Cricket
Who is the Best T20 Opener of All Time? A Data-Driven Ranking
The role of an opening batsman is one of the most important in T20 cricket, setting a platform for either a highly defensible total or leaving the middle order under pressure. Players at the crease first take on major responsibilities such as commanding the powerplay and driving the scoring rate, while also putting the ‘squeeze’ on the bowlers. When considering the best T20 openers of all time, international superstars like Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Quinton de Kock, and Babar Azam have set a high standard. To see who’s at the top, SportsBoom has compared the most explosive T20 openers based on pure statistics and broader media consensus, to see how all they stack up.
Rohit Sharma of India plays a shot//Getty Images
SB Market Index: How We Evaluate the Greatest T20 Openers
This evaluation of the greatest T20 opening batsmen combines a statistical analysis of their careers with expert and media perception to provide a comprehensive ranking, also known as the SB Market Index.
Industry Insights
This curated analysis from top 10 cricketing and sports media sources measures how prominently each player is featured in discussions of the ‘greatest T20 openers of all time’.
Industry Insights
| Source Name | RG Sharma | PR Stirling | MJ Guptill | Mohammad Rizwan | DA Warner | Babar Azam | Muhammad Waseem | AJ Finch | Q de Kock | RR Hendricks |
| ESPNcricinfo – ‘T20I XI of the Decade’ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisden – ‘Modern T20 Greats’ feature | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cricbuzz – ‘Best T20I Openers Ever’ feature | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sky Sports Cricket – ‘T20I GOAT Opener’ debate | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| The Cricketer – Top 50 T20I Players list | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sportskeeda – ‘Greatest T20I Openers’ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Reddit r/Cricket – ‘All-Time T20I Opening Pair’ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Cricket Monthly – Impact Player Analysis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| talkSPORT – ‘Top 10 T20I Openers’ countdown | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| HowSTAT – Career Records Search | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total Mentions | 10 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 1 |
SB Score
This score is calculated based on four key T20I career metrics as an opener: strike rate (40% weightage), batting average (30% weightage), total runs (20% weightage), and number of centuries (10% weightage).
SB Score
| Player | Runs | Ave | SR | 100s | SB Score |
| Muhammad Waseem | 2,858 | 38.62 | 156.60 | 3 | 0.932 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | 3,162 | 51.83 | 127.70 | 1 | 0.908 |
| RG Sharma | 3,750 | 32.60 | 143.02 | 5 | 0.905 |
| AJ Finch | 2,848 | 33.90 | 143.69 | 2 | 0.803 |
| DA Warner | 3,109 | 34.16 | 142.15 | 1 | 0.789 |
| Babar Azam | 2,973 | 38.11 | 130.56 | 3 | 0.787 |
| MJ Guptill | 3,170 | 32.68 | 139.83 | 2 | 0.785 |
| Q de Kock | 2,554 | 31.53 | 138.72 | 1 | 0.701 |
| PR Stirling | 3,592 | 27.00 | 136.31 | 1 | 0.700 |
| RR Hendricks | 2,334 | 30.31 | 131.27 | 1 | 0.638 |
SB Market Index
| Rank | Player | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | RG Sharma | 0.905 | 10 | 8.181 |
| 2 | Mohammad Rizwan | 0.908 | 9 | 7.382 |
| 3 | AJ Finch | 0.803 | 9 | 7.361 |
| 4 | DA Warner | 0.789 | 9 | 7.358 |
| 5 | Babar Azam | 0.787 | 9 | 7.357 |
| 6 | MJ Guptill | 0.785 | 9 | 7.357 |
| 7 | Q de Kock | 0.701 | 9 | 6.540 |
| 8 | PR Stirling | 0.700 | 4 | 3.340 |
| 9 | Muhammad Waseem | 0.932 | 1 | 0.986 |
| 10 | RR Hendricks | 0.638 | 1 | 0.928 |
Rohit Sharma: The King of T20 Openers
With a perfect Industry Insights score and a superior SB Score, Rohit Sharma has emerged as the strongest performer of these top T20 openers ranked.
The Indian opening batsman has the most hundreds of players curated for this analysis, indicating his ability to endure longer stints at the crease.
Sharma represented his country at every edition of the T20 World Cup and is the only player to have won the tourney twice, including in 2024 as skipper.
In addition to milestones like the most centuries in T20Is, he has bossed the domestic scene, leading Mumbai Indians to continued success in the IPL.
Sharma has also mastered the art of getting off the mark quickly, having broken Yuvraj Singh’s T20 World Cup record with his 34th six in October 2022.
The Modern Greats: Rizwan, Warner, Babar, Guptill, and Finch
Aaron Finch walks off the field after been dismissed by David Willey//Getty Images
While Sharma is the clear winner of T20I batting legends, an incredibly narrow race has emerged between the next five positions.
Mohammad Rizwan, Aaron Finch, David Warner, Babar Azam, and Martin Guptill were only separated by their respective SB Scores.
Pakistan star Rizwan, who already boasts an average exceeding 55.00 in T20 cricket this year, had the highest average on the list: 51.83.
Finch, meanwhile, earned his place among the legends after captaining Australia to the 2021 T20 World Cup trophy with his aggression.
His former international teammate, Warner, was also known for his strong offence, surpassing Finch as Australia’s top run-scorer in T20Is.
Comparatively, Babar Azam opening stats, including an average just below 40, has led Pakistan through a renaissance with his consistency.
Finally, but certainly not least, Martin Guptill T20 career performances helped New Zealand to a runners-up spot at the 2021 T20 World Cup.
The Statistical Phenom: Muhammad Waseem
An interesting name among the elite of top nations is the United Arab Emirates’ Muhammad Waseem, who captains the country’s cricket side.
The Emirati opening batsman has dominated the purely statistical score, with his average in T20Is ending second only to Muhammad Rizwan.
While he leads in terms of SB Score, his representation as an Associate nation player has resulted in a lower position in the SB Market Index.
However, this does not take away from Waseem’s impressive numbers, which have seen him as the top-ranked UAE batsman in the ICC rankings.
Conclusion on T20's Toughest Job
SportsBoom’s model, which heavily favours expert perception, has established Rohit Sharma as the greatest T20 opener of all time.
His consistency and ability to grind out lengthy innings has often made the difference for an India side always chasing success.
It is worth reiterating the performance of others on this elite list, from stars of the highest order to mighty Associate nation batsmen.
Their T20 cricket opening records serve to show that while the role is tough, there are those who take the pressure in their stride.
Bruce Douglas has more than 12 years of experience in local news media. He has worked at all levels of print and online publication, from crime and politics to photography, newspaper layout, proofreading, mentoring, sub-editing, and leading a newsroom. He played numerous sports at the school level and enjoys keeping up to date.