Top 10 Australian middle-order batsmen of all time

The top order is, without a doubt, the most important part of any good Test batting line-up and if a team does not have a competent top three, then it is highly improbable that it would get much success in the longest format of the game.

However, on the flip side, a strong middle-order is also necessary if the advantage provided by the top order is to be utilised and it is in these positions, that teams usually have their mavericks, stroke-makers and technically brilliant players.

Australia have historically been one of the best Test sides in history and the country has produced plenty of outstanding middle-order batsmen. Their success in Test cricket is largely to do with the fact that they have almost always had a complete side.

So, here is a look at the greatest middle-order batsmen that Australia has ever produced.

#10 Damien Martyn

Former Australian middle-order batsman Damien Martyn may have needed some time to really break into the Test team, he became one of the world's leading batsmen in the early noughties.

Martyn was an elegant stroke-maker, who could play anywhere on the offside and his legside game wasn't limited either. In addition to that, his defensive technique was excellent and having a batsman of that calibre at number 4 or number 5, made Australia the world-beating side that they became at the time.

More importantly, he was excellent against spin as well and the centuries against India at Chennai in 2004 and the one against Sri Lanka at Kandy in the same year were classics. As a middle-order batsman, Martyn scored 4,406 runs at an average of 46.37 and also notched 13 centuries in addition to 23 half-centuries.

#9 Doug Walters

He played for Australia in 74 Test matches from 1965 through to 1981 and was famous for his swashbuckling batting at number 6, that often took the game away from the opposition.

Doug Walters made the Australian number 6 position his own and although he was not the most technically correct batsman, he could play the hook perfectly and had it in him to play the perfect straight drive.

On the other hand, he loved to come down the wicket against the spinners and never allowed them to settle. In 74 Test matches, Walters scored 5357 runs at an impressive average of 48.26. He also scored 15 hundreds and also brought up 33 half-centuries during the course of his career.

#8 Mark Waugh

He was probably the most eye-catching batsman of the 1990s and in the 128 Test matches that he played for Australia, he remained a rock for the team in the middle-order.

From 1991 to 2002, Mark Waugh played as Australia's number 4 and his outstanding stroke-making made him a batsman who was feared all over the world.

More importantly, he scored runs quickly once he was in the groove and that made the task of the opposition all the more difficult.

He scored a total of 7954 runs at an average of 41.86 and slammed 20 centuries, in addition to as many as 46 half-centuries. It might be said that he could have had a few more centuries considering the sort of talent that he possessed as a batsman.

#7 Mike Hussey

The Australian team of the early to mid-nineties was so strong that someone like Mike Hussey had to wait till he was 30 years old to get his first opportunity on the Test team.

However, when he did, he made it count and from 2005 to 2013, he was the world's leading middle-order batsman, who batted at all positions from number 4 to 7 and in fact, he had opened the innings 8 occasions for Australia as well.

Hussey had the defensive technique to play against any opposition and even though he was a limited stroke-maker, he was extremely strong in the strokes that he could play. For instance, the cut and pull were used frequently against the short stuff.

In the 76 Tests in which he batted in the middle-order, Hussey scored 5,848 runs and averaged an excellent 51.29. He had shepherded Australia out of trouble on many occasions and scored 18 centuries and 28 half-centuries in the process.

#6 Adam Gilchrist

The former Australian legend is possibly the only wicket-keeper whose batting skills in Test cricket has completely overshadowed his considerable achievements as a wicket-keeper. Adam Gilchrist was one of the big reasons why Australia became such a frightening side to face in Test cricket.

Even if teams got through their batting order, there was Gilchrist, waiting to come in after the fall of the 5th wicket and unleash absolute mayhem. A strike rate of 81.95 in 92 Tests is a testament to the sort of damage that he caused. Gilchrist was not necessarily a mindless hitter but a cold, calculated operator and also had the technique to play the long game when it was needed.

