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Tests: Best ever Opening batsman

Who was the best opening batsman ever in tests?


  • Total voters
    55

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
One choice or partners? I picked Hobbs and Gavaskar as my opening combo. Hobbs obviously the best if I had to pick one.
 

Days of Grace

International Captain
Gooch was brilliant in the last five years of his career.

Choose just one batsman. Not an opening combination.
 

bagapath

International Captain
has to be hobbs. scored tons of runs either side of the big war on different surfaces facing different bowlers playing completely different games (front foot and attacking/ backfoot and pragmatic). went on and on for three decades in both FC and tests as the no.1 batsman in the world. would have maintained a 50+ avg against the windies pace battery of the 70s. and that is the highest praise i could think of.
 

analyst

U19 12th Man
Isn't it redundant to vote for every one of the options? Just wondering, I voted for Hayden. Not that any of the others are any less worthy of a vote.
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Len Hutton for me

Hobbs and Sutcliffe are tempting but neither faced Gregory and MacDonald in 1921 - of course it's not their fault they never faced a top class pace attack in Tests but Sir Len undoubtedly did and by all accounts dealt with it wonderfully well
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Gooch?

Taylor, Slater and Langer > Gooch...
Umm... no, they're not. Langer isn't even close (he's not even an opener, only opened in Tests due to a chance circumstances-inspired move), Taylor and Slater were good but Gooch was very good.

Anyway it almost has to be either Hobbs, Sutcliffe or Hutton. I could happily go for any so reckon it has to be the multiple-choice option.

Hayden clearly isn't close and wouldn't have been Test-class had he played exclusively pre-2001/02. 8-)
 
Umm... no, they're not. Langer isn't even close (he's not even an opener, only opened in Tests due to a chance circumstances-inspired move), Taylor and Slater were good but Gooch was very good.

Anyway it almost has to be either Hobbs, Sutcliffe or Hutton. I could happily go for any so reckon it has to be the multiple-choice option.

Hayden clearly isn't close and wouldn't have been Test-class had he played exclusively pre-2001/02. 8-)
Justin Langer

5009 runs
average 48.16
Hundreds 15
Fifties 18

As opener only.

Man you talk some shyte Rich.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I'm aware of those figures. I'm also aware that Langer would not have opened in Tests at all had Michael Slater managed to hang-on to his place for another Test.

Langer was a number-three who ended-up opening in Tests and would not have been unduly successful in a time of stronger bowling.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
I went with Jack Hobbs. Followed by Hutton-Gavaskar-Trumper-Sutcliffe in that order IMO, though there's very little between them.
 

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