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Alastair Cook vs Graeme Smith vs Matthew Hayden vs Virender Sehwag - Test opener of the millennium

Who is the best Test opener of the millennium?

  • Total voters
    38
Ab Fan

Ab Fan

Senior Test Player
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So, with Cook finally calling it a day, we come to a point where we can look as to where does Cook belongs among the greatest openers of this millenium?

While there is no doubt that the mentioned four names, namely G Smith, M Hayden, V Sehwag and AN Cook are easily the top four openers of this millenium, the question is how do you rank the four in terms of their overall performance as an opener.

Below are the stats for reference:-

<B>Cook:-</B>
Matches:-160
Runs:- 12.2K
Avg:- 45
100s:- 32

<B>Smith:-</B>
Matches:-117
Runs:- 9.2K
Avg:- 48
100s:- 27

<B>Hayden:-</B>
Matches:-103
Runs:- 8.6k
Avg 50
100s:- 30

<B>Sehwag:-</B>
Matches:-104
Runs:- 8.5k
Avg:- 49
100s:- 23

Discuss!
 
Smith across all conditions, I reckon. Sehwag revolutionized the game more than any other batsman since Viv, but he was too vulnerable against the moving ball to be considered the best opener since the turn of the siècle.
 
My personal faves would be Cook and Smith but the objective answer is Hayden. Runs against terrific attacks, almost every where and an ability to destroy bowlers...there have been few like him.
 
barah_admi said:
My personal faves would be Cook and Smith but the objective answer is Hayden. Runs against terrific attacks, almost every where and an ability to destroy bowlers...there have been few like him.
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Not really, averaged 34 in England and SA, and 28 in New Zealand. In short, he was almost as bad as Sehwag when the ball was swinging. He was brilliant in Asia though, but Smith was a better player.
 
Would like to add, my pick would be:-

Smith
Hayden
Sehwag
Cook
 
I'd go with Cook. He's had been there for 150+ consecutive games in testing (the key word here) conditions.

He's scored daddy 100s all around the world and, for me, he is the best opener of our times.
 
Smith is the best of the four, with Hayden and Cook close behind. Sehwag is a distance fourth - and I can name a few other openers ahead of him - due to being a tail-ender whenever the ball moved an inch.
 
Bilal7 said:
Smith is the best of the four, with Hayden and Cook close behind. Sehwag is a distance fourth - and I can name a few other openers ahead of him - due to being a tail-ender whenever the ball moved an inch.
Click to expand...

Before you disrespect the greats of the game you ought to know that he featured in the top 50 cricketers of all time by David Gower and Sky's statistician Benedict:

http://www.skysports.com/cricket/ne...ters-sir-ian-botham-included-in-players-20-11

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...id-Gower-s-50-Greatest-Cricketers-of-All-Time

This is the difference between an impartial expert analysts of the game and an armchair critic like yourself.

Many other ex players and analysts who in the industry rate him as an ATG for instance he was also featured in Chappell's all time XI (if you search on Cricinfo).
 
Sehwag
Smith
Cook
Hayden

In an all time XI Sehwag and Gavaskar would be my openers. Viru is perhaps the biggest match winner with the bat in Asia of all batsmen and his SR reflects this.
 
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topspin said:
Before you disrespect the greats of the game you ought to know that he featured in the top 50 cricketers of all time by David Gower and Sky's statistician Benedict:

http://www.skysports.com/cricket/ne...ters-sir-ian-botham-included-in-players-20-11

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...id-Gower-s-50-Greatest-Cricketers-of-All-Time

This is the difference between an impartial expert analysts of the game and an armchair critic like yourself.

Many other ex players and analysts who in the industry rate him as an ATG for instance he was also featured in Chappell's all time XI (if you search on Cricinfo).
Click to expand...

Sehwag is an all-time great. He is the greatest batsman on Asian soil, and he was better in away conditions than people give him credit for.

