Top 5 Test openers in the world right now

Test openers no longer hunt in pairsGood opening batsmen are worth their weight in gold when it comes to Test cricket. More often than not, teams which have solid openers are more likely to succeed as compared to the others.Some of the best examples of this from the past two decades include Australia, with Hayden and Langer at the top and India, when Sehwag and Gambhir opened the innings. In the current cricketing scene, we may not have too many great associations at the top of the order but there are certainly a number of individuals who have done well in the opening slot.Here’s who we think are the 5 best openers in the world right now:

#5 Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)

Tamim has been consistent across all formats

Easily the best batsman for his country across all formats, Bangladeshi opener Tamim Iqbal has done a more than decent job at the top of the order. Despite having a below average start to his Test career, he has picked up his game in the last couple of years and seems to be growing in confidence with every outing.

His greatest moment in the sun as Test opener came when he went on to score 206 against Pakistan in a home series earlier this year. What made the knock more special was the fact that it is the highest score by a Bangladesh batsman in Test cricket.

Tamim is also the highest run scorer for his country with more than 3,000 runs under his belt at an impressive average of 39 plus. The best bit for Tamim Iqbal is that he is still young and has a lot of time in his hands to visit previously uncharted territories for batsmen from his country.

#4 Murali Vijay (India)

Murali Vijay has been in exemplary form over the past 12 months

If anyone has been in the form of his life among India’s current crop of batsmen, it has been the splendid Murali Vijay. It all started for Vijay in July 2014 as India toured England on a mainly forgettable trip.

In the 5 Test series, he was India’s leading run scorer with 402 runs with a century and two fifties and he has not looked back since. Following that series, there has not been a single Test where Murali Vijay has not scored at least a half-century.

Having been more of a dasher during the early phase of his career, Vijay has brought a lot of discipline to his batting in the quest to become India’s most reliable batsman. And this seems to have surely worked wonders for him as he continues to get runs consistently for the team.

His Test average has gone up several notches as well in the recent past; in August 2014 it was 36.29, but in a matter of 15 months it has shot up to 42.39 at present. It is of vital importance for Vijay as well as the Indian team that he continues in the same vein as he is doing now, if not better.

#3 Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan)

Hafeez has been in unbelievable form for Pakistan over the past couple of years

Mohammad Hafeez’s meteoric rise to the top as one of Pakistan’s most successful openers has left many who doubted his abilities lost for words at present. His prowess with the bat has been one of the major driving forces behind his team’s unprecedented success in the longer format over the past 12 months.

Hafeez has enjoyed a brilliant year so far with 710 runs at a terrific average of 59.16 which is way above his career average of just over 40. The Pakistani may not have the grace of a Cook or the aggression of a Warner, but he is definitely highly effective as a Test opener, especially in the sub-continent.

The stats may not be able to tell you the entire story about how important Mohammad Hafeez’s runs at the top of the order have been for Pakistan. At 35, he may be at the end of his career but Hafeez is surely making every innings count at the moment.

#2 Alastair Cook (England)

Cook has been one of the best openers in the modern era

The England skipper and opening batsman is just 30, but he seems to have been around for an eternity. For years, Alastair Cook has been the flag bearer for the England batting line-up and looks to be continuing in the same vein for quite a few more years. His recent double century against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi is just another great example of how good Cook has been for the English team.

He is currently the highest run scorer in Tests for the year 2015 with 1,357 runs at an incredible average of 59 with 3 centuries against his name. Cook has been more like the traditional openers who first look to see off the new ball and then score their runs. More often than not, England’s fortunes have swung up and down depending on their skipper’s form.

Considering Alastair Cook’s present exploits with the bat and the fact that age is still on his side, he looks quite good to break many a batting record at the Test level.

#1 David Warner (Australia)

Warner’s trademark leap after completing his double century against New Zealand on Friday

Love him or hate him, there is no doubt about the fact that David Warner is currently the best opener in world cricket. It is not just about the stats but also about the way in which he dominates the opposition bowlers when he is on song. The Kiwis are currently getting a bitter dose of how devastating Warner can be as he has smashed 3 back-to-back centuries against them in the ongoing Trans-Tasman Test series.

The petite Aussie is taking forward the legacy of swashbuckling opening batsmen, the baton for which has been passed to him by the great Indian opener Virender Sehwag; his career strike rate of 75 plus is a testimony to this fact. In the current year alone, Warner has scored 1153 runs in 18 innings at a staggering average of 64.05, his highest score being the 253 in the WACA Test against the Kiwis.

The only possible blemish in Warner’s superb career as opener so far has been his failure to get too many runs outside his home conditions. But with a long career still ahead of him, he has enough opportunity to make amends for this.