Top 5 left-handed English Test openers of all time

England is the oldest cricketing nation in the world and one of the oldest Test-playing nations, which is why it is not a surprise that it has produced plenty of gifted cricketers throughout the course of its history.

Among them, England has also produced some of the greatest opening batsmen in history and among them, some happen to be left-handed batsmen.

While opening batsmen like Len Hutton, Herbert Sutcliffe and Geoffrey Boycott are hugely famous, not much is talked about the great left-handed opening batsmen that the country has produced (other than Alastair Cook).

So, here is a look at 5 of the very best left-handed opening batsmen that England has ever had.

#5 Peter Richardson

The left-handed opening batsmen Peter Richardson had a distinguished 7-year-long international Test career for England during which he played 34 Test matches and went on to become one of the most reliable batsmen on the side.

The left-handed batsman was an elegant player and had the defensive game to counter whatever was thrown at him in the early exchanges.

Among the handful of really top class left-handed opening batsmen that the English national team have had, Richardson is one of the best and is the 5th highest run scorer among them, with an aggregate of 2061 runs in 34 Test matches.

Richardson averaged 37.47 and made 5 centuries, in addition to 9 fifties during the course of his career. He had also been a long-serving member of the Kent and Worcestershire teams in the County Championships.

#4 John Edrich

Opening batsman John Edrich was one of the pillars of the English top order in the 1960s and 1970s, during the course of which he played 77 Test matches for the team.

In 47 of those Test matches, the left-hander opened the innings for England and went on to become an excellent opening batsman.

Edrich was a highly driven and disciplined batsman, who did not try anything extravagant and held his end up for as long as he possibly could. He was excellent against fast bowling and proved to be an excellent cutter of anything marginally short.

In those 47 games, Edrich scored 3430 runs at an average of 44.54 and also notched up 8 centuries and 14 half-centuries. His highest score was a stupendous 310 not out against New Zealand in 1965.

#3 Marcus Trescothick

The former England batsman was a powerhouse for the team at the top of the order from 2000 to 2006 and had mental health problems not interfered with his flourishing career, Marcus Trescothick would have ended up as one of the game's greats.

Trescothick was not the most orthodox or technically conservative batsman but he had the game to survive against all kinds of bowling and in addition to that, he did not face many difficulties against high-quality spin either.

He was primarily a stroke maker but at the same time, he had the judgement and the skill to see off the new ball in difficult conditions.

During his time, England recorded notable victories, which culminated in the famous win in the Ashes in 2005 and Trescothick was a vital member of that team.

He played 76 Test matches in total and scored 5824 runs at an excellent average of 43.78. Trescothick scored 14 centuries and 29 half-centuries in his career.

#2 Andrew Strauss

The former England captain who took the national team to the top of the world rankings during his reign was also one of their best opening batsmen and there is no doubt that Andrew Strauss will always be considered among the best opening batsmen to have ever played for the team.

Strauss played exactly 100 Test matches for England and he played as an opening batsman in 97 of those.

Strauss had an efficient technique that allowed him to tough it out against the best bowlers in the world and his primary attacking shot was the cut. He also dealt in steers to the leg side and nudges all over the place.

He was particularly adept against pace but eventually, he got a lot better against spin. In those 97 Test matches, Strauss scored 6741 runs at an average of 40.85 and scored 20 centuries in addition to 53 centuries.

#1 Alastair Cook

Ever since he flew down to India to replace Marcus Trescothick at the age of 22 and scored a century on debut, Alastair Cook was earmarked for greatness. It is quite clear that he is one of the greatest opening batsmen to have ever played the game.

That naturally makes him the greatest left-handed batsman that England has ever had. He has played 152 Test matches so far and has opened in 145 of those. Cook's game is built on a superb technique, patience, ability to play all sorts of bowling and the gift of scoring big hundreds once he is set.

Cook has scored 11378 runs as an opener so far and has averaged a healthy 45.87 in his career so far. On the other hand, he has also scored 30 centuries and as many as 53 half-centuries.