Ranking the top 10 Test openers in the world currently

#2 Azhar Ali (Pakistan)

Ali became an opener late on in his Test career

At 33, Ali is one of the more experienced names on this list. He hasn’t always batted at the top of the order, however, having come in at three in the earlier parts of his career. Moving him up to face the new ball has been a success for Pakistan though, as he has proved more than useful as an opener. He is a patient player and is prepared to go for long spells without scoring so to protect his wicket.

He has shown that he is capable of going on to get a big score once he has got himself in as well, having made two double hundreds in his career, as well as an unbeaten triple century against the West Indies in 2016. These are just some of the 14 Test centuries that he has accumulated in his career. Having scored a lot of runs in Asia and the Middle East, he has also proved himself as an excellent player of spin.