England's opening woes: Alastair Cook's opening partners since 2012

Well begun is half done! This theory is very much applicable to the game of cricket as well. The openers lay down a foundation for a good score and the success of the team largely depends on the openers.

England has always been blessed with technically sound opening batsmen. At present, Alastair Cook is the highest run scorer for England in Test cricket with 12,145 runs in 282 innings at an average of 45.66. However, since the retirement of Andrew Strauss in the year 2012, Cook has had 12 partners in the last 6 years.

Here is an analysis of the woes of English openers after the retirement of Andrew Strauss:

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1. Nick Compton

Compton has played 16 Test matches for England

In what was termed to be a tough assignment for the English team, they emerged victorious on the tour of India in 2012. Cook found a reliable opening partner in Nick Compton and on most occasions, the English openers laid down a strong foundation.

Cook and Compton added 123 runs in the 2nd innings at Ahmedabad in the first Test, however, India triumphed over England. The second Test in Mumbai which England won was due to the strong foundation of the openers. Cook and Compton added 66 and 58* in the first and second innings respectively. If this was not enough, the pair added 165 in Kolkata in the third Test and England won the Test series in India.

England then toured New Zealand for a 3 match Test series and Compton did not disappoint. Compton smashed 2 centuries in the 3 Test series. Cook and Compton added 231 in the second innings of the first Test at Dunedin which ensured that the match ended in a draw.

Compton impressed one and all and it seemed that England had found a perfect replacement for Strauss. However, things did not go too well for Compton in the 2 Test home series against England and was left out of the team soon thereafter.

Compton made a comeback to the England team and played a Test in 2015 and 6 Tests in 2017. However, he scored only 296 runs in 11 innings and was dropped from the team again.

In 16 Test matches and 30 innings, Compton scored 775 runs at an average of 28.70. Compton could not get a consistent run in the English Test team and will probably never play a Test in future considering that he is 35 years of age.

2. Joe Root

Joe Root averaged 41.70 as an opener in 11 innings

The 2013 home Ashes for England saw the experiment of Joe Root as an opener. In 5 Tests, Root scored 339 runs at an average of 37.66 with a marathon 180 being his highest at the Lords. However, Cook and Root could just manage a highest partnership of 68 in the 10 innings and the management realized that Root was much better off as a middle-order batsman rather than an opener.

In 11 innings as an opener, the current England Test captain averaged 41.70 which is lower than his career average of 52.28. Root currently bats at No.3 in Test cricket and has established himself as one of the best players in the world.

3. Michael Carberry

Michael Carberry played 6 Tests for England as an opener

The experiment of Root as an opener did not materialise and England had a new opener to partner Cook in the 2013 Ashes in Australia. Michael Carberry, who had played a solitary Test for England against Bangladesh in the year 2009 was recalled to the Test team.

Michael Carberry in the 5 Ashes Tests in Australia in 2013 scored 281 runs at an average of 28.1 with just 1 half century to his credit. England were whitewashed 5-0 down under and the opening woes continued.

Carberry and Cook could just put on 50 plus partnerships on just 2 occasions with 85 at Perth being the highest. Carberry never played a Test for England ever since the disastrous 2013 Ashes campaign down under.

4. Sam Robson

Sam Robson last played a Test for England in 2014

The English summer of 2014 saw the rise and fall of Sam Robson.

Robson made his debut against Sri Lanka in the 2 match Test series. In 4 innings against Sri Lanka, he averaged 42.75 with a highest score of 127 and was an automatic choice as an opener in the home series against India in 2014.

The Test series against India led to Robson's ouster from the English Test team. In 7 innings, Robson could manage only 165 runs at an average of 23.57. In 11 Test innings as opener, he could manage to score only 336 runs at an average of 30.55. He has not played a Test for England since the 2014 series against India.

5. Jonathan Trott

Jonathan Trott averaged 19.38 as an opener in 8 innings for England

Jonathan Trott was a reliable middle order batsman and scored heaps of runs batting at number 3 for England. In 73 innings at number 3 for England in Tests, Trott scored 3109 runs at an average of 47.72 with 7 centuries and 15 half-centuries.

The England team management decided to promote Trott as an opener in the 2015 series against the West Indies. However, Trott could manage only 72 runs in 6 innings against the West Indies and averaged just 12 with 3 ducks.

Trott immediately announced his retirement after struggling against the West Indies. His only notable contribution was an innings of 59 in the 2nd Test which saw him add 125 runs for the first wicket with Cook at Grenada.

In 8 innings as an opener, Trott scored 155 runs at a dismal average of 19.38 which is way lower than his career average of 44.08.

6. Adam Lyth

Adam Lyth averaged 20.38 in 13 innings as an opener

The summer of 2015 saw another opener making his Test debut for England. Adam Lyth made his debut against New Zealand and in the 2 match test series, he scored 150 runs at an average of 37. 50 with a highest score of 107. This led to his selection as an opener in the 2015 Ashes series.

However, the 2015 Ashes series turned out to be a nightmare for the left-handed opening batsman. Lyth could score only 115 runs in 9 innings in the 2015 Ashes at an average of 12.78. The horrendous time which Lyth had against the Australian bowlers led to his ouster from the Test team and has never been selected to play a Test for England.

