Nine of the 25 most prolific openers in Test cricket history are English - more than any other nation.
Six of those nine were fixtures in the side, so much so that in the 51 years since Geoffrey Boycott made his debut in 1964, at least one of Boycott, Graham Gooch, Mike Atherton, Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss or Alastair Cook has opened in 79% (442) of England's 561 Tests.
But that lineage appears, for now at least, to be in danger of dying out with Cook.
Since Strauss retired in 2012, Cook has gone through seven different partners, with Alex Hales set to become the eighth in the first Test against South Africa starting on 26 December.
How have England, the home of technically correct, gritty, sell-your-grandma-before-you-sell-your-wicket openers - raised against the moving ball on pitches greener than a snooker table - found themselves in such a state of flux at the top of the order?
Showing posts with label Trescothick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trescothick. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
South Africa vs England: Why can't England find an opening batsman?
Nine of the 25 most prolific openers in Test cricket history are English - more than any other nation.
Six of those nine were fixtures in the side, so much so that in the 51 years since Geoffrey Boycott made his debut in 1964, at least one of Boycott, Graham Gooch, Mike Atherton, Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss or Alastair Cook has opened in 79% (442) of England's 561 Tests.
But that lineage appears, for now at least, to be in danger of dying out with Cook.
Since Strauss retired in 2012, Cook has gone through seven different partners, with Alex Hales set to become the eighth in the first Test against South Africa starting on 26 December.
How have England, the home of technically correct, gritty, sell-your-grandma-before-you-sell-your-wicket openers - raised against the moving ball on pitches greener than a snooker table - found themselves in such a state of flux at the top of the order?
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