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[fineleg]

Per CI, Greenidge and Desmond Haynes formed what was by a distance the most enduring and prolific opening partnership of them all, with 16 century stands, four of them in excess of 200. And they were just the hors d'oeuvres...

Is this the most prolific opening pair? Are there others like this?
Haynes is a sort of defensive batsman among them, right? GG the attacker.

[Blwe_torch]

SG & SRT matches them in the ODIs. We have to check the Tests record.

[dextrous]

fineleg, are you trying to make a lot of "runs" today?!

[fineleg]

fineleg, are you trying to make a lot of "runs" today?!

I have already scored 15000 runs...and i should be considered for vice captaincy atleast, but ICC is saying I have to start from scratch!

Seriously, I post as I find something or ponder something when i come across it.

[fineleg]

SG & SRT matches them in the ODIs. We have to check the Tests record.

I did think of SG_SRT of ODI-fame, but not sure how far someone like Geoff Marsh and David Boon in Tests would be?

[fineleg]

TEST Match Opening Partnership (By Average)

                                    Mat    I  NO   Runs    Ave  100  50
JB Hobbs & H Sutcliffe (Eng)              25   38   1   3249   87.81  15  10
AF Rae & JB Stollmeyer (WI)               13   21   2   1349   71.00   5   3
GC Smith & HH Gibbs (RSA)                 26   44   3   2723   66.41   7   8
GC Smith & AB de Villiers (RSA)           12   21   0   1382   65.80   4   4
JHW Fingleton & WA Brown (Aus)            10   16   0   1020   63.75   3   4
JB Hobbs & W Rhodes (Eng)                 22   36   1   2146   61.31   8   5
WM Lawry & RB Simpson (Aus)               34   62   3   3596   60.94   9  18
Sadiq Mohammad & Majid Khan (Pak)         14   26   3   1391   60.47   4   9
C Washbrook & L Hutton (Eng)              28   51   3   2880   60.00   8  13
MA Atherton & GA Gooch (Eng)              24   44   0   2501   56.84   7  12
TL Goddard & EJ Barlow (RSA)              18   34   2   1806   56.43   6  11
G Gambhir & V Sehwag (Ind)                 12   19   1   1002  55.66    2   6
TJ Franklin & JG Wright (NZ)              16   28   0   1543   55.10   5   5
RC Fredericks & CG Greenidge (WI)         16   31   2   1593   54.93   5   5
SM Gavaskar & CPS Chauhan (Ind)           36   59   3   3010   53.75  10  10
ML Hayden & JL Langer (Aus)               59  104   3   5315   52.62  14  22
JH Edrich & G Boycott (Eng)               21   35   3   1672   52.25   6   8
ME Trescothick & AJ Strauss (Eng)         21   40   1   2013   51.61   7   7
MA Taylor & MJ Slater (Aus)               44   78   2   3887   51.14  10  16
ME Trescothick & MP Vaughan (Eng)         29   54   3   2487   48.76   6  15
DL Haynes & CG Greenidge (WI)             89  148  11   6482   47.31  16  26
G Boycott & RW Barber (Eng)               16   26   1   1171   46.84   2   7
GR Marsh & DC Boon (Aus)                   24   41   1   1871   46.77   5   8
MA Taylor & GR Marsh (Aus)                25   47   3   1980   45.00   4   9
KR Stackpole & WM Lawry (Aus)             16   31   2   1302   44.89   0  13
Saeed Anwar & Aamer Sohail (Pak)          25   37   2   1563   44.65   4   8
G Kirsten & HH Gibbs (RSA)                31   52   0   2304   44.30   5  11
ML Hayden & MJ Slater (Aus)               14   25   1   1045   43.54   3   4
CH Gayle & D Ganga (WI)                   15   26   1   1086   43.44   3   3
ME Trescothick & MA Atherton (Eng)        16   30   0   1297   43.23   4   6
K Srikkanth & SM Gavaskar (Ind)           23   34   0   1469   43.20   3   9
MS Atapattu & ST Jayasuriya (SL)          68  116   7   4409   40.44   9  23
TL Goddard & DJ McGlew (RSA)              14   27   1   1038   39.92   3   2
CC McDonald & JW Burke (Aus)              18   32   3   1151   39.68   3   3
Mohsin Khan & Mudassar Nazar (Pak)        35   54   2   2057   39.55   3  16
CH Gayle & WW Hinds (WI)                  19   33   0   1300   39.39   3   8
AJ Stewart & MA Atherton (Eng)            30   50   1   1930   39.38   6   8
GA Gooch & G Boycott (Eng)                25   49   3   1754   38.13   4  10
DL Haynes & PV Simmons (WI)               18   33   2   1147   37.00   1   8
SM Gavaskar & AD Gaekwad (Ind)            29   49   1   1722   35.87   4   9
MA Butcher & MA Atherton (Eng)            17   32   0   1107   34.59   4   0
G Kirsten & AC Hudson (RSA)               22   41   2   1289   33.05   3   5
UC Hathurusingha & RS Mahanama (SL)       18   32   0   1054   32.93   2   4
JG Wright & BA Edgar (NZ)                 33   56   4   1655   31.82   1  12