In 13 innings as an opener, Lyth has scored 265 runs at an average of 20.38. It is very unlikely that Lyth will make a comeback to the English Test team.

7. Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali averaged 14 as an opener in 6 Test innings

England played a 3 match Test series against Pakistan in UAE in 2015 and the hunt of an opener to partner Cook continued. The team management decided to experiment by sending Moeen Ali who was a handy middle-order batsman to open the innings against Pakistan in spin-friendly conditions in UAE.

Moeen Ali suffered the same fate as Cook's previous 6 partners and in 6 innings, he could score only 84 runs at an average of 14. Ali really struggled as an opener and was sent back to bat in the middle order in England's next assignment.

Ali is a handy batsman who averages 32.40 in 85 Test innings and has 5 Test centuries to his credit. However, the mistake of sending him as an opener hurt England in 2015.

8. Alex Hales

Hales could not replicate his success in limited overs cricket for England at the Test level

By the end of 2015, Alex Hales was finding his feet in ODI cricket and the team management decided to hand a Test cap to him in an away series against South Africa.

Hales really struggled in the 4 match Test series against South Africa and in 8 innings he had scores of 10, 26, 60, 5, 1, 18, 15 and 1. An average of 17 in 8 innings was not much to boast of for the English opener. However, he was picked in the squad to play a 3 match Test series against Sri Lanka in 2016.

Hales scored 3 half centuries in 5 innings and averaged 58.40 against Sri Lanka. The next assignment against Pakistan led to the downfall of Hales and his Test career.

Scores of 6, 16, 10, 24, 17, 54, 6 and 12 in eight innings at an average of 18.13 saw the selectors lose their patience with Hales at the top of the order. He has not played a Test since then for England.

Hales is a much-improved player especially in the ODI and T20 format and if he continues to score heaps of runs in county cricket, he still has a chance to make it to the English Test team. In 21 innings, Hales scored 573 runs at an average of 27.29.

9. Ben Duckett

Ben Duckett struggled as an opener and averaged 23 in 4 innings

England were touring Bangladesh in October 2016 and needed an opener who could tackle spin to partner Cook.

Ben Duckett was given the responsibility to open the innings and he too disappointed. Scores of 14, 15, 7 and 56 were enough for the selectors to push Duckett to the middle-order in the next series against India.

Duckett averaged 23 as an opener in 4 innings and in 3 innings as a middle-order batsman averaged 6. He last played a Test against India in 2016.

In 7 Test innings, an average of 15.71 was enough for the selectors to drop him from the Test team.

10. Haseeb Hameed

Hameed averaged an impressive 43.60 against India

Haseeb Hameed was one opener who looked technically sound and had the temperament to succeed at the Test level for England in the last 6 years. In a tough assignment against India in a 5 match Test series, Hameed as a 19-year-old cricketer from Lancashire opened with Cook in the first Test at Rajkot.

In 6 innings against India, before getting injured, Hammed scored 219 runs at an average of 43.60 with two half-centuries to his credit. Hameed looked determined to bat for long at the crease and score as many runs as possible for England.

Unfortunately, an injury prevented Hameed from playing any further part in the Test series against India and since then he has struggled in county cricket.

Hameed is only 21 years of age and is definitely the future opener for England in Test cricket. The time is not far when Hammed will be seen wearing an English Test cap once again.

11. Keaton Jennings

Jennings has failed to impress as an opener after a promising century on debut against India

Jennings scored a century on debut against India at the Wankhede stadium and set the stage of fire. An injury to Hameed prompted the team management to experiment with Jennings at the top of the order.

Jennings had scores of 112, 0, 1 and 54 in 4 innings against India. An average of 41. 75 with a century and a half-century in his first 4 innings in Test cricket led to his selection in the home series against South Africa in 2017.

Jennings struggled against South Africa and scores of 8, 33, 0, 3, 0, 48, 17 and 18 was evidence that Jennings had to grind it hard at the domestic level to stage a comeback to the Test team. An average of 15.88 in 8 innings forced the selectors to drop him from the playing 11. Jennings made a comeback to the Test team against Pakistan in 2018 and scored 29 runs in the Test.

Jennings has till date scored 323 runs in 13 Test innings at an average of 24. 85. In all likelihood, Jennings will partner Cook in the Test series against India which will start on August 1.

12. Mark Stoneman

Stoneman was dropped from the Test squad after the first Test against Pakistan in 2018

Stoneman was the 12th opening partner of Cook since the year 2012. Stoneman too had a promising start to his England career.

In 5 innings as an opener against West Indies, Stoneman scored 120 runs at an average of 30. He was selected as an opener in the 2017 Ashes in Australia and in 9 innings, he did not impress much and scored 232 runs with 2 half centuries at an average of 25. 78.

The selectors decided to persist with Stoneman in an away series against New Zealand and he impressed in bits and parts by scoring 2 half centuries at an average of 40.25 in 4 innings.

He was shown the door after the first Test against Pakistan in 2018 when he scored 13 runs in 2 innings. In a career of 11 Tests and 20 innings, Stoneman averages 27.68.