TWM Latham of New Zealand scored 252 against Bangladesh in the ongoing test at Christchurch to provide the 35^th occasion of an opening batsman scoring 250 plus runs in an innings in the annals of test cricket. All such occasions are tabulated below.

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	A Sandham	325	1	Eng	Win	Kingston	03 Apr 1930
2	WH Ponsford	266	1	Aus	Eng	The Oval	18 Aug 1934
3	L Hutton	364	1	Eng	Aus	The Oval	20 Aug 1938
4	DJ McGlew	255*	1	SAF	NZl	Wellington	06 Mar 1953
5	Hanif Mohd	337	3	Pak	Win	Bridgetown	17 Jan 1958
6	CC Hunte	260	2	Win	Pak	Kingston	26 Feb 1958
7	RB Simpson	311	1	Aus	Eng	Manchester	23 Jul 1964
8	JH Edrich	310*	1	Eng	NZl	Leeds	08 Jul 1965
9	GM Turner	259	2	NZl	Win	Georgetown	06 Apr 1972
10	DL Amiss	262*	3	Eng	Win	Kingston	16 Feb 1974
11	LG Rowe	302	2	Win	Eng	Bridgetown	06 Mar 1974
12	SFAF Bacchus	250	2	Win	Ind	Kanpur	02 Feb 1979
13	GA Gooch	333	1	Eng	Ind	Lord’s	26 Jul 1990
14	BA Young	267*	1	NZl	Srl	Dunedin	07 Mar 1997
15	ST Jayasuriya	340	2	Srl	Ind	Col-RPS	02 Aug 1997
16	MA Taylor	334*	1	Aus	Pak	Peshawar	15 Oct 1998
17	G Kirsten	275	3	SAF	Eng	Durban	26 Dec 1999
18	JL Langer	250	1	Aus	Eng	Melbourne	26 Dec 2002
19	GC Smith	277	1	SAF	Eng	Birmingham	24 Jul 2003
20	GC Smith	259	2	SAF	Eng	Lord’s	31 Jul 2003
21	ML Hayden	380	1	Aus	Zim	Perth	09 Oct 2003
22	V Sehwag	309	1	Ind	Pak	Multan	28 Mar 2004
23	ST Jayasuriya	253	3	Srl	Pak	Faisalabad	20 Oct 2004
24	CH Gayle	317	2	Win	SAF	St John’s	29 Apr 2005
25	V Sehwag	254	2	Ind	Pak	Lahore	13 Jan 2006
26	V Sehwag	319	2	Ind	SAF	Chennai	26 Mar 2008
27	V Sehwag	293	2	Ind	Srl	Mum-BS	02 Dec 2009
28	CH Gayle	333	1	Win	Srl	Galle	15 Nov 2010
29	AN Cook	294	2	Eng	Ind	Birmingham	10 Aug 2011
30	AN Cook	263	2	Eng	Pak	A Dhabi	13 Oct 2015
31	DA Warner	253	1	Aus	NZl	Perth	13 Nov 2015
32	Azhar Ali	302*	1	Pak	Win	Dub-DSC	13 Oct 2016
33	TWM Latham	264*	2	NZl	Srl	Wellington	15 Dec 2018
34	DA Warner	335*	1	Aus	Pak	Adelaide	29 Nov 2019
35	TWM Latham	252	1	NZl	Ban	Ch’church	09 Jan 2022

It also provides the fourth occasion of a New Zealand opening batsman scoring 250 plus runs in a test innings. All such occasions are tabulated below

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	GM Turner	259	2	NZl	Win	Georgetown	06 Apr 1972
2	BA Young	267*	1	NZl	Srl	Dunedin	07 Mar 1997
3	TWM Latham	264*	2	NZl	Srl	Wellington	15 Dec 2018
4	TWM Latham	252	1	NZl	Ban	Ch’church	09 Jan 2022

AN Cook {02}, CH Gayle {02}, DA Warner {02}, GC Smith {02}, ST Jayasuriya {02}, TWM Latham {02} and V Sehwag {04} are the seven opening batsmen to score 250 plus runs in an innings on two or more occasions. TWM Latham joined this elite list of opening batsmen with his 252 in this test. V Sehwag of India owns the record of scoring 250 plus runs as an opening batsman on most occasions. He has to his credit four such occasions.

