The 10 best ODI openers of all time. !!

[Duncan]

Tendulkar
Waugh
Gilchrist
Anwar
Jayasuriya
Greenridge
Ganguly
Kirsten
Sehwag

 

[veeru2810]

1. sachin
2. gilchrist
3. ganguly
4. m. waugh
5. anwar
6. sehwag
7. jayasuriya

 

[Zinzan]

My top 10 in no order are...

Sehwag
Astle
Tendulkar
Anwar
M.Waugh
Gilchrist
Jayasuria
Greenidge
Haynes
Gibbs

 

[Link]

Although Lara probably won't be remembered as an ODI opener, his brief opening career was a very good one:

51 innings, 5x not out, 2166 runs @ 47.08, 5x100, 15x50, HS 153.

i think thats a good point. surely he is good enough to handle the capabilities of opening an innings

 

[Anil]

tendulkar the best by far. i really can't separate the others...gilchrist while devastating on his day just hasn't shown that consistency in one dayers....i would put des haynes at second...he was a superb one day opener, so was gooch and m. waugh. anwar is another classy opener. jayasuriya has been quite effective in that role...

 

[marc71178]

in order of ranking (after re reading)

Tendulkar
Gilchrist
Jayasuria

How can you put those 2 at 2 and 3 when you read the numbers?

 

[C_C]

Tendulkar
<daylight>
Gillchrist
Ganguly
Greenidge
Mark Waugh
Gary Kirstien
Haynes
Jayasurya
Anwar
Astle
Hayden
Sidhu
Gibbs
Gooch
Sehwag
Smith

 

[LongHopCassidy]

How can you put those 2 at 2 and 3 when you read the numbers?

It's not all about stats, Marco.

Jayasuriya is a pioneer in the game and changed the way openers play in ODIs (and even in Tests to a smaller extent) during the 1996 World Cup. He enjoys hitting over the infield (his major innovation) while the field is in, and this is often his undoing.

Gilchrist just has the very useful habit of murdering attacks and would average in the low fifties if he was a better starter. His average is deflated by his tendency to hit out or get out.

The game is a lot more enjoyable when you can look past averages.

 

[Zinzan]

It's not all about stats, Marco.

Jayasuriya is a pioneer in the game and changed the way openers play in ODIs (and even in Tests to a smaller extent) during the 1996 World Cup. He enjoys hitting over the infield (his major innovation) while the field is in, and this is often his undoing.

Gilchrist just has the very useful habit of murdering attacks and would average in the low fifties if he was a better starter. His average is deflated by his tendency to hit out or get out.

The game is a lot more enjoyable when you can look past averages.

Jayasuria was definately a breath of fresh air when in the early 90s, but quite frankly I think it was Mark Greatbatch in the 92 world cup who revolutionised the way openers should play in the first 15 overs.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Yes, but Jayasuriya's team won the World Cup. That's what made other teams notice and adopt their tactics.

 

[Deja moo]

Tendulkar
Ganguly/Waugh/Anwar/Greenidge
Jayasuriya/Gilchrist

 

[age_master]

How can you put those 2 at 2 and 3 when you read the numbers?

because they are probably the 2 most dangerous ODI openers going round....

and im a big fan of both of them

 

[Zinzan]

Yes, but Jayasuriya's team won the World Cup. That's what made other teams notice and adopt their tactics.

Whipdy do ! It still doesn't mean he was the one who revolutionised the approach to one day opening.

Sure NZ didn't win the world cup 92, but they did win 7 out of 8 games, then lost to Pakistan in the semi's and the rest is history.

I take it you didn't see much of the 92 world cup, because if you did you'd realise have big an influence Greatbatch had on clearing the field in the first 15 overs, the approach that saw sides aiming for 80-90 runs in the first 15 overs as opposed to 50-60 runs

It was the first time the likes of Ambrose and Marshall were charged at and hit over the boundary consistently

 

[howardj]

Jayasuria was definately a breath of fresh air when in the early 90s, but quite frankly I think it was Mark Greatbatch in the 92 world cup who revolutionised the way openers should play in the first 15 overs.

Oh, for sure. Greatbatch was the trail-blazer. What he did was so revolutionary. Back in those days, 0/50 after 15 overs was a cracker of a start.

 

[Zinzan]

Thats not to say I think Greatbatch is one of the top 10, because overall his record was pretty average, but I still maintain he was the main catalyst for the change in the attacking approach

 

[LongHopCassidy]

I take it you didn't see much of the 92 world cup

Couldn't - I was 2.

I'll take your word for it though. I just found Jayasuriya's example to be most striking.

 

[howardj]

Thats not to say I think Greatbatch is one of the top 10, because overall his record was pretty average, but I still maintain he was the main catalyst for the change in the attacking approach

That was a revolutionary World Cup actually. Depak Patel was often drafted in to open the bowling. Did quite a good job too. Again, it only worked because teams were formerly so conservative in the first 15 overs. But I digress....

 

[Robertinho]

Tendulkar and Gilchrist would be up there.

Tendulkar's record shows his destructiveness, but Gilchrist's ability to blow a team's chance out of the water is awesome. I love nothing more than hearing/seeing that Gilchrist has "fired" again, whether he makes 50/100 or not, it's usually blisteringly fast and sets up the rest of the innings.

 

[howardj]

Tendulkar and Gilchrist would be up there.

Tendulkar's record shows his destructiveness, but Gilchrist's ability to blow a team's chance out of the water is awesome. I love nothing more than hearing/seeing that Gilchrist has "fired" again, whether he makes 50/100 or not, it's usually blisteringly fast and sets up the rest of the innings.

Yeah he virtually put the last World Cup final to bed after the first 10 overs - really has a knack for deflating the opposition.

 

[SJS]

We all know that in ODI's consistency AS WELL as speed of run getting matter. So here are the run rates. Unfortunately these are career run rates and not run rates as openers.

Runs/100 balls in career(till date for those playing)

Sehwag--------- 96.3
Gilchrist-------- 94.9
Jayasuriya----- 88.6
Tendulkar----- 86.2
Gibbs----------- 81.4
Anwar----------- 80.6
Waugh M------ 76.8
Hayden--------- 76.1
Smith------------ 75.2
Ganguly-------- 74.2
Astle------------ 72.5
Kirsten---------- 72.0
Siddhu---------- 69.7
Atapattu-------- 67.1
Greenidge------ 64.9
Haynes--------- 63.1
Gooch----------- 61.9

.

Sachin averages 89 runs per 100 balls for his 10829 runs as an opener

He averaged in the low 90's upto his 8800 runs (EDITED) as an opener !!

PS : It will be interesting to see if Sehwag can keep up the tempo for that long, not that 89 is to be scoffed at.