Cricket is a game in which the start is the most important and vital part of the innings. It’s obvious that opening gives a clear idea about how the later part will shape. Always a team requires a solid partnership in the beginning to post a good total on board. The opening duos are the two main men upfront who have the responsibility to give the team boost to perform well. The opening partnership is the root to success and for each team there were such an opening pair who made the task of their team pretty easy, may it be posting a huge score or chasing a mammoth total. Here is the list of top 10 best opening pairs in cricket history. 1. Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar- These two Indian openers were the best opening pairs the world has ever seen. The duo with their performance has mesmerized the world and it is still difficult to find such a great pair in cricket. This two played for India together for near about eleven years playing 136 innings and scoring 6,609 runs together. Highest partnership among them is of 258 runs. Together they have scored 21 hundred plus runs and 23 fifty plus runs. Till now this is the best opening pair in cricket history. 2. Adam Gilchrist and Mathew Hayden- The Australian pair were also good as openers. Both were world class players, and due their start, Australia were so much successful. Gilchrist was the power hitter and Hayden did pace the innings, and both combined extremely well. They played for seven years together for Australia playing 114 innings and scoring 5372 runs. Highest partnership among this two is of 172 runs. Together they have scored 16 100 plus scores and 29 fifty plus scores. So this duo comes second in this list. 3. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes- The two West Indies opener also fared as opener. It was often said that ‘GODs who opened for team of gods’. During the time when West Indies enjoyed prime ranking in cricket, it was very much due to the contribution from this two pair. They played around 12 years for West Indies playing 102 innings scoring 5150 runs. The highest partnership among them was of unbeaten 192 runs. They have 16 hundred plus runs and 24 fifty plus runs. So this pair is third in this list. 4. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar- Another Indian pair who made mark with their opening combination. Sachin Tendulkar flared with his stroke play and Sehwag played was the power hitter. This two had a deadly combination among them and every cricket lover love this two player playing together. This two played together for about 12 years playing 93 innings together and scoring 3,919 runs. Highest partnership between them is of 182 runs. They have 12 hundred plus runs and 18 fifty plus runs. So this pair is fourth in this list. 5, Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh- This Australian pair also provided Australia with fine performance. Before Mathew Hayden, this two pair served well for Australia, giving them a good start. This two served Australia for about 4 years together playing around 93 innings and scoring 3,853 runs. Highest partnership between them is of 206 runs. They have 8 hundred plus runs and 20 fifty plus runs. So this pair is fifth in this list. 6. David Boon and Geoff Marsh- Another great Australian opening pair. Geoff Marsh switched to opening and turned out to be great opener for Australia and he found a great partner, David Boon. This two gave Australia solid start to build their innings. This two served Australia for about 6 years together playing around 88 innings and scoring 3,523 runs. Highest partnership between them is of 212 runs. They have 7 hundred plus runs and 25 fifty plus runs. So this pair is sixth in this list. 7. Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya- The best opening pair for Sri Lanka till date. Both the players had great understanding among them. Atapattu playesd with a defensive mindset while Sanath favoured to play big shots at regular intervals. This two served Sri Lanka for about 10 years together playing around 79 innings and scoring 3,382 runs. Highest partnership between them is of 237 runs. They have 8 hundred plus runs and 19 fifty plus runs. So this pair is seventh in this list. 8. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga- Another deadly pair from Sri Lanka. This two pair is still contributing for Sri Lanka. Much of Sri Lanka’s recent success is due to the performance of this two pair. Dilshan is the power hitter and Tharanga stabilises the innings. This two is serving Sri Lanka for about 4 years together playing around 67 innings and scoring 3,052 runs. Highest partnership between them is of 282 runs. They have 9 hundred plus runs and 13 fifty plus runs. So this pair is eight in this list. 9. Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith- This right hand-left hand combination has been one of the greatest opening pairs for the Proteas. Both were class player individually and together also they provided South Africa with solid start. Both Gibbs and Smith were stroke players and was also power hitter of the ball. They have served South Africa for about 7 years together playing around 74 innings and scoring 3,007 runs. Highest partnership between them is of 174 runs. They have 8 hundred plus runs and 13 fifty plus runs. So this pair is ninth in this list. 10. Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar- This has been the best opening pair for Pakistan till date. They provided Pakistan with great starts and at times Pakistan was pretty much dependable on their contribution. This two together combined well and result was that they stayed on the crease for long scoring huge partnership among them. They have served Pakistan for about 10 years together playing around 73 innings and scoring 2,856 runs. Highest partnership between them is of 173 runs. They have 3 hundred plus runs and 20 fifty plus runs. So this Pakistan duo completes the list of top 10 opening pairs in cricket history.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 18:30:17 +0000
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