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.

#4 Chris Rogers and David Warner

Despite their differences off the field, Warner and Rogers were magical as a pair on it.

The pair of Chris Rogers and David Warner represents a very interesting tale of how two players who couldn't stand the sight of each other came together to form one of Australia's most successful opening partnerships in the modern age.

The duo had extremely contrasting approaches to the game with Rogers being pretty conservative in his strokeplay while Warner maintained his aggressive approach to batting even in the longest format of the game.

The contrasting styles worked pretty well in Australia's favour as the pair's differences off the field rarely affected their work on the field of play. Together, they scored 2053 runs from 41 innings at an average of above 50.

While Rogers might still hold a grudge at Warner for inadvertently limiting his Test career to just 25 Tests, there is no doubt that the pair shared a great time on the field during the 2013-2015 period for Australia proving to be one of their rare high points during an otherwise under-par time in their history.

#3 Mark Taylor and Michael Slater

The contrasting style of Taylor and Slater worked out well for Australia

The opening pair of Michael Slater and Mark Taylor proved again how contrasting styles of play can work magic as a team.

Slater was a player well ahead of his time, as he adopted a fearless approach against the new ball and with much success, scoring 5312 runs from 74 Tests at an average of above 42.

Taylor meanwhile was very conservative in his approach to the game and also had the added responsibility of captaining the side to deal with.

Over a 7-year span from 1993 to 1999, the pair scored 3887 runs from 78 innings at an average of 51.14 with ten 100+ run partnerships.

Five of the ten 100+ partnerships has come in Ashes Tests, with the pair scoring 1735 runs from just 30 innings at an average of 57.83.

#2 Bill Lawry and Bob Simpson

Lawry and Simpson registered Australia's highest opening partnership of 382 in 1965

Bill Lawry and Bob Simpson formed a highly successful opening pair for Australia, scoring 3596 runs from just 62 Test innings at an average of 60.94, including nine partnerships in excess of 100.

Their partnership of 382 against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1965, is still Australia's highest opening stand - a record that has stood for more than 50 years.

Both Lawry and Simpson captained the Australian side as well but did not affect the burden of captaincy affect their batting either individually or as a pair. They were prolific as openers in their own right and proved a nightmare for the opposition when they batted together.

Lawry's name will forever be etched in Australian record books as the captain of their first ever ODI side while Simpson is credited with helping the side transform into a world-beating one during his decade-long tenure as coach of the Australian national side.

#1 Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer

Langer and Hayden are the second-most prolific opening pair in Test history

The pair of Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer is often credited with revolutionizing the way Test cricket was played as they often blew away the opposition with their attacking blitz at the top of the order.

The pair united as an opening pair at the Oval in 2001 after Michael Slater was dropped in favour of Langer as an opener and they instantly showed how dangerous they could be putting together 158 runs for the opening wicket.

It was just a sign of things to come and it was pretty evident that they loved playing in each other's company as they forged one of the most successful partnerships in Test history.

They are the second-most prolific opening pair in Test history after the West Indian pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, scoring 5655 runs from 113 innings at an average of 51.88.

They also boasted a very impressive Ashes record, scoring 1413 runs from 28 innings at an average of 54.34.