Top 5 number 5s in Tests for Australia

Throughout the course of their cricketing history, Australia have remained one of the world's truly great international teams and their success in Test cricket for over a century is no accident.

They have produced outstanding cricketers of varying roles for years and very few teams can come close to their record.

Whether they are openers, middle-order batsman, wicket-keepers, spin bowlers or fast bowlers, Australia have been blessed with an embarrassment of riches. The same goes for their middle-order batsmen tasked with the responsibility of batting at number 5.

Here is a look at 5 of Australia's finest number 5s.

#5 Doug Walters

He is often regarded as one of the best middle-order batsmen to have ever played Test cricket for Australia and was particularly well known for being a flamboyant stroke-maker. Walters scored a century on his Test debut as a 19-year-old and never looked back.

He went on to bat at number 6 for most of his career that spanned 74 Test matches from 1965 to 1981, but he batted at number 5 in 32 of them and remains the 4th highest run scorer in that position for Australia.

Walters' penchant for scoring quickly and his technical gifts made him the ideal number 5. In those 32 Test matches at the position, he made 2134 runs at an excellent average of 47.42 and scored 5 centuries, in addition to 14 half-centuries.

#4 Allan Border

The former great might not have batted like some of the leading lights of Australian batting but throughout the course of his 15 year Test career (1979-1994), Allan Border showed that he was as good as many of them.

Border played 156 Test matches for Australia and out of those, he batted at number 5 in 58 of them. He remains the third highest run scorer at number 5 for his nation with a tally of 3071 runs and an average of 52.05.

His gumption, determination and a refusal to give away his wicket made him a very hard batsman to dismiss. In addition to that, the left-hander often scored runs when Australia had their backs to the wall and he played plenty of superb innings at number 5.

He made 9 centuries and 15 half-centuries as a number 5 batsman for Australia.

#3 Mike Hussey

The man who came to be known as Mr Cricket had to wait till he was 30 years old before he could play Test cricket for Australia but over the next eight years, Mike Hussey became one of the world's best middle-order batsmen in the longest format of the game.

He played 79 Tests from between 2005 and 2013 and in 29 of those, he the left-hander batted at number 5.

Hussey had the technique to handle hostile fast bowling in most conditions and in addition to that, he was one of the best players of spin bowling in the Australian side.

As a number 5, those skills made him such an asset for Australia and he scored 1978 runs at a stupendous average of 59.93. He made 6 centuries and 9 half-centuries at number 5.

#2 Michael Clarke

Ever since Michael Clarke scored a century on debut against India at Bengaluru back in 2004, it looked like he was going to be a middle-order order great for years to come and that is how his career unfolded over the next eleven years.

The right-hander went on to play 115 Test matches for Australia and played at number 5 in 72 of those. Clarke wasn't the most orthodox of batsmen but his footwork was excellent and his backfoot play was often exceptional.

In addition to that, he had a sound defensive technique and his mastery over spinners made him an outstanding number 5 for Australia.

In those 72 Test matches, he made 5959 runs at a staggering average of 60.80 and brought up as many as 20 centuries, in addition to 20 half-centuries. His epic 329 not out against India was also scored while batting at number 5.

#1 Steve Waugh

He is quite clearly the greatest number 5 who has ever represented Australia in Test cricket and in a career that spanned almost 19 years and 168 Test matches, Steve Waugh batted at number 5 in 104 of them.

He struggled with short-pitched deliveries in the early part of his career but the right-hander never let it affect his game and was known to take blows to his body if he found it difficult to defend against a particularly well directed short ball.

However, Waugh got much better as time progressed and his determination, willingness to fight it out and hunger for runs saw him become one of the world's top batsmen.

He was not the most elegant batsman either but that did not stop him from playing a range of strokes against all kinds of bowling and was generally untroubled against spin bowling as well.

Waugh is Australia's highest run scorer at number 5 with a total of 6754 runs at an average of 56.28. He made 24 centuries and 29 half-centuries.