For instance, in a Test match against Pakistan at Hobart, Gilchrist (149 not out) came in to bat at 126 for 5 and then along with Justin Langer, helped Australia chase down 369 against a bowling attack comprising of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and Saqlain Mushtaq. He made 4869 runs at an average of 47.63 and that fearsome strike rate made him one of the most dangerous batsmen in Test cricket. He scored 15 centuries and 23 half-centuries in his stellar career.

#5 Michael Clarke

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke made it to an already strong batting line up when he was only 23 years old and immediately showed his class by scoring a century on debut against India during the 2004 tour.

Over the next, decade or so, he became one of the world's best middle order batsmen and primarily batted at either number 4 or number 5. With an aggregate of 8611 runs in the middle-order, Clarke is the third most prolific run scorer for Australia for those positions.

He had his own technique but it was mighty effective and pace, spin or swing did not faze him either. He could score all round the wicket and additionally, he was excellent against the spinners.

Clarke could play superbly off both the front and the back foot, which made him a very difficult batsman to bowl to. He recorded an average of 49.77 in the middle-order positions and scored 28 hundred, which included the epic 329 not out against India at Sydney in 2012.

#4 Allan Border

He may not have been among the finest batsmen that Australia produced but former Australian captain Allan Border made the most of his talents and went on to become one of the most iconic batsmen in the history of the nation.

Border had batted at number 3 on some occasions as well but it was as a middle-order batsman that he made the bulk of his career runs and he batted at all positions from 4 to 7 at different points of his career.

His batting was completely functional and efficient, with no tendency for going for unnecessary strokes and it is this discipline that made him a colossus. Border made 9562 runs at an excellent average of 51.13 and notched up 23 centuries and as many as 55 half-centuries in the process.

#3 Greg Chappell

The years in World Series Cricket might have knocked off some runs from his Test career, but as far as batting excellence is concerned, there are very few Australian middle-order batsmen who come anywhere close to Greg Chappell. As a batsman, Chappell had no real weakness and could score all around the wicket, against any kind of bowling and on any kind of pitch.

He did bat at number 3 for some time but eventually became one of the world's best middle-order batsmen and his stroke-making could make even the best bowling attacks look ordinary.

It is also important to note that Chappell scored heavily on the unofficial 'Super Tests' in World Series Cricket and he faced up to the finest bowlers in the world in that tournament. Perhaps he would have scored substantially more than the 5461 runs he scored as a middle-order batsman and the average of 58.09 is a clear indication of the sort of batsman he was. Chappell scored 19 centuries and 25 half-centuries as a middle-order batsman for Australia.

#2 Steve Waugh

The former Australian captain and batting great was never supposed to be a top-class Test match batsman. He had trouble against genuine pace and he struggled against the short ball, however, he rose above those handicaps.

Eventually, he became one of the world's best batsmen during the course of his 19-year-long Test career, spanning 168 Test matches. In 164 of those Tests, he batted in the middle-order and he primarily batted at either number 5 or 6 for Australia.

Waugh's determination and homegrown technique made him the rock of the Australian batting order. In his stellar career, he made 10,658 runs in the middle-order positions and remains the highest scoring middle-order batsman in Australian cricket history. He averaged 52.24 and scored as many as 31 hundreds and 49 half-centuries.

#1 Steve Smith

The current Australian captain Steve Smith came into the Test side as a leg-spinner back in 2010 and in the first handful of games in his career, he even batted as low as number 9.

However, over the past 4 years, he has turned into one of the world's best batsmen and perhaps one of the greatest middle-order batsmen to have played the game.

He has batted at number 3 as well but the majority of his career has been spent batting at number 4 or 5 and now it is quite certain, that he will be Australia's number 4 for at least the next decade.

His colossal run-scoring feats have even drawn comparisons with Sir Don Bradman.

He does not seem to have the technique to be a top Test batsman but Smith has turned that theory on its head and plundered runs everywhere he has batted. He has batted in the middle-order in 44 Tests and scored a total of 4130 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 64.53.

He has the highest batting average among all Australian middle-order batsmen and by the time he retires, he will most certainly have scored the highest aggregate runs as well.