Section Three - Batting average 36, 3 centuries

After his watershed India tour until his opening partner retired, Hayden was arguably the best opening batsman in the world. Can definitely be considered with the ATG openers - doesn't have a hope in hell of actually making the team, but still.

That's pretty fair, but denying Hayden is a cricketing art form in itself, and is not to be sneezed at.

 

[Jager]

I think some more Australian-biased posters might have even gone for Hayden just for a left-right combination, but who knows, I like the list how it is so will Trumper be available in the middle order (where he had more success)?

 

[Howe_zat]

Sounds like kyear's using the Wisden noms, so that seems doubtful. Not to mention that Trumper also has a lot more competiton for a middle order spot.