Top 5 Australian Test opening pairs of all time
Australia are by far the most successful side in Test cricket, amassing more wins than any other team in history.
They also possess the highest winning percentage amongst the Test playing nations - as high as 47.27% with 382 wins from 808 matches, when no other team has even breached the 40% mark.
Players like Sir Donald Bradman, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Richie Benaud and many more have contributed to Australia's dominance over the years, often single-handedly winning matches on their own for the side.
They have also had many great players come together at the right time to form a very strong unit, who were led from the front with a steel grip by skippers like Allan Border, Steve Waugh, and Ricky Ponting to name a few.
Another crucial factor in Australia's success over the years has been the many brilliant opening partnerships that, at times, batted the opposition out of the contest and made things pretty easy for their own bowlers.
As they say, well begun is half done, and the aggressive approach that Australia often adopted with their batting was most prominent at the top of the order and played a crucial role in weakening the confidence of the opposition bowlers.
Let's take a look at the five of the top Australian opening partnerships in their illustrious cricket history.
#5 Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor
The 329-run partnership by Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor during the 1989 Ashes series in England is rated as one of the greatest partnerships in Ashes history and why not. After all, it is still the highest opening partnership in Ashes history.
They batted throughout the opening day of the Trent Bridge Test, helping their side on their way to a massive win by a margin of an innings and 180 runs, just showing the kind of impact such a big partnership at the top of the order can have on the match.
Marsh's batting average in the longest format of the game was a modest 33.18, but along with Taylor, the pair was pretty solid at the top for Australia scoring 1980 runs from 47 innings as an opening partnership at an average of 45.
Their Ashes record is much more prolific. In 21 innings together as an opening pair, the duo scored 1168 runs at an average of 58.40 with three 100+ stands to their name.