Top 5 cricket teams with the best opening pairs in limited overs cricket history

#3 South Africa

In recent times De Kock has partnered Amla up top

Since their readmission to international cricket in the early 90s, the Proteas were served well by the stable opening pair of Kepler Wessels and Andrew Hudson.

Once Wessels retired from the game, Gary Kirsten formed a solid partnership with Andrew Hudson. Kirsten became the lynchpin of the South African team, accumulating runs consistently at the top of the order.

Post Hudson's retirement, Kirsten got the perfect partner in the enigmatic Herschelle Gibbs. The Proteas who have been known for their seam bowling and exuberant fielding have had their share of world-class openers who gave their side the opening salvo in limited overs cricket.

Gibbs was a gifted stroke-maker who was beautiful to watch when on song. While Gibbs played the accelerators role to perfection, Kirsten was the workhorse playing the sheet anchor’s role.

Post the Kirsten-Gibbs era, the Green and Gold brigade had Graeme Smith forming a potent opening partnership with both Hashim Amla and Gibbs.

While Smith was a tenacious character who scored plethora of runs, Amla hailed as a wristy stroke maker went about his run scoring in a rather subdued manner.

In recent years, Amla has been partnered by the aggressive left-handed batsman Quinton De Kock. While De Kock likes to take on the bowlers in the power plays and get the South Africans to some fliers, Amla plays second fiddle as a sheet anchor.