As a batsman, you always want to face the new ball in white-ball cricket, as it is the best time to bat in white-ball cricket.
However, the same ideology is not valid in red-ball cricket, as opening the batting for your team in test cricket is one of the most challenging jobs. You will have to play against the new swinging red ball, which will entirely test your technique.
Also, a good start in test cricket can set the path to a match-winning total. That is why the role of openers in test cricket is quite huge.
They also nullify the effect of the new red ball to make the game easy for upcoming batsmen. As of now, we have entered the era of T20 cricket, so finding a good red-ball opener is quite difficult nowadays.
So let’s rank the best players to bat on the toughest place in the toughest format of the game by:
- Their overall test stats as an opener in the last decade.
- Their stats as an opener in the matches not played on home conditions (away+neutral venues) in the last decade.
- Their stats as an opener in the matches played in SENA countries in the last decade.
Note: For any player from a SENA country, their stats in India are considered in place of their home country.
8. Dimuth Karunaratne
The current Sri Lankan team captain grabs the No. 8 spot on our list. Karunaratne belongs to a rare breed of classical batsman in the modern T20 era.
The left-hander is only the second Sri Lankan batsman to score 3 test centuries in a calendar year as an opener. Grown under the likes of Dilshan, Sangakkara, and Mahela.
He didn’t get the appreciation he deserved. But since 2015, he has been the leading Sri Lankan batsman in red-ball cricket.
- Dimuth Karunaratne’s stats as an opener in the 2010s: 120 Innings, 4389 Runs, 38 Average, 9 Centuries
- Dimuth Karunaratne’s stats as an opener away from home in the 2010s: 71 Innings, 2246 Runs, 33 Average, 3 Centuries
- Dimuth Karunaratne’s stats as an opener in SENA in the 2010s: 38 Innings, 1014 Runs, 27 Average, 1 Century
7. Tom Latham
The current New Zealand vice-captain is ranked 7th on our list. He is also the youngest batsman to feature here.
Performed phenomenally well in domestic cricket as well as in county cricket; debuted in 2014 and then never looked back, especially after his series in West Indies in which he was the second-highest run-scorer and helped his team manage an overseas test series victory.
He has even the potential to become the greatest New Zealand test opener ever.
- Tom Latham’s stats as an opener in the 2010s: 84 Innings, 3525 Runs, 43 Average, 11 Centuries
- Tom Latham’s stats as an opener away from home in the 2010s: 46 Innings, 1763 Runs, 38 Average, 5 Centuries
- Tom Latham’s stats as an opener in SEIA in 2010s: 23 Innings, 611 Runs, 26 Average, 0 Centuries
6. Murali Vijay
The Best Indian opener of the last decade and one of the most underrated players in the last decade.
This right-handed batsman debuted in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in November 2008, after Gambhir was banned for one match for elbowing Shane Watson.
He never made the team until 2013, when he scored 167 in the second test against Australia. The following year, he scored his first overseas test century in England and finished as India’s leading run-scorer in that series.
- Murali Vijay’s stats as an opener in the 2010s: 102 Innings, 3821 Runs, 38 Average, 12 Centuries
- Murali Vijay’s stats as an opener away from home in the 2010s: 56 Innings, 1725 Runs, 31 Average, 3 Centuries
- Murali Vijay’s stats as an opener in SENA in the 2010s: 42 Innings, 1285 Runs, 31 Average, 2 Centuries
5. Kraigg Brathwaite
The current West Indies test captain is arguably the best batsman on his team in red-ball cricket and was also one of the positives for the West Indies last decade.
The Barbados man was also the second-highest run-scorer for his team in the last decade, just behind his senior Darren Bravo.
The man who just got his team’s test captaincy in place of Jason Holder has a lot of expectations from him in this WTC cycle, both for batting and for captaincy.