Undoubtedly one of the most high impact and greatest match-winners ever. However, I consider Smith, Hayden and Cook as better all-round openers, but only just. Nonetheless, he would be the ideal partner for Gavaskar in an all-time Test XI.
 
Mamoon said:
Sehwag is an all-time great. He is the greatest batsman on Asian soil, and he was better in away conditions than people give him credit for.

Undoubtedly one of the most high impact and greatest match-winners ever. However, I consider Smith, Hayden and Cook as better all-round openers, but only just. Nonetheless, he would be the ideal partner for Gavaskar in an all-time Test XI.
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Without a doubt, he would be the first name on my team sheet for a test match in Asia. He made batting against spin so easy and he could do it on a 4th innings Bunsen. His records against Murali and Warne are just astonishing.

Because he was a superior match winner and he innovated a new style of batting as an opener, so for me he pips the other great openers on the list but I agree there isn't much between them.
 
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For me its tough as on there day they could destory any opposition.

1. Graeme Smith
2. Alastair Cook
3. Virender Sehwag
4. Matthew Hayden
 
For Sehwag, it is 58 in Asia at a very healthy Strike Rate and 35 outside Asia.
 
Bilal7 said:
Smith is the best of the four, with Hayden and Cook close behind. Sehwag is a distance fourth - and I can name a few other openers ahead of him - due to being a tail-ender whenever the ball moved an inch.
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Like who?
 
Hayden
Smith
Cook
Sehwag

For Asian conditions

Sehwag
Hayden/Smith/Cook (all did very good in asia but my first pick of three would be hayden)
 
I guess you can rule Cook out first and foremost.

The rest of the world have had that extra 15% in one-day cricket through his career, while Cook was crowbar-ed out of that job as he wasn't good enough.
 
Sam99 said:
Hayden
Smith
Cook
Sehwag

For Asian conditions

Sehwag
Hayden/Smith/Cook (all did very good in asia but my first pick of three would be hayden)
Click to expand...

Agreed.

In Asia:-

Sehwag
Cook/Hayden/Smith

Outside Asia:-

Smith
Hayden
Cook
Sehwag
 
Personally speaking, I won't consider anyone of them an ATG. Neither of the four had to deal with some of the greatest fast bowlers in bowling conditions.

None got to face or succeeded against the likes of WI quartet, Lillee, Wasim, Waqar, Ambrose, Walsh, McGrath, Steyn, Donald, Pollock, Anderson/Broad(peak), Philander in their backyard.
 
After considering factors like SR, impact, runs in all conditions, captaincy responsibility and longevity:



1. Smith - captain since 22 years old; highest number of test matches as captain (109); 40+ avg in all countries except India.

2. Cook - captain for 59 tests; 40+ avg in all countries except NZ & SA; only opener to have played 150+ test matches.

3. Sehwag - 40+ avg in all countries except ENG, NZ, SA & BANG; 1 of only 2 openers to have more than 1 triple hundred (1 of 4 overall to have multiple triple hundred); highest SR of any test batsman with more than 1500 runs.

4. Hayden - 40+ avg in all countries except ENG, NZ, SA & BANG; Lowest number of 200+ scores (2) - Smith & Cook have 5 and Sehwag has 6.
 
the_outsider said:
After considering factors like SR, impact, runs in all conditions, captaincy responsibility and longevity:



1. Smith - captain since 22 years old; highest number of test matches as captain (109); 40+ avg in all countries except India.

2. Cook - captain for 59 tests; 40+ avg in all countries except NZ & SA; only opener to have played 150+ test matches.

3. Sehwag - 40+ avg in all countries except ENG, NZ, SA & BANG; 1 of only 2 openers to have more than 1 triple hundred (1 of 4 overall to have multiple triple hundred); highest SR of any test batsman with more than 1500 runs.

