Cricket is a game in which the first few minutes of an innings are crucial. It’s evident that the introduction foreshadows how the rest of the story will unfold. To produce a respectable total on board, a team always demands a great collaboration in the beginning. The opening duos are the two primary men up front who are responsible for boosting the team’s performance.
The initial partnership is the foundation of success, and for each side, there was such an opening couple that made their team’s mission relatively easy, whether it was recording a tremendous score or chasing a massive total. Here is a list of the top ten best opening pairs in cricket history.
10) Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar:
Aamer, Mohammad Sohail Ali is a former cricketer and Pakistani cricket analyst. Sohail played 195 first-class and 261 List A Limited Overs matches in his eighteen-year career, including 47 Tests and 156 One Day Internationals for Pakistan.
Saeed Anwar is a former Pakistani cricketer and former Test and ODI captain. Anwar played international cricket between 1989 and 2003 as an opening batsman and occasional slow left-arm orthodox bowler.
Anwar is regarded as one of the finest opening batters Pakistan has ever produced, having hit twenty hundred in one-day internationals, more than any other Pakistani batsman in this format.
This has been Pakistan’s greatest opening combination to until. They gave Pakistan a wonderful start, and Pakistan was almost entirely reliant on their services at times. These two worked well together, and as a consequence, they stayed on the crease for a long time, scoring a large partnership between them.
They have been with Pakistan for nearly ten years, playing 73 innings and amassing 2,856 runs. They have a total partnership of 173 runs. They have over 300 runs and over 250,000 runs. As a result, this Pakistani partnership rounds out the top ten best opening partnerships in cricket history.
9) Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme smith:
Herschelle Gibbs is a South African cricket coach and former player who played the game in all formats for fourteen years. Gibbs, a right-handed batsman who generally batted first, became the first player in One Day International (ODI) cricket to knock six consecutive sixes in one over.
Graeme Smith is a South African cricket pundit and former South African cricketer who represented his country in all formats. In 2003, he was named captain of the national team, succeeding Shaun Pollock. He served as test arena captain until his retirement in 2014.
This right-hand-left-hand combo has been one of the Proteas’ best opening partnerships. Both were exceptional cricketers in their own right, and their partnership gave South Africa a strong start. Both Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith were the greatest opening pairings, as well as power hitters.
They have been with South Africa for nearly 7 years, playing 74 innings and accumulating 3,007 runs. They have a total partnership of 174 runs. They have over 800 runs and over 1350 runs. As a result, this partnership ranks ninth among the top opening pair in cricket history and the greatest opening pairs in South Africa history.
8) Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga:
Another lethal and effective opening duo from Sri Lanka. These two couples helped Sri Lanka a few years ago. The performance of these two couples has contributed significantly to Sri Lanka’s recent success. Dilshan is the power battery, and Tharanga keeps the innings under check with the new ball.
These two have been serving Sri Lanka for almost 4 years, playing 67 innings and amassing 3,052 runs. They have run a total of 282 runs together. They have over 900 runs and over 1350 runs. So this duo is number eight on the list of productive opening partnerships.
7) Marvan atapattu and sanath jayasuriya:
Sri Lanka’s finest opening combinations to date. Both players had a thorough comprehension of them. Atapattu played defensively, whilst Sanath like to take huge shots at regular intervals. They represented Sri Lanka for approximately ten years, playing 79 innings and amassing 3,382 runs.
Their highest partnership total is 237 runs. They have more than 800 runs and more than 195 runs. As a result, this partnership ranks eighth on our ranking of the best opening pairs in cricket.
Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya scoring run always relieved the middle order for their team. They both were a back foot and front foot combination. Be it test cricket or ODI cricket, they just needed a solid platform to show their opening partnership.
6) David boon and Geoff Marsh:
David Boon is an Australian cricket match referee, former cricket pundit, and former international cricketer who played for Australia from 1984 to 1996. He was a right-handed batsman and off-spinner who played first-class cricket for both his native state of Tasmania and the English county team Durham.
Geoffrey Marsh is an Australian former cricketer, coach, and selector. As an opening batsman, he appeared in 50 Tests and 117 One Day Internationals for Australia. He was Australia’s coach when the country won the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England. Later in his career, he coached Zimbabwe (2001–2004) and Sri Lanka (2011–12).
Another outstanding Australian opening duo. Geoff Marsh went to the opening and proved to be an excellent opener for Australia, working well with David Boon. These two provided Australia with a firm foundation upon which to begin their innings.
