Quiz! Knights, doctors, psychologists – how well do you know the England opening batters?

Also play: Quiz! Every England Test opener in the 21st century

When Eric Midwinter wrote a history of Lancashire cricket, he called it Red Roses Crest the Caps. That, along with GD Martineau’s The Field is Full of Shades, were both lines from Francis Thompson’s famous poem At Lord’s. There, every stanza ends with “O my Hornby and my Barlow long ago” – a tribute to two 19th-century England openers.

Also play: Quiz! Every England men’s international cricketer in 2025

Over the decades, England have produced some of the greatest openers, especially in Test cricket. From WG Grace and Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe and Len Hutton to Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch and Alastair Cook, the list is long and full of characters. The advent of limited-overs cricket has brought about openers of a different nature.

Also play: Quiz! Every England Test cricketer in the Bazball era

Take our quiz to test your knowledge on cricketers who opened batting for England in at least one format. You have five minutes.

Also play: Quiz! Name England’s leading ODI wicket-takers

Quiz! How well do you know England openers?

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