Right then. While we pick the structure of the team in the other thread (please post your thoughts if not done so already) we might as well begin to pick the openers. The thread contained the following players.

Greenidge (West Indies)
Haynes (West Indies)
Sehwag (India)
Gavaskar (India)
Gooch (England)
Boycott (England)
Slater (Australia)
Taylor (Australia)
Hayden (Australia)
Richards (South Africa)
Kirsten (South Africa)
Saeed Anwar (Pakistan)

The poll will allow multiple choice, therefore the aim is to come up with a shortlist of three. The poll will then be amended to allow people to select their final choice of two openers.

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Steven

I think it's a bit of a mistake to split the entire process up into different threads. Someone tried the same thing on the ODI thread for the greatest ODI XI, and we never went past no. 7. But still, it's your process, and if you run it like this I'll still participate.

For the record, I nominate Greenidge, Gavaskar and Haynes. I also have serious doubts over the eligibility of Boycott and Richards.

I couldn't see the option of creating a poll on an excisting thread. The way I see it we will have 6 polls (Openers, Middle Order, All Rounder, WK, Spinner and Pace). Hopefully it will work...

You may be right with Boycott, although he played 23 tests with an average of 41.43 after 1 Jan 1980. The poll is now available for your nominations (which happen to be the same as my three)

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Steven

My picks have been Haynes, Greenidge and Gavaskar - with my preference for Haynes and Greenidge because of the understanding they will have built playing together in 87 tests and opening together on 140 occasions.

Since 1 January 1980 their test records are as such,

Haynes
M 112 I 195 NO 24 Runs 7221 HS 184 Avg 42.22 100s 18 50s 36

Greenidge
M 87 I 145 NO 13 Runs 5826 HS 226 Avg 44.13 100s 14 50s 25

Gavaskar
M 65 I 106 NO 9 Runs 4475 HS 236* Avg 46.13 100s 12 50s 20

What pesuades me that Haynes and Greenidge should be picked are their record as a partnership (and that is what we are picking after all).

Haynes / Greenidge

M 87 I 140 Unbroken 8 Runs 6071 Avg 45.99 100s 15 50s 22

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Steven

I think i'll go for Matthew Hayden and Sunil Gavaskar. The reasoning behind it is gavaskar might be a perfect foil for haydens aggresive batting, and both batsmen have been successful in every country and both of them have the ability to play a long innings. I've even comtemplated Greenidge and Haynes based on their record but I haven't seen too much of them to pick them since i'm a 90's generation cricket viewer.

Although his record declined slightly after 1980, Gavaskar has to be in for me. He was a master of the art of opening and (unlike Greenidge and Haynes) had to face the rampant West Indies.

To complement him I would select Greenidge rather than Haynes for his higher level of potential destructability.

Gooch has an excellent record against the quicks, but the way he was undone by Australian tactics and swing brings him up just short.

80's - early 90's openers had to generally face better opening bowlers and a wider variety of pitch conditions than those of the past decade so I won't include some of the more recent blaster style openers.

Overall, don't think we're choosing from quite the same level of riches as we will for the middle order or bowling attack.

I've already given my picks of Greenidge, Haynes and Gavaskar- but if I could pick a fourth, then Saeed Anwar's silken strokeplay would get him in for me. On top of that, he's also a left-hander, and remarkably consistent- passing 50 36 times in something like 86 innings. But seeing as we're selecting three openers only, there's not much point in nominating a fourth.

Rachael, what it is you like about Slater so much? I accept that he was a fantastic player who was discarded too early by Australia (why was that?) but I don't see him compared with some of the other names on the list, maybe his fairly unsuccesful time with Derbyshire clouds my thoughts.

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Steven

Barry Richards MUST be removed from this post. It undermines the whole process. Anyone voting for him should not be counted as their judgement must be questioned.

I mentioned in the other thread that he hardly played a game of cricket in that decade, but obviously nobody took any notice. Can someone tell me why he is in the list???

For me it has to be Greenidge and Haynes.They were the ultimate partnership and complemented each other brilliantly,i know that Gavaskar was also a superb opener but i'd go for the pair together as they were such a good pairing.