5 greatest Test cricket openers of the modern era
The opening batsmen are the ones who set up the tone in a test match for the other players in the batting lineup. They are ones who face the wrath of the fast bowlers no matter who is the opposition is.
As we go down the memory lane, an opener had to face fast bowling on uncovered and undoctored pitches. But that is not the case now, the surface is now prepared properly adhering to the ICC norms. However, the role of the opening batsmen still retains its importance, they still bear the responsibility of giving their team a good start in the match especially in overseas conditions so that the middle order can make merry.
Since one cannot compare players of different eras, we will look at 5 best opening batsmen who have graced the "gentleman's game" in the modern era that is, the decade starting from 1990 till today.
# 5 Justin Langer
The current Head coach of the Australian cricket team was one of the finest opening batsmen in test cricket. He made his test debut in 1993 but struggled to cement a place in the team in the initial few years of his career. Soon after, he formed a destructive opening partnership with Matthew Hayden. Together, they demoralized the opposition bowlers with their stroke making and aggressive batting.
Justin Langer racked up 1481 test runs in the calendar year 2004, which was more than any other batsman in the world that year. He was also the leading run scorer for Australia in the 2005 Ashes series as the rest of his country's batting order failed to deliver. He ended up making 23 Centuries in 105 test matches in which he represented Australian cricket team. He amassed 7696 test runs at an impressive average of over 45.