And with Herbert Sutcliffe he formed what is widely regarded as the best opening partnership in the game.

But if you were forced to pick between them, Hobbs would surely get the nod.

He plundered more runs than any other Englishman in Ashes matches and is the most successful foreign batsman at both Melbourne and Adelaide.

Three of his eight tons at the grounds came during his 1911/12 golden tour.

The knocks, including his highest Test score of 187, came in successive matches, a feat he emulated in 1924/25.

He was a master of any delivery on every kind of wicket and came to the fore when times were toughest, relishing the challenge of a testing track.

His tally of 61,237 first-class runs and 197 centuries - figures that would have been even more formidable but for the Great War - are unlikely to be bettered.