5 top South African Test opening pairs of all time

Despite missing out on International cricket for nearly 22 years, South Africa have been one of the most successful teams in Test cricket. And we have seen some outstanding cricketers represent the Rainbow Nation.

South Africa have also had some very good openers and some of those openers have combined together and formed a very successful pair. Here we look at the top 5 opening pairs for South Africa in Test cricket.

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#5 Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen (2010-2014)

A rocky start but a steady finish

Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen were one of the best opening pairs for South Africa in the second decade of the 21st century. After Herschelle Gibbs (in 2008) and Neil McKenzie (in 2009) were dropped due to poor form, Smith didn’t have a settled opening partner and Petersen filled into that role very well.

He scored a century on his debut against India in 2010 in Kolkata, but failed to build on to the solid start and was dropped in the following year. However, he came back strongly in January 2012 and cemented his spot. Petersen formed a solid opening combination with his Test skipper. Smith and Petersen opened the batting in 52 innings and scored 2113 runs (third-most for any South African opening pair). They have 6-century stands– with their highest being 153 which came against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi. The 138 which came in the first innings of the famous Adelaide Test was also a brilliant partnership as it helped the Proteas set up a foundation in the first innings.

#4 Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs (1998-2002)

Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten of South Africa pile on the runs

Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs had contrasting styles and methods. Kirsten didn’t show any sort of flamboyance and had a solid technique while Gibbs, on the other hand, was an explosive and aggressive opener. However, both of them complemented each other very well as they combined to form a very good opening partnership.

They started off as an opening pair against West Indies in December 1998 and registered single digit partnerships in both innings, but came back strongly and put on 57 and 97 in the two innings to help South Africa win the Boxing Day Test. In 2001, they put on three consecutive century stands (twice against Zimbabwe and once against India). The first of these was their highest (256) and both of them struck centuries in that game.

Even in their last game as an opening pair, they forged a match-winning opening stand. Chasing 340, Kirsten and Gibbs put on 142 in the fourth innings against Australia and South Africa built on the start and won the game. With 2283 runs in 52 innings, the Kirsten-Gibbs duo is placed second on the most runs by a South African opening pair.

#3 Trevor Goddard and Eddie Barlow (1963-1967)

Making life difficult for the bowlers

Both Trevor Goddard and Eddie Barlow were very good allrounders. Both were similar as well. Both of them were medium pacers and opening batsmen. Goddard was a left-hander while Barlow was a right-hander. In fact, Trevor Goddard opened the batting and took the new ball for South Africa for a few years.

The Goddard-Barlow combination started off on a positive note as they stitched 74 against Australia at the Gabba (Brisbane). They opened the batting only 34 times together and amassed 1806 runs which included six-century stands. In 1964, the duo stitched 3 consecutive hundred partnerships against New Zealand in New Zealand. They also shared 11 fifty partnerships to go with 6 hundred stands.

#2 Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith (2008-2009)

A run-scoring pair

After Gibbs was dropped in 2008, Neil McKenzie was recalled. McKenzie and Smith formed a brilliant opening pair. The duo continued the good work that Smith and Gibbs did in the previous years.

The pair started off with stands of 46, 12 and 52. But in their fourth innings, they put on a mammoth stand of 415 against Bangladesh at Chittagong. It was South Africa’s highest-ever opening stand and second-highest for any wicket. Both Smith and McKenzie registered double tons. They backed this stand up with a brilliant 132 against India in Chennai. During that tour to India, the duo’s least partnership was 26 as they forged 4 50+ stands in 5 innings.

As a pair, they batted in 27 innings together and scored 1664 runs at a brilliant average of 64.00. They had 4 century and 8 half-century partnerships.

#1 Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith (2002-2008)

An unstoppable duo

After Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs performed wonderfully opening the batting, the former had to move down to No. 3 with the emergence of Graeme Smith in 2002.

Smith and Gibbs started off with a couple of 50+ stands against Bangladesh before establishing themselves (as an opening pair) with a mammoth 368-run stand against Pakistan in Cape Town helping South Africa clinch the series 2-0. Three innings later, they were at it again and this time in England. On this occasion, they forged a 338-run stand in the first Test of the series and set the tone. In 2004, Smith and Gibbs put on their 3rd triple century stand and this time it was against West Indies.

The right-hand and left-hand combination worked brilliantly for Gibbs and Smith. In 56 innings they opened the batting, the duo amassed 2983 runs at an average of 55.24 which included 7-century stands.