4. Hayden - 40+ avg in all countries except ENG, NZ, SA & BANG; Lowest number of 200+ scores (2) - Smith & Cook have 5 and Sehwag has 6.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. Smith was the best of the lot.
 
Sehwag when he had his hand eye was easily the best opener out of the other's mentioned. However once his hand eye went, he struggles in SA & ENG.... So Hayden is the best imo..
 
Romali_rotti said:
Sehwag when he had his hand eye was easily the best opener out of the other's mentioned. However once his hand eye went, he struggles in SA & ENG.... So Hayden is the best imo..
Click to expand...

Hayden struggled at start of his career against world class bowlers as well.

Smith for me was the best of the 4 by quite a distance as well.
 
Hayden
Smith
Cook
Sehwag (only last because of his stats outside Asia)
 
IMO Graeme Smith is not just the best opener ever, but I rate him one of the top 3 test batsmen of all time. No one and I repeat no one in test cricket has won more matches for his team in difficult situations as Graeme Smith.
 
the one who rate Lara ahead of Sachin must have to choose Sehwag here...
Compare to Sachin Lara was inconsistent but have some iconic performance, same case with Sehwag too...
 
Graeme Smith was better than all three put together. Toss up between Hayden, Sehwag and Cook for the other three spots in whatever order.
 
Hayden. Putting stats aside which are marginal with all 4, Hayden had the ability to punish fast-bowlers so brutally. Only Lara was probably more punishing. And the 2001 India series was a watershed moment for him because he proved he was a batsman who could bat well in tough conditions as well.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Hayden. Putting stats aside which are marginal with all 4, Hayden had the ability to punish fast-bowlers so brutally. Only Lara was probably more punishing. And the 2001 India series was a watershed moment for him because he proved he was a batsman who could bat well in tough conditions as well.
Click to expand...

The stats are not marginal at all, though. There is a big gap between the stats of Smith/Cook and Hayden.

Hayden's stats are similar to Sehwag's but not the other two.
 
the_outsider said:
The stats are not marginal at all, though. There is a big gap between the stats of Smith/Cook and Hayden.

Hayden's stats are similar to Sehwag's but not the other two.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? Hayden averages 50, Sehwag 49 and Smith averages 48. In Asia, Hayden averages 50 compared to Smith's 49. And only reason Smith averages 49 in Asia is because of his record against Pakistan and Bangladesh, he averaged only 35 in India.

All four were great batsmen in their own right. Smith outperformed Hayden in England, South Africa and New Zealand. But ultimately, Hayden and Sehwag were a class apart. Taking on top-class bowling attacks with such authority isn't something every batsman can do.
 
Smbhayi said:
the one who rate Lara ahead of Sachin must have to choose Sehwag here...
Compare to Sachin Lara was inconsistent but have some iconic performance, same case with Sehwag too...
Click to expand...

the one who rate Lara ahead of Sachin must have to choose Sehwag here...
Click to expand...

Sorry but it's hard to forget the kings pair during the 0-11 historic phainta.

That was Hafeez-esque :jimmy

IIRC poor Dravid were forced to open :facepalm:

IIRC a random Indian scored a triple 100 against the English and our very own Malik has a double 100 against them.

Cook all the way for me. By some distance
 
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Smbhayi said:
the one who rate Lara ahead of Sachin must have to choose Sehwag here...
Compare to Sachin Lara was inconsistent but have some iconic performance, same case with Sehwag too...
Click to expand...

Yes but Sachin didn't have Lara's swagger. Nor could he single-handedly destroy entire bowling attacks the way Lara did. Sehwag stands out for so many people because during the 2000s there were few batsman as destructive than him and whenever he played a big innings he ensured he had obliterated the opposition's bowling attack.


Test batting is about patience, grit and fighting it out but it's also about destroying the opposition mentally by putting bowlers to the sword. Personally I prefer the latter. Besides, consistency is overrated. Not every batsman is a Bradman or a Steve Smith. Also, when it came to patience, grit and fighting it out, Dravid was the best in the world.
 