[fineleg]

ODI Opening Pairs

                     Mat    I  NO   Runs    Ave  100  50
SR Tendulkar & A Jadeja (Ind)              22   22   0   1315   59.77   5   7
AC Gilchrist & SM Katich (Aus)            25   25   0   1387   55.48   3   8
CG Greenidge & DL Haynes (WI)            102  102   4   5150   52.55  15  24
AC Gilchrist & ML Hayden (Aus)            80   80   2   3873   49.65  12  19
SC Ganguly & SR Tendulkar (Ind)          117  117   2   5621   48.87  16  21
HH Gibbs & G Kirsten (RSA)                66   66   5   2838   46.52   9  12
V Sehwag & SR Tendulkar (Ind)             51   51   0   2348   46.03   9  10
MA Taylor & ME Waugh (Aus)                30   30   0   1368   45.60   3   7
ST Jayasuriya & MS Atapattu (SL)          78   78   2   3340   43.94   8  19
A Flower & GW Flower (Zim)                33   33   1   1350   42.18   5   5
WW Hinds & CH Gayle (WI)                  40   40   0   1677   41.92   4   5
ME Waugh & AC Gilchrist (Aus)             93   93   0   3853   41.43   8  20
V Sehwag & SC Ganguly (Ind)               40   40   1   1593   40.84   5   6
DC Boon & GR Marsh (Aus)                  88   88   0   3523   40.03   7  25
BC Lara & DL Haynes (WI)                  40   40   2   1495   39.34   5   4
Aamer Sohail & Saeed Anwar (Pak)          73   73   0   2856   39.12   3  20
AC Hudson & G Kirsten (RSA)               39   39   0   1511   38.74   4   8
GC Smith & HH Gibbs (RSA)                 52   52   1   1913   37.50   5   9
AC Hudson & KC Wessels (RSA)              35   35   0   1279   36.54   3   6

[Blwe_torch]

Now, in the ODIs...you have ranked them as per averages...fair enough.
But when a pair like SG & SRT  does the openning for a considerably more number of times, it is the aggregate that is important, not so much the average......IMO

[Blwe_torch]

But anyway, Greenidge and Haynes is the greatest opening pair, as they have done well in both forms of the game.

[fineleg]

Now, in the ODIs...you have ranked them as per averages...fair enough.
But when a pair like SG & SRT  does the openning for a considerably more number of times, it is the aggregate that is important, not so much the average......IMO

Ranking was a paste from cricinfo...in ODI's SG_SRT really great pair...those were good times.

[fineleg]

But anyway, Greenidge and Haynes is the greatest opening pair, as they have done well in both forms of the game.

They(Gordon-Desmond) have done well...though I am hoping one of the DG folks will give "qualitative" info, like how did the pair work? One attacked, another defended, rotation of strike etc.

[keep-it-cool]

I think Gilchrist and Mark Waugh could have been one of the great pairs .. unfortunately they did not play too much together ...

[Blwe_torch]

Now, in the ODIs...you have ranked them as per averages...fair enough.
But when a pair like SG & SRT  does the openning for a considerably more number of times, it is the aggregate that is important, not so much the average......IMO

Ranking was a paste from cricinfo...in ODI's SG_SRT really great pair...those were good times.

I agree with you, but I think Cricinfo gives one the option of compiling the stats by not just averages...but also Highest Runs, Strike-rates, etc?

