Nominate your top 15 best ever test opening batsmen - another in my countdown series

[TheJediBrah]

At first I thought I'd do a sem-troll list but then I realized the world would be far worse off if all of us acted like Australians.

Yep because the world would be better if everyone just insulted people's countries and race right?

honestly the dumbest sentence I've seen in a while

 

[trundler]

Yep because the world would be better if everyone just insulted people's countries and race right?

honestly the dumbest sentence I've seen in a while

One of my many positive traits along with modesty.

Edit: this was a response to the original post. Calm down, Brah. Was only a joke

 

[TheJediBrah]

I'm ****ing calm you little ****

 

[honestbharani]

Hobbs
Hutton
Gavaskar
Sutcliffe
Trumper
Greenidge
Morris
Boycott
Simpson
Ponsford
Haynes
Smith
Hayden
Sehwag
Cook

 

[mr_mister]

Awesome, we're at 19 lists now. The more the better - so I'll leave this open for a few more days in the hope we reach 25 but 20 is more than enough to have a good list.

 

[Line and Length]

Thanks for a well written summary Trundler. You may have glossed over the more contemporary openers but most CW followers are more than well aware of their achievements.

 

[Starfighter]

Hobbs
Hutton
Sutcliffe
Gavaskar
Simpson
Morris
Hayden
Lawry
Boycott
Cook
Sehwag
Trumper
Ponsford
Smith
Hunte

 

[Flametree]

Hobbs
Hutton
Sutcliffe
Gavaskar
Simpson
Boycott
Barnes
Ponsford
Mitchell
Sehwag
Trumper
Richards B
Merchant
Smith G
Greenidge

 

[a massive zebra]

1. Jack Hobbs
2. Sunil Gavaskar
3. Len Hutton
4. WG Grace
5. Herbert Sutcliffe
6. Victor Trumper
7. Bobby Simpson
8. Virender Sehwag
9. Saeed Anwar
10. Geoff Boycott
11. Graeme Smith
12. Barry Richards
13. Arthur Morris
14. Justin Langer
15. Glenn Turner

On another day I might have included Mitchell, Merchant, Hunte, Cook or Warner, but if we must stick to just 15 I had to make some tough calls. Would personally have preferred a top 20 vote with those 5 included.

It seems opening batsmen is the one area in which the country that created the game have produced the best in the world. Or perhaps I'm just a biased Englishman.

 

[mr_mister]

yeah part of me sort of wishes i had extended it to 20 now but it's too late i think. and also it's a pain in the ass to tally it at the end when you have to add up, so lists of 15 cut that down in difficulty by 25%

 

[Singh767]

Some interesting stats on the modern era openers. Cook underrated in this forum, opening in the hardest country to open and hardest country to bat ... plus his 54 average in Asia.

Cook - 33 100s
Cook average away 45.6
Cook average home 44.4

Hayden - 30 100s
Hayden average away 41.7
Hayden average home 57.8

Sehwag - 23 100s
Sehwag average away 44.6
Sehwag average home 54.1

G Smith - 27 100s
Smith average away 53.9
Smith average home 41.5


Gavaskar
Hobbs
Hutton
Smith G
Cook
Trumper
Greenidge
Simpson
Boycott
Morris
Sehwag
Kirsten

 

[honestbharani]

RSA is the hardest country to open, IMO.

 

[stephen]

It's interesting to look at all of those different away stats too.

Cook: Averaged 40+ everywhere except New Zealand and South Africa. Averaged 50+ in Bangladesh, India, UAE and West Indies.
33 hundreds, 15 home, 18 overseas

Smith: Averaged 40+ everywhere except Australia and India. Averaged 50+ in Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, UAE and the West Indies.
27 hundreds, 10 home, 17 overseas

Hayden: Averaged 40+ everywhere except Bangladesh, England, New Zealand and South Africa. Averaged 50+ in India, UAE and West Indies.
30 hundreds, 21 home, 9 overseas

Sehwag: Averaged 40+ everywhere except Bangladesh, England, New Zealand and South Africa. Averaged 50+ in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
23 hundreds, 13 home, 10 overseas

 

[stephen]

Of course many of those players only toured a country once or twice, so take those stats with a grain of salt. What I find interesting is how much Smith bullied in England and New Zealand.

 

[a massive zebra]

Some interesting stats on the modern era openers. Cook underrated in this forum, opening in the hardest country to open and hardest country to bat ... plus his 54 average in Asia.

Cook - 33 100s
Cook average away 45.6
Cook average home 44.4

Hayden - 30 100s
Hayden average away 41.7
Hayden average home 57.8

Sehwag - 23 100s
Sehwag average away 44.6
Sehwag average home 54.1

G Smith - 27 100s
Smith average away 53.9
Smith average home 41.5


Gavaskar
Hobbs
Hutton
Smith G
Cook
Trumper
Greenidge
Simpson
Boycott
Morris
Sehwag
Kirsten

Why no Herbert Sutcliffe?

 

[fredfertang]

Hobbs
Hutton
Sutcliffe
Gavaskar
Atherton
Washbrook
Trescothick
Hanif Mohammad
Mitchell
Trumper
Richards B
Grace
Smith G
Greenidge
Morris

 

[Coronis]

Sutcliffe
Hobbs
Hutton
Gavaskar
Grace
Richards
Boycott
Simpson
Mitchell
Hayden
Trumper
Ponsford
Smith
Sehwag
Morris

Greenidge, Anwar and Hanif all very unlucky.

 

[ma1978]

If you saw Greenidge bat, he would be high on your list.

1. Hobbs
2. Hutton
3. Gavaskar
4. Richards
5. Sutcliffe
6. Greenidge
7. Gooch
8. Sehwag
9. Smith
10. Hayden
11. Boycott
12. Haynes
13. Trumper
14. Simpson
15. Atherton (personal fave)

 

[Red]

then I realized the world would be far worse off if all of us acted like Australians.

Get over yourself mate.

 

[mr_mister]

25 lists!


will leave this open for another day before i start my count