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	AN Cook	294	2	Eng	Ind	Birmingham	10 Aug 2011
2	AN Cook	263	2	Eng	Pak	A Dhabi	13 Oct 2015
1	CH Gayle	317	2	Win	SAF	St John’s	29 Apr 2005
2	CH Gayle	333	1	Win	Srl	Galle	15 Nov 2010
1	DA Warner	253	1	Aus	NZl	Perth	13 Nov 2015
2	DA Warner	335*	1	Aus	Pak	Adelaide	29 Nov 2019
1	GC Smith	277	1	SAF	Eng	Birmingham	24 Jul 2003
2	GC Smith	259	2	SAF	Eng	Lord’s	31 Jul 2003
1	ST Jayasuriya	340	2	Srl	Ind	Col-RPS	02 Aug 1997
2	ST Jayasuriya	253	3	Srl	Pak	Faisalabad	20 Oct 2004
1	TWM Latham	264*	2	NZl	Srl	Wellington	15 Dec 2018
2	TWM Latham	252	1	NZl	Ban	Ch’church	09 Jan 2022
1	V Sehwag	309	1	Ind	Pak	Multan	28 Mar 2004
2	V Sehwag	254	2	Ind	Pak	Lahore	13 Jan 2006
3	V Sehwag	319	2	Ind	SAF	Chennai	26 Mar 2008
4	V Sehwag	293	2	Ind	Srl	Mum-BS	02 Dec 2009

CH Gayle of West Indies and V Sehwag of India are the two opening batsmen to score 300 plus runs on two occasions. It is interesting to note that these two batsmen have chosen South Africa as opponent to score one of their 300 plus runs

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	CH Gayle	317	2	Win	SAF	St John’s	29 Apr 2005
2	CH Gayle	333	1	Win	Srl	Galle	15 Nov 2010
1	V Sehwag	309	1	Ind	Pak	Multan	28 Mar 2004
2	V Sehwag	319	2	Ind	SAF	Chennai	26 Mar 2008

The following table lists seven opening batsmen who have scored 250 plus runs while leading their teams. RB Simpson, GA Gooch and MA Taylor have scored 300 plus runs as captain openers. GC Smith remains the only captain opener to score 250 plus runs on two occasions-both against England of which one was at Lord’s – the Mecca of Cricket.

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	RB Simpson	311	1	Aus	Eng	Manchester	23 Jul 1964
2	GA Gooch	333	1	Eng	Ind	Lord’s	26 Jul 1990
3	MA Taylor	334*	1	Aus	Pak	Peshawar	15 Oct 1998
4	GC Smith	277	1	SAF	Eng	Birmingham	24 Jul 2003
5	GC Smith	259	2	SAF	Eng	Lord’s	31 Jul 2003
6	AN Cook	263	2	Eng	Pak	A Dhabi	13 Oct 2015
7	TWM Latham	252	1	NZl	Ban	Ch’church	09 Jan 2022

GA Gooch of England and GC Smith of South Africa are the only two captain openers to score 250 plus runs at Lord’s – the Mecca of Cricket.

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	GA Gooch	333	1	Eng	Ind	Lord’s	26 Jul 1990
2	GC Smith	259	2	SAF	Eng	Lord’s	31 Jul 2003

The following table lists the sixteen occasions of opening batsmen scoring 300 plus runs in the annals of test cricket. ML Hayden’s 380 for Australia against Zimbabwe at Perth in Oct 2003 remain the highest individual score by an opening batsman in the annals of test cricket.

No	Player	Runs	I	Team	Opp	Ground	Start Date
1	A Sandham	325	1	Eng	Win	Kingston	03 Apr 1930
2	L Hutton	364	1	Eng	Aus	The Oval	20 Aug 1938
3	Hanif Mohd	337	3	Pak	Win	Bridgetown	17 Jan 1958
4	RB Simpson	311	1	Aus	Eng	Manchester	23 Jul 1964
5	JH Edrich	310*	1	Eng	NZl	Leeds	08 Jul 1965
6	LG Rowe	302	2	Win	Eng	Bridgetown	06 Mar 1974
7	GA Gooch	333	1	Eng	Ind	Lord’s	26 Jul 1990
8	ST Jayasuriya	340	2	Srl	Ind	Col-RPS	02 Aug 1997
9	MA Taylor	334*	1	Aus	Pak	Peshawar	15 Oct 1998
10	ML Hayden	380	1	Aus	Zim	Perth	09 Oct 2003
11	V Sehwag	309	1	Ind	Pak	Multan	28 Mar 2004
12	CH Gayle	317	2	Win	SAF	St John’s	29 Apr 2005
13	V Sehwag	319	2	Ind	SAF	Chennai	26 Mar 2008
14	CH Gayle	333	1	Win	Srl	Galle	15 Nov 2010
15	Azhar Ali	302*	1	Pak	Win	Dub-DSC	13 Oct 2016
16	DA Warner	335*	1	Aus	Pak	Adelaide	29 Nov 2019