[avinashgodkhindi]

Fineleg you are right GG was the destroyer and haynes though pretty attacking was more of the strike rotator. Both had all the shots in the book and had solid techniques, though haynes was caught behind of the first over of kapil on more than a couple of occasions , more bcoz of the lovely outswinger kapil bowled. GG was devastating when injured , he was more dangerous then, funny but somehow made him concentrate more. In those days where 3 an over was quick scoring these guys where flamboyant enough to dominate attacks from bowl one. GG's hook/pull was a classic and if i remember right haynes had a great cover drive. They were both quick between the wikets and had deadly understanding, pretty strong against spinners also.

But what made them all the more dangerous was the fact that Lloyd,richards and company were waiitng in the pavilliona dn they could actually bat with loads of confidence. Plus if they were metted out with nasty short stuff, you could bet that the favours were returned with interest by the windie quicks so no one could really go after any windie batsmen very hard and sledge hima dn attack him with short stuff. it was like killing ur own batsmen;-). This , I believe was also a big factor in their dominance in the 80's.

[keep-it-cool]

No links here (all got from the web) coz they are an assortment ... highlighted the text related to the partnership ... and two links .. a bit dated but interesting - one is a haynes chat transcript long time back and the other is a nostalgic take on the last time these two played together (albeit in a practice game)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desmond Haynes arrived in the West Indies side as a dashing, sometimes reckless stroke player. Eight years later he was their most dependable defensive player, although he could still score fast. When he and Gordon Greenidge had put on their 50, or their 100, or their 200, it was usually Haynes who stayed on to bat with someone else. Like dogs and their owners opening partners grow to look like each other and that certainly happened to Haynes and Greenidge, the most successful and longest-serving pair of international opening batsmen. Over 12 years they developed each others batting styles, walking styles, mannerisms: improbably they both even played for Scotland. Haynes honed his style in one-day internationals, in his day being the scorer of the record number of centuries in ODIs. Almost on his debut he was snapped up for World Series Cricket, where he had his baptism of fire against the likes of Lillee, Imran and Garth Le Roux. Back in official cricket, a double gold chain around his neck and bulky with sweaters, he scored 184 at Lord's in 1980. He and Greenidge chased 230 against Australia in 1983-84 and got them without losing a wicket. On the 1984 tour of England he had a lean time until the final innings of the final Test when his 125 set up a West Indies victory. By then he had warmed up enough to take off some of the sweaters. He played in two World Cup finals, in 1979 and 1983, but his Cup record was nowhere near as good as that in ordinary ODIs. He made 65 against Pakistan in the semi-final in 1979.

Gordon Greenidge, for 20 years the personification of West Indies cricket, came to the game from the small English town of Reading. He was a Hampshire player before anything else and might have played for England if it were not for a strong feeling for his mother's roots in Barbados. West Indies were prepared to select him long before England would have dared. He was still very raw when taken to India in 1974-75, but had attracted attention by his willingness to try and match his Hampshire partner, the great South African Barry Richards, stroke for stroke. He did not yet have the defence, but he was not afraid. Greenidge repaid West Indies' faith in his first Test match in Bangalore, when he scored 93 and 107. The other debutant - one Vivian Richards by name - failed. In Australia in 1975-76 he was dropped after one Test and Australian grounds were to be his hoodoo until his final tour there 13 years later. He returned to the Test team in England in 1976, scoring 84 at Lord's, then 134 (out of 211) and 101 on a difficult wicket at Old Trafford. Next there was 115 at Headingley and 85 not out at the Oval. In his early career Roy Fredericks was his regular opening partner, but his alter ego, Desmond Haynes, came along in the late 1970s. Greenidge made 91 and 96 against Pakistan in Guyana, 100 and 82 at Kingston in the same series and 91 and 97 at Christchurch against New Zealand. He played in three successive World Cups, scoring 55 against New Zealand in the semi-final in 1975, 106 not out against India at Edgbaston in 1979 and 105 not out at Worcester against Zimbabwe in 1983.

http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/INTERACTIVE/INTERVIEWS/HAYNES_DL_09MAR1997/

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/1997-98/ENG_IN_WI/SCORECARDS/ENG-XI_UWI-VC-XI_27MAR1998_NAT_MR.html

[fineleg]

Thanks avinash and kic.

[ramshorns]

I will post on Big (As Haynes used to call him) and Des a little later when time permits.