They served Australia for nearly 6 years, playing 88 innings and accumulating 3,523 runs. They have 212 runs in their partnership. They have around 700 runs and over 250 fifty runs. As a result, this couple is ranked sixth on this list of best opening pair with the new ball.
5) Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh:
This Australian pair also delivered excellent performances for Australia. Prior to Mathew Hayden, these two couples contributed significantly to Australia’s success. They represented Australia for almost four years, playing 93 innings and accumulating 3,853 runs.
During his prime, Gilchrist was not just one of the finest Australian batsmen, but also one of the greatest wicket-keepers of all time.
They have 206 runs in their partnership. They have over 800 runs and over 2,500 runs. As a result, this partnership ranks fifth among the top opening pair in cricket history.
4) Virender sehwag and Sachin tendulkar:
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag From 1999 until 2013, represented India. In Indian domestic cricket, he represented Delhi and Haryana. Throughout his career, he was an aggressive opening batter who used to sing songs while facing deadly bowlers.
Sachin Tendulkar is a former Indian international cricketer who captained the Indian side. He is recognized as one of the best batsmen in cricket history or commonly as the god of the game.
Another Indian duo established a name for themselves with their opening combination. Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest batters of all time, showed off his stroke play, while Sehwag was the power hitter. These two had a lethal combination, and every cricket fan enjoyed seeing them play together.
They played together for approximately 12 years, logging 93 innings and scoring 3,919 runs. They have a total partnership of 182 runs. They have over a thousand runs and over a thousand and fifty runs. As a result, this couple is ranked fourth on this list.
This opening pair was such a deadly one where one used to smash bowlers while singing songs and the other was considered the god of cricket. Be it test cricket or ODI cricket, these opening pairs always dominated the game and helped India clinch the World Cup after a wait of 28 years.
3) Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes:
Sir Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge is a former first-class cricketer from Barbados who represented the West Indies in Test and One-Day International cricket for 17 years. Greenidge is largely recognized as one of cricket’s best and most destructive opening batters. Greenidge was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009.
Desmond Haynes is a former Barbadian cricketer and coach who represented the West Indies from 1978 to 1994.
Haynes preferred a more controlled style to bat, scoring 7,487 runs in 116 Test matches at an average of 42.29, with his greatest Test innings of 184 against England in 1980. He is one of the rare Test batsmen to be removed while handling the ball, falling in this manner against India on November 24, 1983. He is also one of the rare players who have struck a century in his first ODI appearance.
The two West Indian batters did well as openers as well. ‘GODs who opened for the team of gods,’ it was commonly remarked. When the West Indies were at their peak in cricket, it was largely owing to the contributions of these two couples. They spent almost 12 years with the West Indies, playing 102 innings and amassing 5150 runs.
Their biggest partnership was an unbroken 192-run partnership. They have over 1600 runs and over 2450 runs. As a result, this partnership ranks third among the top opening pairings in cricket history. They were the best opening pairs in cricket for the West indies team. Their opening partnerships always helped the team get a big score on the board.
2) Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden:
Adam Gilchrist has his name the second time on the list of best opening pairs. The Australian duo was also effective as starters. Both were world-class players, and Australia’s success was owing to their early success.
Gilchrist was the power hitter, and Hayden was the innings manager, and the two worked incredibly well together. They played for Australia for seven years, logging 114 innings and scoring 5372 runs.
The longest partnership between these two is 172 runs. They have a total of 16 100-point scores and 29 50-point scores. As a result, this tandem ranks second on our ranking of the top opening couples in cricket.
1) Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar: Best opening pairs in cricket
Sourav Ganguly, often known as Dada (meaning “older brother” in Bengali), is an Indian cricket administrator, pundit, and former national team captain who now serves as the 39th and current president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He is known as the Maharaja of Indian Cricket.
During his playing career, Ganguly established himself as one of the world’s best batters as well as one of India’s most successful captains.
These two Indian openers were the finest opening partnerships in history. The duo’s performance has captivated the world, and it is unusual to find such a brilliant partnership in cricket. These two played together for India for over eleven years, playing 136 innings and amassing 6,609 runs.
The greatest partnership in cricket history is 258 runs between the god of cricket and the best left-handed batsman of all time. They have scored over 2100 runs and over 2500 runs combined. This is currently the best opening partnership in cricket history.
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