Top 5 New Zealand Test openers of all time

For a long time in their cricketing history, New Zealand were known for being the plucky underdogs who punched above their weight and the team generally centred around one or two outstanding cricketers in order to force a result or eke out a draw.

Many of the opening batsmen that New Zealand had over the past 50 plus years have been an embodiment of that spirit and have generally been no-nonsense batsmen who valued survival and crease occupation as the most important part of their jobs.

Many of them are among the best batsmen to have played the game for New Zealand and will always be a part of the country's cricket history. Here is a look at 5 of the best opening batsmen New Zealand has ever had.

5 Bruce Edgar

Left-handed opening batsman Bruce Edgar is often regarded as one of the best opening batsmen to have played for New Zealand and during the late 1970s and early 1980s, his assured batting at the top of the order gave the team a sense of calm.

Edgar's game was based on crease occupation and he eschewed almost all his attacking instincts in order to ensure that he played out the initial period of the innings before the middle-order could take over.

In that regard, it is also not a surprise that Edgar's time as New Zealand's opener also coincided with the team's first great run of form as a side. In a career spanning around eight years, Edgar played in 39 Test matches and scored 1958 runs at an average of 30.59. Edgar also scored 3 centuries and 12 half-centuries. However, his influence at the top of the order went beyond bare numbers and revolved more around his ability to see off the new ball.

4 Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill

He might be known more for his swashbuckling batting as an opening batsman in the shorter versions of the game, but Martin Guptill has established himself as New Zealand's opener in Test matches as well and is well on his way to becoming one of the nation's top scoring batsmen in the position.

That being said, it is no secret that his batting style has often found to have been unsuited to the longest format of the game and an average of 29.38 in 47 Test matches is proof of that fact.

He has scored 3 hundreds and 17 half-centuries in his career so far. He is still the best available opener in the country at the moment and it is hoped that he will continue to get chances in Test cricket for the foreseeable future.

Guptill's aggressive batting at the top of the order often gives New Zealand a different dimension.

3 Mark Richardson

Mark Richardson

If there was any cricketer at the turn of the millennium who defied natural norms then it was New Zealand's former left-handed opening batsman Mark Richardson. He started off his as a left arm orthodox spinner but injuries forced him to take to batting and once he did so, he turned into one of cricket's great exponents of the art of stonewalling.

Richardson's batting could almost be described as neurotic, due to the way in which he preferred to block most deliveries and when he was in his elements, it was close to impossible to tempt him into playing a shot to balls pitched outside off stump.

Additionally, he was unfazed by either extreme pace or the vicious turn of the subcontinent. All of this was down to his excellent defensive technique. For much of his career, he maintained an average of around 50 but by the end of his short career spanning 4 years and 28 Tests, his average dropped to 44.77.

He scored 4 centuries and 19 half-centuries, which points to an inability to turn starts into centuries.

3 John Wright

John Wright of New Zealand

In recent years, John Wright has made his name as one of the world's foremost cricket coaches but during his time in international cricket, he was one of New Zealand's top batsmen and made the opener's position his own for around 15 years.

The left-handed Wright had an excellent technique and coupled with his ability to graft, he became one of the rocks of New Zealand's batting line up during the 1980s. On the other hand, he was a fighter and was always ready for the challenges thrown up by the world's best bowlers.

He played 82 Test matches during the course of his career and notched up 5334 runs at an average of 37.82. Wright reached three figures 12 times and also scored 23 half-centuries. One of Wright's little-known milestones is that he was the first batsman from his country to reach the 4000-run mark, and that will always be a part of New Zealand's cricketing history.

1 Glenn Turner

Glenn Turner

Glenn Turner was the first great Test batsman from New Zealand and reigned as one of the world's top opening batsmen during and in a career that lasted around 14 years. He elevated the national side to a new level.

Turner was famous for his technical abilities and in fact, he played in the English County Championships from an early age in order to ensure that he had honed his skills against the best professionals in the game.

In addition, his hunger for runs was unmatched and he went on to become a batsman who became famous for building a Test match innings perfectly. He played 44 Test matches in his career and scorer 2991 runs at an average of 44.64.

Turner also scored 7 centuries and 14 half-centuries, with his highest score being a mammoth 259 against the West Indies in Guyana back in 1972.