Born on 4th December 1974, Jason Adam Max Molins represented Ireland 76 times between 1995 and 2005, scoring over 2,000 runs at an average of 28.51.

He scored two centuries, his highest score being 107* against Zimbabwe at Stormont in 2003.

An astute and imaginative captain, Molins captained Ireland on 41 occasions and had a remarkable win rate of 63%. He was the first captain to lead Ireland in a successful World Cup qualification campaign when they reached the final of the 2005 ICC Trophy.

He is featured in 'Ireland's 100 Cricket Greats' by Siggins and Fitzgerald.

Brother Greg, played for Ireland 25 times between 1996 and 1999 and is currently playing for Clontarf in Leinster Senior cricket. 

Last Saturday Jason opened the batting for Leinster in their Irish Cup semi-final victory over Limavady.

Below he selects his Top 10 Opening batsmen of all time. 

Michael Atherton (England 1989-2001) - Was the king-pin of a poor England team. Led from the front and never gave an inch !! His battle against Allan Donald at Trent Bridge was classic test match cricket. Great concentration at the crease.

Matthew Hayden (Australia 1993-2009) - Destructive opener. Difficult start to his career but the way he has turned himself into an ever present in the Australian team following his great tour of India is admirable.

Sachin Tendulkar (India 1989 - ) - The best batsman in the world to watch. Keeps his head so still at the crease and it's the one part of batting that you don't hear coaches speak as much about.

Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka 1989 -  ) Was awesome when Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996 in India when Sri Lanka took opening bolwers apart in the first 15 overs. I think Sri Lanka paved the way for how opening batsman now approach the start of an innings. Batsmen in Test cricket have also become more aggressive and I would go so far as to say that Jayasuriya and the Sri Lankans have had a huge impact on the modern game.

Desmond Haynes (West Indies 1978-1994) - Childhood hero. Very elegant at the crease and superb playing off the front and back foot. Balance at the crease was excellent and the way he timed the ball through mid-wicket was exemplorary.

Saeed Anwar (Pakistan 1989-2003) - Didn't get to see as much of him as I would have liked but his record speaks for itself.

Chris Gayle (West Indies 1999 -  ) Great to watch. Unorthodox but got a great eye and can hit the ball out of any ground.

Adam Gilchrist (Australia 1996 - 2008) Only a one-day opener. To be able to combine opening the batting and wicket keeping is brilliant. Form dipped in his last couple of years, but big match temperament was shown in the 2007 World Cup final.

Gordon Greenidge (West Indies 1974 - 1991)  Great to watch in both test and one-dayers. I loved watching him square cut the ball.

Sunil Gavaskar (India 1971 - 1987)  - To score 36 not out off 174 balls and carry his bat for the full 60 overs against England in the 1975 World Cup took character. Especially as they were chasing 334 !!



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