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RedwoodOriginal said:
What are you talking about? Hayden averages 50, Sehwag 49 and Smith averages 48. In Asia, Hayden averages 50 compared to Smith's 49. And only reason Smith averages 49 in Asia is because of his record against Pakistan and Bangladesh, he averaged only 35 in India.

All four were great batsmen in their own right. Smith outperformed Hayden in England, South Africa and New Zealand. But ultimately, Hayden and Sehwag were a class apart. Taking on top-class bowling attacks with such authority isn't something every batsman can do.
Click to expand...

That's why I said the stats are not marginal. There's a big gap between Smith and Hayden in the countries you mentioned. Hayden also didn't score as many daddy hundreds (2 double hundreds for Hayden; 5 for Smith) as Smith did.

But most importantly Smith was also the captain of the team while Hayden could give all his time to batting. Smith was captain for 109 out of the 117 tests he played. That is a big factor.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
What are you talking about? Hayden averages 50, Sehwag 49 and Smith averages 48. In Asia, Hayden averages 50 compared to Smith's 49. And only reason Smith averages 49 in Asia is because of his record against Pakistan and Bangladesh, he averaged only 35 in India.

All four were great batsmen in their own right. Smith outperformed Hayden in England, South Africa and New Zealand. But ultimately, Hayden and Sehwag were a class apart. Taking on top-class bowling attacks with such authority isn't something every batsman can do.
Click to expand...

On flat pitches with no help for the fast bowlers. Both were great players of spin, but would invariably struggle against the likes of Chris Martin, Matthew Hoggard, and Makhaya Ntini when the ball was swinging and seaming around. Great openers should be expected to be capable enough to play high quality swing bowling. Smith was yards ahead of both Sehwag and Hayden when it comes to playing swing bowling.
 
All top players but Smith is the greatest, what a matchwinner.
 
Without even looking at averages I would say Sehwag. For me he is an all time great
 
the_outsider said:
That's why I said the stats are not marginal. There's a big gap between Smith and Hayden in the countries you mentioned. Hayden also didn't score as many daddy hundreds (2 double hundreds for Hayden; 5 for Smith) as Smith did.

But most importantly Smith was also the captain of the team while Hayden could give all his time to batting. Smith was captain for 109 out of the 117 tests he played. That is a big factor.
Click to expand...

That's an exaggeration. Smith had one incredible series in England. And Hayden had plenty of daddy hundreds. He also has a far superior record than Smith in Australia. I'm not saying Hayden is miles ahead of Smith but he was the better batsman.

It's not that big of a factor. Great players find ways to score in all conditions/roles. Some players actually thrive more under responsibility than they do without it.
 
1. Sehwag, by far.

* revolutionized the game, opening position
* By far the most destructive test batsman ever
* arguably the greatest basher of spin


2. Hayden
3. Smith
4. Cook

and its not even close. His name usually features in even ATG test teams of some renowned ex players/analysists of the game
 
Last Monetarist said:
On flat pitches with no help for the fast bowlers. Both were great players of spin, but would invariably struggle against the likes of Chris Martin, Matthew Hoggard, and Makhaya Ntini when the ball was swinging and seaming around. Great openers should be expected to be capable enough to play high quality swing bowling. Smith was yards ahead of both Sehwag and Hayden when it comes to playing swing bowling.
Click to expand...

I understand the argument you're trying to make but you won't be able to convince me. Hayden's batting spoke to me on a spiritual level. Honestly, no one remembers if mediocre nobodies like Hoggard and Chris Martin got him out a couple of times. He hammered them all Ntini included when they came to Australia. And he played more than few good innings on tough pitches. His centuries at The Oval and St. Johns are two that come to mind. And so what if he wasn't that good against swing? He was excellent against spin which is something few Australian batsmen are, even the greats like Ponting.

