Who are the greatest Australian openers of all time?
Openers of a team are like the base of a building, a stronger base can support a strong and tall building. A stronger opening inning can help a team in setting up a great total. Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world. The Australian cricket team is one of the strongest teams in the world. In the history of cricket, kangaroos have won the mega title of the cricket world cup five times.
The Australian cricket team is one of the most successful teams in history. The country introduced a number of the greatest batsmen, bowlers, and wicketkeepers. Australian openers always played an important role in the victory of the team.
Here we have the top 10 greatest Australian openers of all time. Have a look.
Top 10 Greatest Australian Openers of All Time – Australian Test Openers
10. David Boon
Facts | |
---|---|
Age in 2023 | 62 |
Debut | Test: 1984 ODI: 1984 |
Batting | Right-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 200 ODI: 122 |
Strike Rate | Test: 41.0 ODI: 65.1 |
Current Status | Retired |
David Boon is an Australian former professional cricketer. He is widely considered one of the best cricket players in Australian cricket team history. As of now in 2020, he is 59 years old.
Boom debuted in test and ODI formats in 1984. The right-handed opening batsman, David Boon is one of the greatest Australian openers in history. After retirement, he remained attached to his profession and became a cricket commentator and match umpire.
David Boon is married to Pip Boon. He has a son, Jack Boom.
9. Geoff Marsh
Facts | |
---|---|
Age in 2023 | 64 |
Debut | Test: 1985 ODI: 1986 |
Batting | Right-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 138 ODI: 126* |
Strike Rate | Test: 35.1 ODI: 55.9 |
Current Status | Retired |
Geoff Marsh is an Australian retired professional cricketer who is considered one of the greatest Australian cricket players in history. Marsh is the ninth greatest Australian opener in history.
Marsh debuted in test cricket in 1985 and in ODI 1986. The right-handed opener is also one of the greatest Australian openers of all time. After retirement, he performed his duties as a coach and selector.
In his total test career, Geoff March played 50 test matches and 117 ODI matches. His strike rate is 35.1 in test cricket and 55.9 in ODI.
8. Michael Slater
Facts | |
---|---|
Age in 2023 | 58 |
Debut | Test: 1993 ODI: 1993 |
Batting | Right-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 219 ODI: 73 |
Strike Rate | Test: 53.3 ODI: 60.4 |
Current Status | Retired |
Michael Slater is a former Australian cricket player. He is also a popular television presenter. As a cricketer, Michael Slater is considered one of the best Australian test openers in history.
He did his test and ODI debut in 1993 and played 74 Tests and 42 ODI matches in his career. The right-handed opener has a great strike rate of 53.3 in Tests and 60.4 in ODI cricket.
7. Mark Taylor
Facts | |
---|---|
Age in 2023 | 58 |
Debut | Test: 1989 ODI: 1989 |
Batting | Left-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 334* ODI: 105 |
Strike Rate | Test: 41.5 ODI: 59.5 |
Current Status | Retired |
Mark Taylor is a former Australian cricket player who is considered one of the greatest Australian openers in history. Taylor is now a cricket Australia director and commentator.
Taylor played 104 tests and 113 ODI matches in his career as a cricketer. His high score in test cricket in a single inning is 334* and 105 in ODI.
6. David Warner
Facts | |
---|---|
Age in 2023 | 36 |
Debut | Test: 2011 ODI: 2009 T20: 2009 |
Batting | Left-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 335* ODI: 179 T20: 100* |
Strike Rate | Test: 72.8 ODI: 95.8 T20: 140.5 |
Current Status | Active |
David Warner is one of the most popular cricketers of the era. He is one of the most successful and greatest Australian openers in history. He did his debut in test cricket in 2011 just after 2 years of his debut in ODI and T20 cricket.
Warner’s strike rate is the most impressive one. In his test career, he has a 335* high score and 179 in ODI making him one of the highest individual single inning scorers in the cricket world.
5. Arthur Morris
Facts | |
---|---|
Age | 93 (Died-2015) |
Debut | Test: 1946 |
Batting | Left-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 206 |
Avg | Test: 46.5 |
Current Status | Retired |
Arthur Morris was one of the greatest Australian cricketers in history. He is one of the oldest cricketers who did his debut in 1946 when the only test format of cricket was played.
Morris is widely considered one of the greatest Australian test openers in history. At the age of 93, he died in 2015.
4. Bob Simpson
Facts | |
---|---|
Age in 2023 | 87 |
Debut | Test: 1957 |
Batting | Right-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 311 |
Strike Rate | Test: 111.5 |
Current Status | Retired |
Bob Simpson is one of the most popular and most successful Australian cricket players who also captained the Australian national cricket team. The right-handed opening batsman, Bob Simpson has a strike rate of 111.5 in his test career.
After retirement, he performed his duties as coach of the Australian national team. As a coach, he is considered one of the most successful coaches in Australian cricket. Simpson did his debut in professional cricket in 1957.
3. Justin Langer
Facts | |
---|---|
Age in 2023 | 52 |
Debut | Test: 1993 ODI: 1994 |
Batting | Left-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 250 ODI: 36 |
Strike Rate | Test: 54.2 ODI: 88.9 |
Current Status | Retired |
Justin Langer is an Australian cricket coach and former cricket player. He did his professional debut in1993 and has a high individual inning of 250 in test cricket. Langer was appointed as an Australian national cricket team’s coach in 2018. As a cricket player is one of the greatest test openers in Australian cricket history.
2. Bill Lawry
Facts | |
---|---|
Age in 2023 | 86 |
Debut | Test: 1961 |
Batting | Left-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 210 |
Strike Rate | Test: 80.2 |
Current Status | Retired |
Bill Lawry is a popular Australian former cricketer who is widely known as one of the best left-handed batsmen in Australian cricket. He is the second greatest Australian opener of all time.
The 83 years old former cricket legend has remarkable fame among Australian cricket fans. He was the captain who led the Australian cricket team when the first-ever ODI cricket match was played in 1971.
1. Matthew Hayden
Facts | |
---|---|
Age in 2023 | 53 |
Debut | Test: 1994 ODI: 1993 |
Batting | Left-Handed |
Highest Score | Test: 380 ODI: 181* |
Strike Rate | Test: 60.1 ODI: 79.0 |
Current Status | Retired |
Matthew Hayden is one of the most popular and best cricket players of the era. He is the greatest Australian opener of all time. Hayden did his professional debut in test cricket in 1994.
In his career of fifteen years, he played a vital role in many victories of the Australian cricket team. The left-handed opening batsman was an aggressive player who is now a worm commentator.
Summary
Here is a quick recap of the above list of the greatest Australian openers of all time:
- Matthew Hayden
- Bill Lawry
- Justin Langer
- Bob Simpson
- Arthur Morris
- David Warner
- Mark Taylor
- Michael Slater
- Geoff Marsh
- David Boon