Mike Atherton and 5 More of Cricket's Most Belligerent Opening Batsmen

On December 4, 1995, Michael Atherton made 185 not out to defy South Africa in Johannesburg and secure England a famous draw in the second Test of the series.

Set 479 to win in the final innings at New Wanderers Stadium, England were in trouble when they closed the fourth day already four wickets down.

However, Atherton stuck it out in the middle for 10 hours and 43 minutes in total, the Lancashire opener repelling a South African bowling attack that included Allan Donald and a young Shaun Pollock.

Alongside Jack Russell, who made an unbeaten 29 from 235 deliveries in an unbroken stand of 106, the England captain stood firm to defy the odds and see his side to safety at 351-5.

To mark the anniversary of Atherton’s one-man stand, we have picked out five other openers who were able to dig in at the crease.

Feel free to share your thoughts on who else should have been included in the comments section.

Geoffrey Boycott, England

Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott was revered for his batting, particularly his seemingly insatiable appetite for spending time in the middle and his love of a good forward defence.

Fittingly, Bocyott registered the 100th hundred of his first-class career on home turf at Headingley in Test action, having only just returned to the England team.

The Yorkshireman featured in 108 Tests for his country and was the archetypal opener—solid, if unspectacular. Perhaps he sometimes took his role as England's bedrock a little too far, and on a tour of New Zealand, his lack of desire to get the scoreboard moving resulted in Ian Botham being sent in to run him out, per ESPN Cricinfo.

Sunil Gavaskar, India

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Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar may not be an obvious choice for such a list, but the India batsman finds a place upon it thanks to one particular innings he produced back at the 1975 World Cup.

Hosts England made 334 in their innings at Lord's—a monumental total back then, even if the ODI games were 60 overs a side. India's reply was stunning, just not in the way we've come to expect of run chases.

Knowing his team had struggled against England's bowlers in the recent past, Gavaskar decided to use the innings as nothing more than an extended net session. He ended up carrying his bat to make 36 not out from 174 balls, with India finishing up on 132-3 and losing by 202 runs.

Chris Tavare

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Chris Tavare made Geoff Boycott look like a dashing stroke-maker, such was his ability to block, block and block again.

Initially, he began his England career batting at three, but he was moved up to open for the home series against India in 1982 and couldn't be budged after that. In 31 Tests, he registered a positively snail-like strike rate of 30.60. 

In 1982, Tavare—who sandwiched a spell at Somerset in between two stints at Kent—batted for 350 minutes and faced 236 deliveries before finally reaching 50 against Pakistan at Lord's. It is still the second-slowest half-century in Test cricket history.

Mark Richardson

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Mark Richardson and Ashley Giles

There is much to admire about the lycra-loving Mark Richardson, who played 38 Tests and, perhaps surprisingly, four one-day games for New Zealand.

The fact the left-hander ever made it to the highest level as a batsman is impressive, considering he was originally a left-arm spinner who saw his bowling career cut short by a case of the yips. He turned himself into a solid opener who finished with a respectable Test average of just under 45.

Richardson may not have entertained too often in the middle—though there was one moment to remember in India—but he did amuse cricket fans by challenging the opposition's slowest player to a foot race while donned in his now-famous tight suit.

Gary Kirsten

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Having started out talking about Mike Atherton surviving against South Africa, it only seems right we balance things up and talk about a Proteas player who has repelled England.

Gary Kirsten once held the record for the highest one-day score, after making 188 against the UAE at the 1997 World Cup, but he was perhaps better known for being a tough man to shift in Test cricket. 

His best score in the longest format was made at Durban in 1999, as he helped South Africa to a draw after they had been forced to follow-on by England. Kirsten made 275 during the second longest-innings in Test cricket, with things getting so bad for the tourists that even skipper Nasser Hussain decided to have a bowl.