Smith is no doubt a legend. Few batsmen personify grit the way he does. But he was no Hayden.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
1. Sehwag, by far.

* revolutionized the game, opening position
* By far the most destructive test batsman ever
* arguably the greatest basher of spin


2. Hayden
3. Smith
4. Cook

and its not even close. His name usually features in even ATG test teams of some renowned ex players/analysists of the game
Click to expand...

The funniest thing about Sehwag is that he didn't even consider spinners to be real bowlers. I think you need that kind of cockiness and confidence to smash the living daylights out of spinners the way he did. The guy practically ended Saqlain's career probably a year too early.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
It's not that big of a factor. Great players find ways to score in all conditions/roles. Some players actually thrive more under responsibility than they do without it.
Click to expand...

Come on man. Smith was captain in both formats for 10 years non-stop. Are you telling me that's not a big deal? He was handed captaincy at 22 years of age - a time when most batsmen are still trying to develop their batting.

Look at Cook. He was made captain at 27 after he had established himself in the team and even then he gave it up after 5 years because it was too much for him.

The fact that Smith was captain in both formats throughout his career and still only averages 2 runs less than Hayden means that he is a much better batsman. That's my opinion, at least.

RedwoodOriginal said:
And Hayden had plenty of daddy hundreds.
Click to expand...

Not really. Hayden has 2 double hundreds, including that famous 380 vs Zim.

Smith has 5 double hundreds.
 
the_outsider said:
Come on man. Smith was captain in both formats for 10 years non-stop. Are you telling me that's not a big deal? He was handed captaincy at 22 years of age - a time when most batsmen are still trying to develop their batting.

Look at Cook. He was made captain at 27 after he had established himself in the team and even then he gave it up after 59 matches because it was too much for him.

The fact that Smith was captain in both formats throughout his career and still only averages 2 runs less than Hayden means that he is a much better batsman. That's my opinion, at least.



Not really. Hayden has 2 double hundreds, including that famous 380 vs Zim.

Smith has 5 double hundreds.
Click to expand...

Smith scored almost all his double hundreds in that one dream series. And I thought you said daddy hundreds. Daddy hundreds are scores of 140 and above.

Smith was an outstanding captain, probably one of the best ever. But I fail to see how the captaincy argument comes in while comparing two batmen on the aspects of ability and skill.
 
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RedwoodOriginal said:
Smith was an outstanding captain, probably one of the best ever. But I fail to see how the captaincy argument comes in while comparing two batsmen on the aspects of ability and skill.
Click to expand...

Because a captain is essentially an all-rounder except that there are no stats that capture the time and effort it takes. Hayden had the luxury to spend all his preparation time on batting but Smith had to juggle his batting and captaincy responsibilities throughout his whole career.
 
Graeme Smith had to play most of his innings in SA. SA is one of the worst places to bat as an opener. swing,seam and bounce. Bonus points for being Captain. Sehwag runs him close though.
 
the_outsider said:
Because a captain is essentially an all-rounder except that there are no stats that capture the time and effort it takes. Hayden had the luxury to spend all his preparation time on batting but Smith had to juggle his batting and captaincy responsibilities throughout his whole career.
Click to expand...

Captaincy comes naturally to natural leaders. I'd even say captaincy is a more of a blessing than a curse for some players because it serves as a launch-pad for them to realize their true potential as cricketers. Just look at the careers of Steve Waugh, Imran Khan, Smith even Stephen Fleming. They all became better players once they became captains.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
I understand the argument you're trying to make but you won't be able to convince me. Hayden's batting spoke to me on a spiritual level. Honestly, no one remembers if mediocre nobodies like Hoggard and Chris Martin got him out a couple of times. He hammered them all Ntini included when they came to Australia. And he played more than few good innings on tough pitches. His centuries at The Oval and St. Johns are two that come to mind. And so what if he wasn't that good against swing? He was excellent against spin which is something few Australian batsmen are, even the greats like Ponting.

