Top 5 left-handed South African Test openers of all time

#1 Graeme Smith

At number one is the batsman who pushed Gary Kirsten down the order and went on to become one of the greatest opening batsmen in the world, despite the obvious deficiencies in his technique.

However, Graeme Smith made the most of his limitations and became a batsman who was not only hard to dismiss but also an opening batsman who could play the long innings whenever necessary. Although one cannot conclude that captaincy made the left-hander a better batsman, it cannot be denied he holds the unique record of having scored the maximum Test runs as captain.

In his 113 Tests as South Africa's opening batsman, Smith made 9014 runs at an outstanding average of 49.14 and scored runs all over the world. He made 27 centuries and 36 half-centuries during his distinguished career as an opening batsman.