Facing the new red ball is a challenge for any opening batsman. Bowlers use the fresh ball to their benefit to trouble batters, moving the ball in and out and extracting the bounce on offer.
But a few openers from Australia stood firm against the challenge and provided brisk starts on many occasions. These openers were also the reason behind the Aussies dominating world cricket in their playing times.
So, in this piece, let’s look at the ten greatest Australian Test opening batsmen.
10. Arthur Morris
After losing his prime years due to World War Two, Arthur Morris played his debut Test in late 1946. He couldn’t impress much in the first two Tests but then accrued three consecutive hundreds in the next two.
It was enough to solidify Morris’ spot at the top, and he kept accumulating big knocks thereafter. England was his favourite opponent against whom he never failed to score runs. And his 696 runs in the 1948 Ashes in England, outscoring legendary Don Bradman, prove that.
Except for a Test, Morris opened in 45 matches and scored 3,381 runs at an average of 45.68.
9. Geoff Marsh
The father of Shaun and Mitchell Marsh, Geoff was a simple yet determined opener for Australia. He started his career batting at No. 3 in 1985, but two Tests later he became Australia’s permanent opener.
Marsh provided the stability at the top to the side that was trying to gain its foothold. The right-hander built a good rapport with David Boon while opening the innings.
Marsh accumulated 2,819 runs in 91 innings at an average of 33.35 with his hard resolve.
8. David Boon
David Boon is a respectable name among the ICC’s elite panel match referees. You must have heard his name during an international game.
But before that, Boon carved out a place for himself in Australia’s batting lineup in the 1980s and 90s. He was more of a No. 3 batter, but he also opened for the Kangaroos alongside Geoff Marsh.
The first time Boon batted at the top in late 1985, he showcased an immediate impact. The right-hand batter scored 123 against India in Adelaide.
Then Boon occupied the slot for almost eight years, batting for longer duration on the pitch and scoring a bulk of runs. In early 1993, he had to drop down to No. 3 as a new opening pair of Mark Taylor and Michael Slater came along.
Boon was the highest run-scorer in Tests in two consecutive years of 1992 and 1993 overall. You can check which batter dominated the Test batting every year in this article.
Boon opened for the Aussies in 36 matches and scored 2,614 runs at an average of 45.
7. Bob Simpson
Bob Simpson made his Test debut in 1957, but he batted in the lower-middle order, criss-crossing between No. 5 and No. 8. He featured in six Tests after his debut, but then he was out of the team for almost two years.
Simpson returned to the squad in 1960 as an opener and made the chance count. He scored a gritty 92 against the West Indies in Brisbane and cemented his position in the team.
Then Simpson was Australia’s flagbearer, along with Bill Lawry, at the top in the 1960s. The right-hander often got the brisk starts but failed to convert them into big knocks. And when he did convert, he made it into a huge one, scoring 311 against England in 1964.
Simpson amassed 3,664 runs at an average of 55.51 in 38 Tests for Australia as an opener.
6. Michael Slater
Michael Slater played a strong second-fiddle role to fellow opener Mark Taylor. He was an aggressive batter loaded with courageous strokeplay.
Slater’s attacking approach almost always got Australia off to a flying start. And he showcased his mastery early in his career, scoring 58 in his debut innings against England in 1993.
The right-hand batter followed it up with a brilliant 152, inscribing his name on the Lord’s honours board. Riding on that solid start, Slater amassed significant runs in the first three years and secured his spot.
After a brief slump in the next two years, he was back among the runs. Slater was looking to add centuries to his name but fell in the nervous nineties a record nine times.
Despite that, Slater accumulated 5,312 runs in 74 Tests at an average of 42.83, including 14 centuries.
5. Justin Langer
Justin Langer wasn’t the preferred opener from the start. He made his Test debut in 1993 against the West Indies but batted at No. 3 and did score 54 in the second innings.
But in the next match, Langer was promoted as opener, and he failed to put up runs. That was the only time he opened in the 1990s, and he got sparse opportunities till 1997.
Langer returned to the Australian team in 1998 and cemented his spot as a reliable No. 3 batter. But the opening slot was his real calling, and he finally got it in 2001, turning it into a fixed role.
As soon as Langer started opening, he lined up big scores, amassing double the runs in his preferred slot. If that was not enough, he joined forces with fellow opener Matthew Hayden to give Aussies dashing starts.
Langer accumulated 5,112 runs in 65 Test matches at an average of 48.22.
4. Mark Taylor
Before the emergence of Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, it was Taylor who left his ‘Mark’ in the opening slot. After a gloomy start to his career against the West Indies, Mark Taylor turned around his fortunes on the 1989 England tour.
The left-hander scored 839 runs in six Tests, setting his opening slot on track. He was an undisputed force behind Australia’s dominance in the 1990s.
Taylor churned out runs consistently till the mid-90s, facing lethal bowling attacks. His form took a slump, but he regained it towards the end of his career and slammed his career-best 334 not out against Pakistan, which is the highest Test ever by an Australian captain.
Taylor bowed out of Test cricket with 7,525 runs in 104 matches at an average of 43.49.
3. Bill Lawry
Bill Lawry was a rigid opening batsman for Australia in the 1960s. He made his Test debut in the 1961 Ashes against England.
Lawry immediately showcased his mettle as an opener with a 57-run knock in Birmingham’s seaming conditions. And in the next Test at Lord’s, the left-hander amassed 130 when the top order failed to put up runs.
His batting performances in Ashes sealed his spot in the team as an opener. Lawry then plundered runs with his elegant strokes, while bowlers found it hard to dismiss him.
Lawry was Australia’s enforcer for a decade, scoring 5,234 runs in 67 Tests at an average of 47.15.
2. David Warner
David Warner, who retired in early 2024, is among the best opening batsmen in the current era. And it’s not just limited to Tests but all three formats.
Warner broke into Australia’s limited-over squads in 2009, even before making his first-class debut. It took him two more years to earn his Test debut, and he proved his credentials with an unbeaten 123 against New Zealand in only his fourth Test innings.
Since then, Warner established himself as Australia’s go-getter at the top and averaged close to 40 almost every year till 2019. Though 2018 was a dark period for him after getting banned for a year due to his involvement in ball tampering in the Newlands Test.
Nevertheless, Warner finished his career at high, scoring 8,747 runs in 202 innings as an opener, bettering Matthew Hayden’s tally, ranking top at the runs chart for Aussie openers.
1. Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden is arguably the finest Test opener produced by Australia. The tall left-hander opened for the Aussies all along in 103 Test matches.
Known as Haydos, he scored 149 on his first-class debut and soon found himself in the Australian team. He made his Test debut in 1994 but didn’t play a match in the next two and a half years.
Hayden came back to the squad for the 1996/97 series against the West Indies and scored his maiden Test century. That sealed his spot for the South Africa tour, but there he failed miserably and was out of the squad for three years.
But a tour to India in 2001 turned the tables for Hayden. He amassed 549 runs in three Tests and cemented his spot for the next eight years until his retirement.
Hayden then provided a solid opening to the Australian team with his powerful strokes. He stitched a formidable partnership with Justin Langer at the start, almost operating in tandem.
His 380 against Zimbabwe still stands as the highest ever score by an Australian batter in Tests and second overall.
Hayden scored 8,625 runs in 184 innings at an average of 50.73, including 30 hundreds and 29 fifties.