Smith is no doubt a legend. Few batsmen personify grit the way he does. But he was no Hayden.
Click to expand...

:broad

Fair enough, those are words that I would never have imagined seeing uttered about Matthew Hayden. I don't have any riposte that can measure up.

The two centuries you cite were on two of the flattest wickets imaginable. The old ARG, for heaven's sake !
 
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RedwoodOriginal said:
Captaincy comes naturally to natural leaders. I'd even say captaincy is a more of a blessing than a curse for some players because it serves as a launch-pad for them to realize their true potential as cricketers. Just look at the careers of Steve Waugh, Imran Khan, Smith even Stephen Fleming. They all became better players once they became captains.
Click to expand...

While at first glance that might seem the case, but on closer inspection this assertion is not veritable.

Waugh averaged 50 while not being captain, and 52 as captain. It's well-documented that he had a wretched start to his career and took 4 years to score a test century. However, he truly came to the fore as a batsman under the captaincy of Mark Taylor, when he vied with Brian Lara for the tag of best batsman in the world. He averaged 59 playing under Taylor. So his batting actually suffered after he became captain, let alone supporting the dubious claim that he became a better batsman.
 
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Last Monetarist said:
:broad

Fair enough, those are words that I would never have imagined seeing uttered about Matthew Hayden. I don't have any riposte that can measure up.

The two centuries you cite were on two of the flattest wickets imaginable. The old ARG, for heaven's sake !
Click to expand...

If people can call Ishant Sharma's bowling 'poetry in motion'. I don't think it's that big of a stretch to praise Hayden's batting
 
Last Monetarist said:
While at first glance that might seem the case, but on closer inspection this assertion is not veritable.

Waugh averaged 50 while not being captain, and 52 as captain. It's well-documented that he had a wretched start to his career and took 4 years to score a test century. However, he truly came to the fore as a batsman under the captaincy of Mark Taylor, when he vied with Brian Lara for the tag of best batsman in the world. He averaged 59 playing under Taylor. So his batting actually suffered after he became captain, let alone supporting the dubious claim that he became a better batsman.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. But the argument still stands for the other three.
 
freelance_cricketer said:
1. Sehwag, by far.

* revolutionized the game, opening position
* By far the most destructive test batsman ever
* arguably the greatest basher of spin


2. Hayden
3. Smith
4. Cook

and its not even close. His name usually features in even ATG test teams of some renowned ex players/analysists of the game
Click to expand...

ATG was dropped from Indian team between 2006-2007 due to his poor form with the bat.
 
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freelance_cricketer said:
1. Sehwag, by far.

* revolutionized the game, opening position
* By far the most destructive test batsman ever
* arguably the greatest basher of spin


2. Hayden
3. Smith
4. Cook

and its not even close. His name usually features in even ATG test teams of some renowned ex players/analysists of the game
Click to expand...

Sehwag averages 20, 25 and 27 in NZ, SA and England. He was also dropped from his team halfway his career when he was 28 old because of bad form.

ATGs dont get dropped from the team halfway of their career.
 
Graeme Smith averages 37 odd at home against the top 8, average less than 40 in Australia and India too, outside of England/NZ he really wasn't a good enough player, was a better captan than a batter. It's between Chef and Haydos for me, will take Chef by the barest of margins.
 
Hayden for me. A 50 averaging batsman who has fared decently in conditions where new ball does a lot and offers lateral movement for pacers.
 
MATTHEW HAYDEN
is the answer it takes no genuis to pick it unless someone has infatuation on certain player.
 
