Best opening pair in International Cricket now

[SaiSrini]

The beauty with Sehwag and Gambhir is that both used to lose their mind and play rash strokes and get out soon. But now, they use their mind more often and build good consistent partnerships.

I want to rate them the best in ODI world now, but I would wait! I dont watch other teams (when they do not play india) but from the list above, I go for Jaya and Sangakkara because both are brilliant batters and can instill fear in the minds of the opposition coz one is so consistent and the other is devastating.

 

[Chetan0304]

It is Sachin and Sehwag
Its Gambhir and Sehwag
Hayden and Gilchrist miss him

 

[blackk]

I used to like Ganguly & Sachin pretty much.
After that no doubt Hayden & Gilchrist

Now in ODI its definetely Sehwag & Gambhir ( due to their present form & right hand & left hand Form)

 

[Arunava]

Notice that in the pictures posted above there is always one big hitter and one guy who can nudge it around (except Australia).

I'd say that in Test match Cricket Hayden and Jaques would be the best opening combinaton, but in ODI Cricket it would be Jayasuriya & Sangakkara. If Jayasuriya gets off to a start, the team will be 0/100 in less than 15 overs. And Sangakkara can grind out tough centuries if he loses his opening partner early. I put Hayden and Sangakkara as my openers in my World Test XI.

Gambhir and Sehwag do the same in 10/11 overs

Arunava added 1 Minutes and 37 Seconds later...

The beauty with Sehwag and Gambhir is that both used to lose their mind and play rash strokes and get out soon. But now, they use their mind more often and build good consistent partnerships.

I want to rate them the best in ODI world now, but I would wait! I dont watch other teams (when they do not play india) but from the list above, I go for Jaya and Sangakkara because both are brilliant batters and can instill fear in the minds of the opposition coz one is so consistent and the other is devastating.

yeah right, and another point is they both played a lot for Dilli (Delhi) . .and scored lots n lots of runs.

 

[angryangy]

Notice that in the pictures posted above there is always one big hitter and one guy who can nudge it around (except Australia).

Actually, I think the hallmark is flexibility. Gambhir is a punisher and teams that see him as the lesser threat will get reamed. In that, they definitely have acquired the same setup as Gilchrist and Hayden, an aggressor and a super-aggressor. It's arguable that Sri Lanka are trying to emulate the same quality by using their best batsman to compliment Jayasuriya and even for the ever transient Pakistan, the combination of Nasir Jamshed and Salman Butt might lead them to make balance changes to accommodate the interesting new player. It varies a bit too, Gibbs and Smith are similar in temperament and I guess you would say they take turns at being the psycho. Then again, so too are McCullum and Ryder, who seem to be able to compliment each other at full gallop.

It makes it all the more confusing that England can't seem to pick two decent openers.

 

[age of the fall]

One of the best right now forODI would have to be McCullem/Ryder

 

[aussie_ben91]

Hayden and Jaques.

There's daylight behind them and anyone other combination in the world.

 

[King Pietersen]

Luke Wright and Ian Bell tbh.



I like McCullum and Ryder in ODi's, but in Tests I think it's close between Hayden and Jaques and Cook and Strauss. Strauss is in immense form, and he's formed a very good partnership with Cook in recent times. If Cook can regain his form we'll have a fantastic opening pair.

 

[sohum]

Sehwag and Gambhir's achievements of late need to be taken with a pinch of salt, given that they are being played on a Karachi road. I do like Sehwag's new approach, although many of the balls which he now defends comfortably may be edged to the slips in more bowler-aided conditions.

When it comes to Test matches it has to be Hayden-Jaques for now. I'm not convinced with Jaques, yet, because I want to wait to make sure he doesn't have a Strauss-esque fall from grace.

 

[khalek]

It's Tamim Iqbal and Nazimuddin...

 

[angryangy]

Strauss and Cook as a partnership had been ineffective for a long while up to the recent NZ series. Whether that signals better form or just a drop in pressure from NZ, we'll have to wait and see. I hear the talk is of England targeting South Africa's openers, but on paper, the targeting stands to go in the other direction. The only other current partnership of length is Sehwag-Jaffer, which doesn't do too much either. There might also be a sporadic, long lived opening partnership for Pakistan, but I cbf finding it in amongst all the short lived ones.

Still, there are arguments both ways, Smith-McKenzie and Hayden-Jaques have the big partnership scores, but they haven't been distance tested.

 

[mattfb]

Australia
Watson & S Marsh

They've played 3 or 4 games in that partnership and its only a short term arangement.

 

[.Mob]

Notice that in the pictures posted above there is always one big hitter and one guy who can nudge it around (except Australia).

Actually, Gambhir has turned a new corner and is seeen regularly charing the whacking the pacers now, albeit on flat pitches in the Asia cup. Thanks to 2020, I feel.

 

[edgefan007]

all 2008 Opening pairs :-

Aus. :-
1)Marsh/Watson
2)Hayden/Hopes

S.A :-
1)G. Smith/Gibbs
2)N. McKenzie/Alviro Peterson

Eng :-
1)I. Bell/A. Strauss [or L. Wright]
2)A. Cook/P. Mustard (w.k)

India :-
1)Sehwag/Gambhir
2)Jaffer/D. Karthik

Pakistan :-
1)S. Butt/N. Jamshed [2 future Icons of Pakistani Cricket ala Anwar-Sohail !]
2)K. Akmal (w.k)/Y. Hameed

S.L :-
1)SANGAKKARA (v.c)/ JAYASURIYA - the World's Most Reliable & destructive pairing of Sanga's class & Sanath's effortless brutality.

2)M. Udawatte [a Sanath clone]/M. Warnapura.

W.I :-
1)Gayle/"X-Man" Marshall
2)Chattergoon [technically gifted] /W. Perkins [fearless youngster...he kneeled down & flicked a 89.8mph B. Lee snorter from in front of his nose for 4 in a T20 !!!]

N.Z :-
1)mcCullum/how
2)ryder/m. bell

Ban. :-
1)Tamim [great find for Bangla]/ Nazimuddin [disappointing so far]
2)S. Nafees/ J. Siddique [another good prospect]

 

[Cricketman]

In tests, especially in the England series, I thought Karthik and Jaffer was a fine combination.