Top 5 openers to play for South Africa

The importance of openers in Test cricket is as important as the new ball bowlers. These players have to be switched on right from the outset as very often they dictate the outcome of the match. And then if the match is being played in seaming and swinging conditions of South Africa, their job becomes all the more admirable.

Over the years, talent in South Africa has never been rushing through the system, but they have to be nurtured and then given the long rope. And this strategy has yielded dividends because the Proteas team has found high-class openers who have served them with distinction.

Here in this list, we take a look at 5 of the top openers to have emerged from the Rainbow nation.

#1 Barry Richards

The apartheid system in South Africa claimed many bright talents, none bigger and brighter than Barry Richards. People all over the world believe that the cricketing world was poorer because Richards could not show the world what he was made of.

Barry played only 4 Test matches for South Africa, but his performances in Domestic cricket when he played for Hampshire, Natal and South Australia, and then in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket was a testament to his unbridled potential.

To many players who played with or against him, Barry Richards was the complete batsman, next only to Sir Donald Bradman. In 339 First class matches, he scored an astonishing 28,358 runs at an average of 54.74, and with the highest score of 356.

#2 Eddie Barlow

Suave, dashing and exuberant, Eddie Barlow was one of the most popular players of his generation. He was obdurate and never left anything back when on the cricket field. He was also a super fit athlete and a brilliant slip fielder.

In 30 matches, Barlow was the unyielding object at the top of the order and churned out runs almost on every occasion. He scored 2516 runs at an average of 45.74, with the highest score of 201.

Barlow was part of a dominating South African team which boasted of players like Graeme Pollock, Mike Procter, Peter Pollock and Denis Lindsay, and this team dominated the cricketing world for a decent amount of time.

#3 Herschelle Gibbs

Flashy, fearless and enigmatic, Herschelle Gibbs was the poster boy of a resurgent South African team. On his day he could dismantle bowling attacks without breaking a sweat, and on other days his reckless attitude would force people to tear their hair.

But then the match-winning prowess of Gibbs could never be undermined. But then it so often happens, too much talent can sometimes act as a deterrent to a legendary career, Gibbs was a case of 'what if'.

In 90 Test matches, the flamboyant opener scored 6167 runs at an average of 41.95, which included 14 centuries. However, there was so much Gibbs could have achieved if only he realised his potential and buckled down just a touch.

#4 Gary Kirsten

If Gibbs was the more flamboyant one, Gary Kirsten was the workman at the top of the order. He was not an entirely gifted player too, but then he had a solid temperament and a resolute attitude which made him become on the most important cogs of the South African batting line-up.

As an opening batsman, he was a determined figure at the top of the order and wanted to score runs, and never bothered if these runs looked ugly. He also had the ability to dig in for the long haul and concentrate for extended periods of time.

These virtues allowed him to work on his strengths and churn out runs at a time when it mattered the most. In 101 matches, he scored 7289 runs at an average of 45.27, which included 21 centuries.

#5 Graeme Smith

Big, broad and brash, Graeme Smith was the leader and a captain in every aspect. When he started off his career, not many gave him any chance to be successful in the longest format. When he hung up his boots at the end of his career, not only was he one of the most successful batsman in the country but was also the triumphant captain of his team.

He built the South African according to his own principles and made them world beater both at home and abroad. He was also an eloquent man and was prompt and unfiltered in what he thought. And then there was his batting, being the opener helped him in his captaincy too.

In 117 Test matches, Smith scored 9265 runs at an average of 48.25. This included 27 centuries and 38 half-centuries.