What would be your best opening combination of all time across all formats and all countries?

[The Hillside]

Mine:

Sachin Tendulkar
Sanath Jayasuriya

 

[ataraxia]

Bradman
Hobbs

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Chandrika
Garrick

 

[PlayerComparisons]

Crawley
Duckett

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Mine:

Sachin Tendulkar
Sanath Jayasuriya

Tendulkar was a walking wicket in the first over of a WC final

🥷

 

[Bolo.]

Without picking on potential, there aren't a lot of bats who were actually top quality openers in both formats.

Hayden and Greenidge are about as close as I can come.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Graeme Smith and Saeed Anwar

 

[Bolo.]

Graeme Smith and Saeed Anwar

Answer is a good shout. I'd boot Greenidge for him... Nor as sure how to assess Greenidge in ODIs.

I think Hayden is ahead of Smith in ODIs by a greater margin than Smith is in tests.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Hayden & Gilchrist

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Of those who were openers in all 3 formats during the T20 era

G Smith
Hayden
Gayle
Sehwag
Warner

In future perhaps Conway if he regains form or Head if he becomes a test opener with Warner (then Khawaja) retiring.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Across all time:

Victor Trumper
Barry Richards

 

[_00_deathscar]

Answer is a good shout.

Well yes, he is Sir Jadeja

 

[Bolo.]

Well yes, he is Sir Jadeja

MFW I realise my phone's autocorrect knows more about cricket than me.

 

[Silver Silva]

Tendulkar and Lara ..
I feel great players can bat anywhere.

 

[bagapath]

Victor Trumper - for unleashing attacking batsmanship in limited overs and for weathering the tough opening spells in test cricket
Graeme Smith - to give the left / right combination for the team and to provide a solid counterpoint to the mercurial hitting at the other end

Middle order:
Don Bradman
Viv Richards
Gary Sobers

All rounders:
Keith Miller
Imran Khan

Wicket keeper and captain:
MS Dhoni

Fast bowlers:
Sir Richard Hadlee
Joel Garner

Spinner:
Shane Warne

 

[honestbharani]

Always felt Sachin would make a great test match opener. So I will go with the OP.

There is no real one smoking gun answer to such questions but Sachin and Sanath have a chance to be as good as any other pair you can think of, IMO.

 

[Patience and Accuracy+Gut]

Victor Trumper
Archie Jackson


Watching The maestro, Trumper with Jackson should be something very special.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Always felt Sachin would make a great test match opener. So I will go with the OP.

There is no real one smoking gun answer to such questions but Sachin and Sanath have a chance to be as good as any other pair you can think of, IMO.

Sanath wasn't a great test opener though. Atapattu and Karunaratne were/are better imo.

 

[mr_mister]

Gotta be Gayle if we're including T20

Was no slouch in the other formats either

 

[Jumno]

Gavaskar
Hobbs