5 dream cross-generation openers who would have blunted out any attack in Test cricket

#2 Desmond Haynes and Chris Gayle

Desmond Haynes and Chris Gayle: A coming together of fire and ice

This pair is the perfect example of how opposites seem attractive. Perhaps, the only similarity between the two is the permanent smile that their faces wear. However, if Haynes' caution and Gayle's brute force were to come together, it would result in an ominous opening pair for any bowling attack.

Haynes, along with his partner Gordon Greenidge, debilitated attack after attack through the late seventies and the eighties. Till date, the duo continue to remain the most successful opening combination in tests. The only batsman to have carried his bat thrice, Haynes was widely regarded for placing a price on his wicket.

For all his acclaim as a T20 specialist, Chris Gayle is a mighty good test batsman as well. Though one would expect him to go hammer and tong from the first ball, he can also alter his approach as is evident from his almost eight-hour-long, match-saving knock of 165 versus Australia in 2009.

That being said, Gayle has stayed true to his image and is tenth on the list of batsmen with the highest strike rates in tests (minimum of 5000 test runs).

West Indies' fans would have been thrilled to have the fire and ice combination of Haynes and Gayle at the top of the order.