HIGHEST PARTNERSHIPS IN ODI CRICKET

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Cricket is a game in which teamwork is most important. If one person fails to perform, the whole team has to pay for the loss. In cricket, partnership at times becomes very important. If a team gets a good partnership in the innings, they feel themselves into a good position. So basically in cricket, a whole team’s effort is very important. Here are some of the top 10 partnerships which changed the result of the game.

1. Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels (372 runs) West Indies vs Zimbabwe, 24th February 2015

West Indies won the toss and elected to bat. Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels were the two batsmen who had to take the team out from the difficult situation. Before the World Cup, Gayle was not in good form. So the management was thinking whether he would be able to make a statement or not.

Both the players were playing well and they were trying to build a good score against Zimbabwe. Both the batsmen scored centuries. Gayle scored 215 runs in just 147 balls. Samuels scored 133 runs off 156 balls. West Indies won the match by 73 runs by Duckworth Lewis (D/L) method. Chris Gayle was selected Man of the Match as he hit a double century.

2. John Campbell and Shai Hope (365 runs) West Indies vs Ireland, 5th May 2019

Ireland won the toss and elected to field first. The opening pair Shai Hope and John Campbell started their innings well. From the past few months before, the West Indies was trying to find a suitable opening pair for them. John Campbell from the start of the innings was looking steady whereas Shai Hope, as always looked dangerous.

Both of the batsmen conceded 100 runs in 20 overs itself. After half of the innings, John Campbell started to accelerate the innings and completed his century within 99 balls. Both the players played well at the end and helped their team to win the game comfortably by 196 runs. John Campbell was the Man of the Match.

3. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid (331 runs) India vs New Zealand, 8th November 1999

India had won the toss and they elected to bat first. India didn’t start well as they lost Sourav Ganguly early. Sachin and Dravid stood well as they were playing fearless cricket against the kiwis. Sachin was the captain of the side, so he had more responsibilities to perform. He was playing attacking cricket, on the other side, Dravid was playing steady cricket by defending good balls.

Both the players took the team from a situation where anything could have happened. Dravid got out by making 153 runs and Sachin scored highest individual score 186* of that time. India won that match by 174 runs and Sachin was chosen as Man of the Match. 

4. Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid (318 runs) India vs Sri Lanka, 26th May 1999

India had won the toss and they elected to bat first. India didn’t start well as they lost Sourav Ganguly early. He got run out at the non-striker’s end. Sachin and Dravid stood well as they were playing fearless cricket against the kiwis. Sachin was the captain of the side, so he had more responsibilities to perform. He was playing attacking cricket, on the other side, Dravid was playing steady cricket by defending good balls and thrashing bad balls over the ground.

Both the players took the team from a situation where anything could have happened. The pressure was building upon both the players, but they batted so well and took the team away from that situation. Dravid got out by making 153 runs and Sachin scored highest individual score 186* of that time. India won that match by 174 runs and Sachin was chosen as Man of the Match. 

5. Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman (304 runs) Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, 20th July 2018

Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first. Both the openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman walked into the middle and as soon as they entered both of them started scoring runs in a hustle. Imam was playing good cricket as he was earlier struggling with his form. Fakhar was in good form as he was looking good while batting.

Both the batsmen were in their rhythm as they are playing fearless cricket against Zimbabwe. Imam scored 113 runs while Fakhar scored his maiden double ton in international cricket. He scored 210 runs. Pakistan won that match by 244 runs and Fakhar was the Man of the Match. 

6. Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das (292 runs) Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe, 6th March 2020

Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field first. Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das were the openers to start innings for Bangladesh. Bangladesh got a slow start as they scored two runs in 10 balls. Tamim Iqbal started accelerating innings for Bangladesh. Following him, Das also started scoring runs quickly. Both the batsmen were looking steady as they were approaching towards a good score. Liton Das got his century number three and on the other hand, Tamim was trying to rotate strike.

After they settled, both the batsmen started playing attacking cricket. Zimbabwe also in the middle dropped some catches and gave both batsmen a chance to score big runs. Bangladesh scored 322 in 43 overs due to D/L method as the overs got decreased in both innings. Tamim scored unbeaten 128 runs. Das scored 176 runs and became the first player for Bangladesh to have the highest individual score in ODI. Bangladesh won by 123 runs ( D/L Method) and Liton Das was the Man of the Match. 

7. Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla (282* runs) South Africa vs Bangladesh, 15th October 2017

Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first. Bangladesh gave the target of 278 in 300 balls. Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla, both the openers walked into the middle. De Kock gave a brilliant start to the team. Amla on the other end, trying to rotate the strike and keep putting pressure upon Bangladeshi bowlers. De Kock was playing very well.

Fielders were leaving catches and both the batsmen were getting an opportunity to build up a strong partnership. Both the batsmen finished the game for their team. De Kock scored 168 runs off 145 balls. Amla scored 110 runs off 112 balls. South Africa had a comfortable win as they beat Bangladesh by 10 wickets. De Kock was the Man of the Match. 

8. Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan (282 runs) Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, 10th March 2011

Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field first. From the Sri Lanka side, Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan came out to open the innings. Tharanga was struggling to get opening runs for his team while Dilshan got a good start. In the middle overs both the batsmen started scoring well and were also able to find boundaries.

Dilshan was batting with the strike rate of 200 at the beginning of the innings. Tharanga and Dilshan both completed their centuries and led Sri Lanka towards a solid total to defend in the second innings. Tharanga got 133 while Dilshan got 144. Sri Lanka won by 139 runs. Dilshan was the Man of the Match.

9. Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja (275* runs) India vs Zimbabwe, 9th April 1998

Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field first. India didn’t get a good start as their opening batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly departed very cheaply. VVS Laxman also got out on a duck. Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja were on the crease. The match was in a position where the middle order has to come and make a statement for their team. Azharuddin was batting well and Ajay Jadeja was supporting him well.

Both were in the starting of the innings, trying to rotate the strike and trying to build up pressure on the opponent. Azharuddin and Jadeja both completed their centuries and it was the then highest partnership recorded in the book of history. Azhar made 153 while Jadeja scored 116. India won that match by 32 runs and Azhar was the Man of the match.

10.  James Marshall and Brendon McCullum (274 runs) New Zealand vs Ireland, 1st July 2008

Ireland won the toss and elected to field first. Brendon McCullum and James Marshall came out to open the innings for Kiwis. McCullum got a great start as he started his innings with a six over covers. James was struggling a bit but was able to overcome well and try to take Kiwis innings towards a good score.

McCullum and James both reached their respective centuries. Both were playing well and setting a good partnership also. Ireland also dropped some easy catches in between. McCullum scored 166 off 135 balls while James scored 161 off 141 balls. Kiwis won that match by a huge margin of 290 runs which itself makes a record of winning a match with one of the biggest margins.