Top 5 New Zealand Test opening pairs of all time

#1 Bruce Edgar and John Wright

John Wright

When New Zealand well and truly came of age as a Test-playing nation in the 1980s, the opening pair of Bruce Edgar and John Wright had a major role to play in the success of the team.

They opened 56 times for the Black Caps between 1978 and 1986 and remain the most prolific opening pair in the history of the country's Test cricket.

Wright was one of the team's best batsmen and was particularly known for his ability to knuckle down and face up to the toughest new ball bowlers around with his defensive abilities. Needless to say, he had the game to open up later on as well.

On the other hand, left-handed batsman Bruce Edgar was technically gifted as well and one of his primary traits was his ability to play scorching pace with relative ease. They made a great pair and over the course of 56 partnerships, made 1655 runs at an average of 31.82. They made a century stand only once but crossed the fifty run mark on 12 occasions.