5 most successful English batting pairs of all time in Test cricket

Test cricket is a game in which big totals are necessary if a team are to entertain any chance of winning the game. Without those runs on the board, the bowlers will not have enough of a cushion when they try and get the 20 wickets needed to win the game.

In order to put on those big scores, batsmen need to string together partnerships. Over the years, England have had plenty of such important pairs who have become vital to the team. Here is a look at 5 of the most prolific batting pairs for England in Test cricket.

5 Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe

Two of England's, and indeed the world's greatest ever opening batsmen, started their careers in different eras and hence, they could together open the innings for their country for only around 6 years.

The pair opened the innings for England on 39 occasions from 1924 and 1930, during the course of which they firmly established themselves as one of the greatest opening batting pairs in Test cricket history. Hobbs and Sutcliffe were both technically superb and had the ability to bat on difficult wickets without flinching.

The pair averaged an incredible 87.86 in those 39 innings, and went on to amass 3339 runs together to become the 5th most prolific batting pair in English cricket history. They put on century partnerships on 15 occasions and crossed 50 eleven times. Their highest partnership was the 283 against Australia at Melbourne in the 1925-26 Ashes.

Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan with Ashley Giles

4 Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan

Former England opening batsman Marcus Trescothick and former captain Michael Vaughan formed a formidable pair for the team from 2000 to 2005. Vaughan batted at many positions. He opened for some time, batted at 3 and then later on at 5 as well, but the most fruitful stands between the two came when Vaughan was the opener.

The pair were involved in 72 partnerships during that period, which coincided with one of the best periods in English cricket, when they won many important series. The pair averaged 51.14 and put on 3529 runs, with 10 stands in excess of hundred and 19 which passed the 50 run mark. The highest was their epic second wicket stand of 255 against Bangladesh at Lord's back in 2005.

Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen

3 Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen

They are among best batsmen to have ever played Test cricket for England and the pair played together from 2006 to 2013. Cook is an opening batsman par excellence who has the ability to score big hundreds, while Kevin Pietersen used to be the team's brutal stroke maker, and the two combined brilliantly for around seven years.

More often than not, the pair used to be involved in 3rd wicket partnerships and the pair batted together 58 times for England. Cook and Pietersen got together to score 3558 runs in total during the course of their partnerships and averaged a brilliant 64.69 for their efforts.

They put on 100 runs or more 13 times and combined to score in excess of 50 runs on 15 occasions.

Their highest and the most memorable stand was the 206 they put on against India at Mumbai back in 2012, that broke the back of the Indian spinners and helped England make a triumphant turnaround in the series.

Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart

2 Michael Atherton and Alec Stewart

They were both former England captains, and two of the finest batsmen in the side during the 1990s when English cricket seemed to be at its lowest point. Opening batsman Atherton was known for digging in and staying at the crease for as long as possible, while middle-order batsman Alec Stewart was the more flamboyant of the two.

Stewart was an excellent cutter and puller, who was known to go for his strokes whenever he could. They batted together 89 times from 1990 to 2000 and scored 3687 runs in total, making them the 2nd most successful pair in the history of English cricket.

They put on a century-plus stand 9 times and crossed the 50 run barrier 20 times. Their highest partnership of 226 came in the Manchester Test against South Africa back in 1998.

Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss

1 Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss

Alastair Cook became England's opener in Test cricket after a stellar century on debut against India back in 2006 and along with the already established Andrew Strauss, he formed one of the best opening pairs in world cricket.

They opened together till 2013, the year Strauss retired, and during that 7-year period, they became the most successful pair in the history of English Test cricket. Cook's technique, temperament, tenacity and the ability to play the long innings, and Strauss' unorthodox but effective approach formed a combination that formed one of the pillars of the successes that England enjoyed during the period. The team eventually climbed to the top of the world Test rankings.

The duo added 5253 runs during the course of their 132 partnerships and averaged 40.40. Cook and Strauss gave England a start of in excess of hundred 14 times and a fifty-plus one on 21 occasions. Their highest partnership of 229 came against the West Indies at Bridgetown back in 2009.