Who is the greatest cricketer out of this 13?

[Johan]

Barry, Gavaskar and Geoffrey for me.

 

[Coronis]

Barry, Gavaskar and Smith?

Gavaskar Boycott Smith

 

[Johan]

Smith is top 5 mayyyyyyyyyyyyyyybe

 

[sayon basak]

Smith is top 5 mayyyyyyyyyyyyyyybe

Who are the top 5 in your opinion?

 

[Johan]

Who are the top 5 in your opinion?

Gavaskar/Boycott/Barry/Greenidge/Gooch (inb4 Coronis)

 

[sayon basak]

Gavaskar/Boycott/Barry/Greenidge/Gooch (inb4 Coronis)

Cook/Smith/Hayden/Sehwag in what ranking?

 

[Johan]

Cook/Smith/Hayden/Sehwag in what ranking?

Cook~Smith>Hayden>Sehwag

 

[Migara]

Healy, Top 5 keepers easily.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Barry, Gavaskar and Smith?

Who are the top 5 in your opinion?

Gavaskar Barry Boycott Greenidge Smith

 

[Johan]

Gavaskar Barry Boycott Greenidge Smith

now why do you have Greenidge over Gooch

 

[kyear2]

Barry, Gavaskar and Geoffrey for me.

I find it harder to rate openers than any other position. Boycott is definitely one of the most productive openers ever, he's also one of the most limited cricketers ever. I find it difficult to balance that.

Barry, Sunny, Sir Gordon.

After that...

Smith, Gooch, Boycott?

 

[peterhrt]

Could you do the same for Alfred Mynn?

320 wickets for 3306 runs where fuller scorecards exist. Average 10.33.

718 more wickets where runs conceded not known.

Total wickets 1038 in 213 matches. Wpm 4.9.

 

[BazBall21]

Gavaskar, Richards, Boycott.

 

[Johan]

I find it harder to rate openers than any other position. Boycott is definitely one of the most productive openers ever, he's also one of the most limited cricketers ever. I find it difficult to balance that.

Barry, Sunny, Sir Gordon.

After that...

Smith, Gooch, Boycott?

It's kind of a tradition for the English and Kiwi opener to play slow and take the shine off the ball, It makes it easy for the lower order to make runs, this is something Cook did for both Pietersen and for Root. look at how low the atrike rates for Kiwi and English openers is.

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

while Boycott was limited, self inflicted limitations or not, he had a great enough technique to make hundreds against the greatest bowling lineup of all time while at age 40, even at 45 he was making hundreds on Marshall and Hadlee, definitely think he gets in above Smith for me.

Gavaskar, Barry and Boycott.

Gooch, Greenidge and Smith.

is my two tiers for modern openers.

 

[BazBall21]

It's kind of a tradition for the English and Kiwi opener to play slow and take the shine off the ball, It makes it easy for the lower order to make runs, this is something Cook did for both Pietersen and for Root. look at how low the atrike rates for Kiwi and English openers is.

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

while Boycott was limited, self inflicted limitations or not, he had a great enough technique to make hundreds against the greatest bowling lineup of all time while at age 40, even at 45 he was making hundreds on Marshall and Hadlee, definitely think he gets in above Smith for me.

Gavaskar, Barry and Boycott.

Gooch, Greenidge and Smith.

is my two tiers for modern openers.

My top 5 would be the same personnel in the same order.

 

[capt_Luffy]

now why do you have Greenidge over Gooch

Cause I ain't buying this recent Gooch hype train..... I have Cook over him as well

 

[Johan]

Cause I ain't buying this recent Gooch hype train..... I have Cook over him as well

You've finally gone insane

 

[capt_Luffy]

You've finally gone insane

Like, I literally never rated Gooch>Cook; like Ever....

 

[Johan]

Like, I literally never rated Gooch>Cook; like Ever....

have you seen Cook play bounce.

also, Cook averages more than Gordon anyway.

also, 108 tests in (when Greenidge retired)

Greenidge: 7558 @ 44.72 with 19 tons in 185 innings.
Cook: 8334 @ 45.82 with 25 tons in 193 innings.
Gooch: 8503 @ 44.75 with 20 tons in 196 innings.

tho tbf Cook would go on to have some good performances

 

[kyear2]

It's kind of a tradition for the English and Kiwi opener to play slow and take the shine off the ball, It makes it easy for the lower order to make runs, this is something Cook did for both Pietersen and for Root. look at how low the atrike rates for Kiwi and English openers is.

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

while Boycott was limited, self inflicted limitations or not, he had a great enough technique to make hundreds against the greatest bowling lineup of all time while at age 40, even at 45 he was making hundreds on Marshall and Hadlee, definitely think he gets in above Smith for me.

Gavaskar, Barry and Boycott.

Gooch, Greenidge and Smith.

is my two tiers for modern openers.

And that's fair, but what happens when you have the quick day 5 run chase, or looking to score quick runs in the 3rd innings to set up a total. That's what was different about guys like Barry or even Greenidge, they could set the stage or become the main event. While in the process, wrecking the game plan, not to mention the rotation and the bowlers lines and relieving pressure for the batters to follow.

It's also easier to score when you cut out shots and don't take chances.