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star opening batsman

star opening batsman

7.4
A top cricket player who goes in first to hit the ball and give a strong start
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : bateador abridor estrella
  • The team relied heavily on their star opening batsman to set a strong foundation for the innings.

Examples

  • After the retirement of their star opening batsman, the team struggled to find a suitable replacement.

  • Every young cricketer dreams of becoming the star opening batsman for their country one day.

  • Virat Kohli is a star opening batsman for India.

  • The team relies on its star opening batsman to set a strong tone.

  • Every young cricketer dreams of becoming the star opening batsman for their country one day.

  • The team relied heavily on their star opening batsman to set a strong foundation for the innings.

  • After the retirement of their star opening batsman, the team struggled to find a suitable replacement.

How Skilled

star opening batsman
  • Jargon
7.4
opening batsman
  • Jargon
7.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

star + opening + batsman

The phrase is fully compositional: 'opening batsman' straightforwardly means a batsman who bats first, and 'star' denotes a highly regarded or excellent player, so together they yield 'the leading/best player who bats first.' The modifier structure and literal meanings of the constituents make this meaning predictable to a B1 learner who knows the words (assuming basic knowledge of the sport), so it is transparent.

Etymology

The phrase star opening batsman comes from the image of a bright star leading the way and the player who opens the innings as a batsman. In cricket the opening batsman goes first to face the bowlers and try to set the tone for the team. So a star opening batsman is the top player chosen to go first to give the team a 'strong start'.