3 middle-order batsmen who became successful openers in Test cricket

Justin Langer

There is no going into a safe house about the fact that current Australia coach Justin Langer was among the best opening batsmen of his times. Having scored 5,655 runs in 113 innings alongside Matthew Hayden as an opening pair, the duo have scored the second-highest number of runs by an opening batsman in Tests.

Having made his Test debut as a No. 3 batsman against West Indies in Adelaide in 1993, Langer did open the innings for the first time in the following match. However, his permanent role as an opening batsman started during the 2001 Ashes in England.

Langer grabbed the opportunity with both hands by scoring his eighth Test century. In his first seven Tests as an opener, the southpaw scored a gargantuan 787 runs at an average of 87.44 and a strike rate of 54.46 including five centuries and two half-centuries.

Since then, Langer played 65 Tests as an opener scoring 5,112 runs at an average of 48.22 and a strike rate of 57.91 including 16 centuries and 18 half-centuries.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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