Would you want to bowl at this team?

It's common knowledge that Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes are Test cricket's most prolific opening combination, but do you know who have the highest averages as openers? And which current player has the highest one-day average while batting at No.3? That answer could surprise you as much as the fact Elton Chigumbara has a better average batting at No. 7 in ODIs than Adbul Razzaq or Chris Harris. Read on to find out who has the highest averages at each batting position.

England's Herbert Sutcliffe is the only batsman to average above 60 as opener. Sutcliffe opened in 83 out of 84 innings, the lone exception being when he batted at No.6 because England reversed their batting order to avoid losing top-order wickets late in the day. Don Bradman leads a list of heavy-weight batsmen for the No.3 spot. His average of 103.63 outstrips Ken Barrington , Wally Hammond and George Headley all of whom average in the 70s while batting at No.3.

Garry Sobers is the only player to average above 50 from positions three to seven for a minimum of ten innings at each position. However, he doesn't occupy the top spot at any of those slots. The highest average for No.6, where Sobers had batted the most, belongs to Shivnarine Chanderpaul who's scored 2006 runs at 62.68.

Virender Sehwag and Matthew Hayden have the highest averages - 54.01 and 53.08 respectively - as openers among current batsmen while occupying ranks seven and nine on the all-time list. Rahul Dravid misses out to Ricky Ponting for the No.3 spot. Dravid's average at that position is 61.41 but Ponting's phenomenal form since the 2005 Ashes boosted his average to 66.25.

Mohammad Yousuf is closing in fast on Jacques Kallis's average of 70.42 at No.4. Before the start of the 2005-06 season Yousuf averaged only 45 at number four. However after a couple of prolific seasons during which he scored 1449 in 18 innings , his average has soared to 67.06. During the same period, Sachin Tendulkar dropped from 60.10 to 57.20 and he stands tenth among the highest averages at No.4.

Michael Bevan is the only player to be highest at two positions in one-day internationals - he averages 59.60 at number four and 56.71 at number six. Yousuf springs a surprise again by having the second-best average - 55.22 - at No.3, higher than Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara, Kallis or Ponting.

The biggest surprise undoubtedly is Chigumbara who pips Razzaq for first place at No.7 though he will be a distant second once Michael Hussey plays one more innings to make our cut-off of 20 innings. Hussey has batted 19 times at No.7 and averages a whopping 138.60 with 14 not-outs. In fact, even in Tests Hussey averages 91.75 at No.5 but has played just 11 innings in that position.

Michael Clarke takes Bevan's spot for the best average at No.6 among current batsmen while Boeta Dippenaar occupies top spot for an opener and No.4. In due time, Kevin Pietersen may take Kallis's place at No.5. At present he averages 116.20 with three centuries and two fifties in just ten innings at No.5

PS: The List turns one year old tomorrow and it asks its readers to join the celebrations and, for once at least, prefer a Pietersen over a Kallis where shot measure is concerned. Cheers!