14 ducks in 15 matches: England’s worst opening batters in Test history

More than nine years after Andrew Strauss retired from Test cricket, England are still searching for a decent replacement.

Since the retirement of Sir Alastair Cook in 2018, England’s Test side has been desperately searching for a new opening combination – without luck.

England has trialled nine different opening partnerships in the past three years, with only one duo averaging above 30 at the crease together – Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed.

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But after last week’s 275-run defeat to Australia in the second Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval, the England camp decided it was time for another experiment at the top of the order.

Burns was axed ahead of the Boxing Day Test, with young gun Zak Crawley returning to the starting XI for the first time in five months.

Crawley and Hameed, who had never opened the batting together in Test cricket, were tasked with surviving a new-ball onslaught by Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.

They only lasted 10 deliveries.

Hameed was back in the sheds in the second over without troubling the scorers after edging a full delivery from Cummins that nipped away off the deck.

It was the 14th Test duck for an England opener in 2021 – the previous record was seven.

Less than 30 minutes later, Crawley was dismissed for 12 in similar fashion to his opening partner, fending at a length delivery that caught the outside edge and flew towards Cameron Green at gully.

England’s average opening stand this summer is now 7.60.

Most Test ducks for England openers in a calendar year

14 – 2021

7 – 1986

7 – 1998

6 – 1990

6 – 2002

6 – 2005

Haseeb Hameed had the honour of being England’s 50th Test duck this year. Photo by Dave Hewison/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

On Thursday, England’s openers were spotted facing throwdowns while standing on one leg in a bizarre training drill supposedly designed to improve their balance on the front foot.

It seemingly didn’t help – in fact, cricket pundits criticised Hameed and Crawley for their lack of footwork on Sunday.

“It‘s time we accepted that our batsmen are not good enough. The two openers are walking wickets and the Aussie bowlers are queuing up to get at them,” former England opener Geoffrey Boycott wrote in the UK Telegraph last week.

“We compliment Rory Burns for his determination and strength of character but that can‘t make up for an awful technique.

“He just looks ugly with his feet and arms all over the place.

“How can you be young, talented, have a good technique and still keep failing?”

England’s opening batters in 2021

Rory Burns – 530 runs at 27.89, 19 innings (six ducks)

Dom Sibley – 356 runs at 19.77, 20 innings (four ducks)

Haseeb Hameed – 189 runs at 23.62, 8 innings (three ducks)

Zak Crawley – 114 runs at 12.66, 9 innings (one duck)

They should have dropped both Burns and Hameed. #Ashes

— Rajesh Abraham🇮🇳 (@pendown) December 26, 2021

Feel sorry for Hameed a decent delivery but his defence needs technical work… hands low and looks awkward. Need to get a stronger base (bottom half) and hands then won’t push out down and low like he does #ashes

— Nick Compton (@thecompdog) December 26, 2021

To be fair, Hameed spent net sessions not moving his feet with England's specialist batting coach#Ashes

— Ian Pont 🇬🇧 (@Ponty100mph) December 26, 2021

England’s woes at the top of the order make Joe Root’s feats with the bat in 2021 all the more remarkable. The Yorkshireman repeatedly finds himself at the crease when the ball is still swinging, yet has accumulated more runs in the calendar year than any England player in history.

Root has scored 1680 runs in 15 Test matches this year – he needs at least 109 in the second innings at the MCG to beat the all-time record set by Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousef in 2006.

The skipper has far too often papered over the cracks of England’s dismal top-order, which hasn’t fully recovered since Andrew Strauss stepped away from the game in 2012.

Since Strauss’ retirement, 21 cricketers have opened the batting for England’s Test side, but only three have averaged above 32 – Cook, Root and nightwatchman Jack Leach.

Batting average of England’s Test openers since Andrew Strauss’ retirement

46.50 – Jack Leach (two innings)

42.52 – Alastair Cook (144 innings)

41.70 – Joe Root (11 innings)

31.33 – Joe Denly (six innings)

31.12 – Nick Compton (18 innings)

30.92 – Rory Burns (57 innings)

30.54 – Sam Robson (11 innings)

28.94 – Dom Sibley (39 innings)

28.10 – Michael Carberry (10 innings)

27.68 – Mark Stoneman (20 innings)

27.28 – Alex Hales (21 innings)

26.84 – Haseeb Hameed (13 innings)

25.16 – Keaton Jennings (31 innings)

23.00 – Ben Duckett (four innings)

20.38 – Adam Lyth (13 innings)

19.78 – Zak Crawley (14 innings)

14.00 – Moeen Ali (six innings)

12.00 – Jonathan Trott (six innings)

8.85 – Jason Roy (seven innings)

2.00 – Jos Buttler (two innings)

N/A – Ben Stokes (one inning)

Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns. Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

It’s easy to blame the players, but according to former England captain Michael Atherton, the County Championship has not adequately prepared top-order batters for Test cricket.

“There are some fundamental issues with English cricket,” former England captain Michael Atherton told Sky Sports News UK.

“The majority of the good months in the summer are given to The Blast and The Hundred as administrators prioritise white-ball cricket and short-from cricket, so The Championship is pushed to the margins at the front and back-end of the season.

“This means the standards of pitches in County Cricket are very poor. I don’t think our domestic game is set up right now to set-up top-order batsmen and spinners in particular and it’s no coincidence those are the two areas we are struggling with.

“Some of the domestic cricket in England makes it pretty hard for openers — the pitches, Dukes ball, conditions not particularly conducive to producing a lot of good top-order players.”

England was rolled for 185 on day one of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. Australia will resume at 10.30am AEDT on day two at 1/61, with opener Marcus Harris unbeaten on 20.