Let's examine three hypothetical scenarios where opening partnerships score 50 runs at a run-a-ball pace. The implications of this score vary depending on the format of the game.
In a Test match, this score is not particularly advantageous. The batters have played aggressively and accumulated runs quickly, but the ball is still relatively new, and the bowlers are fresh. The situation could easily deteriorate to 60 for 3.
In a T20 match, a similar score isn’t ideal either. The power play seems underutilised, and the team may struggle to reach a total of 150-160, which is often insufficient on good batting surfaces.
However, in an ODI, a 50-run opening partnership is a great start. The power play has been effectively utilised, and with no wickets lost, the team is well on track to achieve a potentially match-winning score of around 300.
This scenario highlights the critical role of openers in ODI matches. They must carefully set up the innings, balancing between the slower pace of Test matches and the aggressive approach of T20s. With 50 overs to play, there’s ample time to lose wickets.
In this article, I will delve into the performance of ODI openers, both individually and in pairs, examining who has scored the most runs, who delivered in crucial moments, who had the highest averages, who scored the fastest, and who consistently provided strong starts for their teams.
Opening Batters
Let’s begin by analysing the performance of individual openers. The data is current up to the third ODI between Sri Lanka and India. The tables focus on batters who have played a significant number of innings as openers, as there can be instances where a batter, even an opener, may not bat in a match.
Here are the top run-scorers as openers:
- Sachin Tendulkar: 340 innings, 15,310 runs
- Sanath Jayasuriya: 383 innings, 12,740 runs
- Chris Gayle: 274 innings, 10,179 runs
- Adam Gilchrist: 259 innings, 9,200 runs
- Sourav Ganguly: 236 innings, 9,146 runs
- Rohit Sharma: 176 innings, 8,836 runs
- Desmond Haynes: 237 innings, 8,648 runs
- Tamim Iqbal: 240 innings, 8,357 runs
- Saeed Anwar: 220 innings, 8,156 runs
- Hashim Amla: 175 innings, 8,083 runs
Unsurprisingly, Sachin Tendulkar leads the chart with over 15,000 runs as an opener. He is followed by Sanath Jayasuriya and Chris Gayle, both with more than 10,000 runs. Jayasuriya also holds the record for the most matches opened. Adam Gilchrist, Sourav Ganguly, and Rohit Sharma are next on the list, followed by other renowned openers. The rankings align with expectations.
Performance-Oriented Metrics
Next, we shift to metrics that focus on performance under pressure. To qualify for these tables, a batter must have scored at least 2,500 runs as an opener, which generally requires around 50 to 60 matches. Sixty-six batters meet this criterion.
Scoring runs in regular bilateral ODI matches is one thing, but delivering in crucial matches, against top-tier bowlers, and in challenging situations is another. To assess the quality of runs, I developed a composite index considering factors such as match importance, bowling quality, target difficulty, and other variables. The bar for top-quality runs is set high, with only 600 innings qualifying, approximately one in eight matches.
Here are the batters with the highest percentage of top-quality runs:
- Fakhar Zaman: 3,492 runs, 770 top-quality runs, 22.05%
- Jonny Bairstow: 3,221 runs, 432 top-quality runs, 13.40%
- David Boon: 3,995 runs, 481 top-quality runs, 12.00%
- Saeed Anwar: 8,156 runs, 910 top-quality runs, 11.20%
- Matthew Hayden: 5,892 runs, 656 top-quality runs, 11.10%
- Graham Gooch: 3,828 runs, 409 top-quality runs, 10.70%
- Aamer Sohail: 4,169 runs, 436 top-quality runs, 10.50%
- John Wright: 3,604 runs, 361 top-quality runs, 10.00%
- Mark Waugh: 5,729 runs, 561 top-quality runs, 9.80%
- Sunil Gavaskar: 2,651 runs, 261 top-quality runs, 9.80%
- Mark Taylor: 3,514 runs, 335 top-quality runs, 9.50%
- Stephen Fleming: 3,280 runs, 305 top-quality runs, 9.30%
Fakhar Zaman tops the list, with an impressive 22% of his runs being classified as top-quality. He excels when faced with stiff targets. Jonny Bairstow and David Boon follow, both known for delivering in tough situations. Saeed Anwar, Matthew Hayden, and Graham Gooch also feature prominently, with innings that often came in high-stakes matches.
Runs Per Innings
Now, let’s look at the runs-per-innings metric, ignoring not-outs as they are less relevant here:
- Shai Hope: 49 innings, 2,612 runs, 53.3 runs per innings
- Rohit Sharma: 176 innings, 8,836 runs, 50.2 runs per innings
- Hashim Amla: 175 innings, 8,083 runs, 46.2 runs per innings
- Sachin Tendulkar: 340 innings, 15,310 runs, 45.0 runs per innings
- Imam-ul-Haq: 71 innings, 3,138 runs, 44.2 runs per innings
- Quinton de Kock: 152 innings, 6,686 runs, 44.0 runs per innings
- David Warner: 157 innings, 6,888 runs, 43.9 runs per innings
- Fakhar Zaman: 81 innings, 3,492 runs, 43.1 runs per innings
- Jonny Bairstow: 76 innings, 3,221 runs, 42.4 runs per innings
- Tillakaratne Dilshan: 176 innings, 7,367 runs, 41.9 runs per innings
Shai Hope, somewhat surprisingly, leads with an average of over 53 runs per innings. Rohit Sharma is the only other batter to exceed 50 runs per innings. Hashim Amla, Sachin Tendulkar, and Imam-ul-Haq also rank highly.
At the other end, Shahid Afridi has a lower average, reflecting his aggressive, high-risk style of play.
Strike Rates
Finally, let’s examine the strike rates of opening batters:
- Jonny Bairstow: 3,221 runs, 3,039 balls, 106.0 strike rate
- Jason Roy: 4,271 runs, 4,047 balls, 105.5 strike rate
- Virender Sehwag: 7,518 runs, 7,179 balls, 104.7 strike rate
- Brendon McCullum: 3,363 runs, 3,273 balls, 102.7 strike rate
- Shahid Afridi: 3,543 runs, 3,485 balls, 101.7 strike rate
- Adam Gilchrist: 9,200 runs, 9,385 balls, 98.0 strike rate
- David Warner: 6,888 runs, 7,090 balls, 97.2 strike rate
- Quinton de Kock: 6,686 runs, 6,885 balls, 97.1 strike rate
- Rohit Sharma: 8,836 runs, 9,184 balls, 96.2 strike rate
- Fakhar Zaman: 3,492 runs, 3,737 balls, 93.4 strike rate
It’s no surprise that Bairstow and Roy, known for their aggressive batting, top the list with strike rates well over 100. Sehwag, despite playing in an earlier era, also ranks highly. Afridi, Gilchrist, and Warner are also notable for their fast scoring rates.
Based on these metrics, Sachin Tendulkar emerges as the best opener, with over 15,000 runs, a strong runs-per-innings average, and a solid strike rate. He was a key player in two highly successful opening partnerships.
As for the best opening pair, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden take the top spot. They scored over 5,000 runs together at an excellent runs-per-innings rate, with a near-100 strike rate, contributing to many victories for Australia. Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, as well as Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, were their closest competitors.
Bairstow and Roy also performed exceptionally well, but their relatively short careers as openers mean they rank slightly lower overall.