Ab Fan said:
Hayden for me. A 50 averaging batsman who has fared decently in conditions where new ball does a lot and offers lateral movement for pacers.
Click to expand...
Ab Fan said:
Would like to add, my pick would be:-

Smith
Hayden
Sehwag
Cook
Click to expand...
🤔..
Last Monetarist said:
Not really, averaged 34 in England and SA, and 28 in New Zealand. In short, he was almost as bad as Sehwag when the ball was swinging. He was brilliant in Asia though, but Smith was a better player.
Click to expand...
As per him Hayden is not better than Sehwag in swinging condition (didnt check the stat)..
 
Overall career

Smith
Cook
Hayden
Sehwag


Impact on the game then number 1 is Sehwag. Few have done or could do what he did on Phattas
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Overall career

Smith
Cook
Hayden
Sehwag


Impact on the game then number 1 is Sehwag. Few have done or could do what he did on Phattas
Click to expand...

All 4 left huge impact in game not just Sehwag. Smit was instrumental in so many tough away tours. No one can forget big series by Cook in Aus and India. Hayden was huge too.
 
Buffet said:
All 4 left huge impact in game not just Sehwag. Smit was instrumental in so many tough away tours. No one can forget big series by Cook in Aus and India. Hayden was huge too.
Click to expand...
They had impact on their sides performances and were good players of course.

But I think the way Sehwag batted was a real step change for batting as generally the role of opener was too see off the new ball and then go from there.

He was the first opening batsman that went hard from ball one in test match cricket ( to my memory). I think he was ahead of his time.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
They had impact on their sides performances and were good players of course.

But I think the way Sehwag batted was a real step change for batting as generally the role of opener was too see off the new ball and then go from there.

He was the first opening batsman that went hard from ball one in test match cricket ( to my memory). I think he was ahead of his time.
Click to expand...
That's correct. As an opener he has 50 plus average with SR in 80-85 in test. Comfortably the biggest impact player in Asian venues. 2 session by Sehwag and game was pretty much done for opposition no matter if opposition had Steyn or McGrath or Murali.

All 4 of these openers had their own strengths and it was fantastic to watch all of them.
 
I'll go with Sehwag. I know about his weakness in England, New Zealand and South Africa. But I can't look past a strike rate of almost 83 in Tests. But then again, it's just me.
 
Hitman said:
I'll go with Sehwag. I know about his weakness in England, New Zealand and South Africa. But I can't look past a strike rate of almost 83 in Tests. But then again, it's just me.
Click to expand...
My ranking is

1) Hayden
2) Sehwag
3) Greame Smith
4) Alastair Cook

Idk I just stand stand cook, for me he was one of the problems England faced during their dark era.
 
Hayden any day. He was way ahead of his time. Sehwag is also someone you can pick but if I have to pick one, that would be hayden.
 
mominsaigol said:
My ranking is

1) Hayden
2) Sehwag
3) Greame Smith
4) Alastair Cook

Idk I just stand stand cook, for me he was one of the problems England faced during their dark era.
Click to expand...
I'll never forget Hayden's performance in the 2001 BGT in India. I've never seen another visiting batsman in India perform as well against spin.
 
Bhaijaan said:
1. Sehwag, by far.

* revolutionized the game, opening position
* By far the most destructive test batsman ever
* arguably the greatest basher of spin


2. Hayden
3. Smith
4. Cook

and its not even close. His name usually features in even ATG test teams of some renowned ex players/analysists of the game
Click to expand...

DeadlyVenom said:
They had impact on their sides performances and were good players of course.

But I think the way Sehwag batted was a real step change for batting as generally the role of opener was too see off the new ball and then go from there.

He was the first opening batsman that went hard from ball one in test match cricket ( to my memory). I think he was ahead of his time.
Click to expand...

Due respect to all 4 quality openers.
They all have their strong points. Sehwag is generally seen as the most polarizing of them all. Extremely dominant in subcontinent but not consistent enough abroad despite having played some memorable big knocks there as well.

Smith, Cook, Hayden are seen as more complete quintessential test openers however not as dominant as Sehwag was. A century from Sehwag means something else as compared to a century from them.
 
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