- Kraigg Brathwaite’s stats as an opener in the 2010s: 111 Innings, 3475 Runs, 33 Average, 8 Centuries
- Kraigg Brathwaite’s stats as an opener away from home in the 2010s: 54 Innings, 1823 Runs, 35 Average, 3 Centuries
- Kraigg Brathwaite’s stats as an opener in SENA in the 2010s: 29 Innings, 1004 Runs, 35 Average, 1 Century
4. Tamim Iqbal
The next guy on our list is the greatest batsman developed from Bangladeshi soil. Tamim Iqbal often goes unnoticed and never receives enough praise from cricket fans around the world.
He started the last decade with an astonishing performance, scoring 837 runs, with an average of 59 and a strike rate of around 80, including 9 50+ scores in 14 innings.
His team wants him to return to his prime form so that they can finish better in this WTC cycle.
- Tamim Iqbal’s stats as an opener in the 2010s: 89 Innings, 3680 Runs, 42 Average, 8 Centuries
- Tamim Iqbal’s stats as an opener away from home in the 2010s: 35 Innings, 1385 Runs, 40 Average, 3 Centuries
- Tamim Iqbal’s stats as an opener in SENA in the 2010s: 17 Innings, 765 Runs, 45 Average, 3 Centuries
Ready for the Top 3 picks??
3. Dean Elgar
Played in the greatest test team of the last decade and maybe one of the best teams of all time, Dean Elgar is a classical opener in the era of the t20s.
His contribution to his team never gets praise as he played with the likes of AB de Villiers, Amla, and FAF. He was one of those openers who set a value on his wicket.
He is equally good in all conditions, whether the ball is swinging or spinning. Now he was the captain of his team for this WTC cycle and his team expected a lot from him.
- Dean Elgar’s stats as an opener in the 2010s: 93 Innings, 3440 Runs, 40 Average, 11 Centuries
- Dean Elgar’s stats as an opener away from home in the 2010s: 44 Innings, 1421 Runs, 33 Average, 5 Centuries
- Dean Elgar’s stats as an opener in IENA in the 2010s: 32 Innings, 1086 Runs, 35 Average, 4 Centuries
2. David Warner
David Warner is one of the best all-format batsmen to develop from Australian soil and the second-best test opener in the last decade.
Played quite attacking cricket, even in the toughest format of the game for batsmen. He is the only player on this list who has a 300 on his name.
He was also the first Australian cricketer in 132 years to be selected for a national team in any format without experience in first-class cricket.
- David Warner’s stats as an opener in the 2010s: 153 Innings, 7088 Runs, 48 Average, 23 Centuries
- David Warner’s stats as an opener away from home in the 2010s: 71 Innings, 2246 Runs, 35 Average, 6 Centuries
- David Warner’s stats as an opener in SENI in the 2010s: 29 Innings, 1838 Runs, 33 Average, 3 Centuries
1. Alastair Cook
Sir Alastair Cook, one of the greatest openers to play this format, is also the highest run-scorer in the last decade.
He played some vital knocks for his team, leading them to victory in a series against India in India.
In the history of test cricket, no one has made more runs than Cook in test cricket as an opener.
Also, no left-handed batsman has made more runs in test cricket than this man.
Cook is also the youngest batsman to complete 12,000 runs in test cricket.
- Alastair Cook’s stats as an opener in the 2010s: 200 Innings, 8769 Runs, 46 Average, 23 Centuries
- Alastair Cook’s stats as an opener away from home in the 2010s: 94 Innings, 4323 Runs, 49 Average, 13 Centuries.
- Alastair Cook’s stats as an opener in SINA in the 2010s: 65 Innings, 2858 Runs, 46 Average, 9 Centuries
So Our Top 8 Test Openers from the Last Decade are:
- Alastair Cook
- David Warner
- Dean Elgar
- Tamim Iqbal
- Kragg Braithwaite
- Murli Vijay
- Tom Latham
- Dimuth Karunrante
