Have you ever seen a finisher being promoted up the order to control the high required run-rate or a patient batter being promoted when lots of wickets start falling? These steps are taken to maintain the right batting pair on the crease that could ensure the team’s victory. This tells us that the teams understand about the importance of partnerships in shaping the result of the match. Over the years, South Africa has produced some of the best batters in the world. In this article, we will take a look at the biggest partnerships by Proteas batters in T20I cricket. So, let’s go!
1. David Miller And Quinton de Kock Vs. India
To commence the list, we have David Miller and Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten knock of 174 runs for the fourth wicket against India during the 2022 South Africa tour of India. In the high-scoring match, India put up 237 runs on the board in the first inning. In reply, South Africa scored 221 runs, and thus, lost the match by 16 runs.
2. Graeme Smith And Loots Bosman Vs. England
On spot number two, we have Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman with their opening stand of 170 runs. This stand came against England in the bilateral series of 2009. While batting first, the Proteas accumulated a mammoth total of 241 runs. England could make only 157 runs in reply and lost the match by 84 runs.
3. Riley Rossouw And Quinton de Kock Vs. Bangladesh
Taking the next position on this list, we have Riley Rossouw and Quinton de Kock, who put together 168 runs for the second wicket against Bangladesh. In the group-match of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20World Cup, the duo guided their team to a remarkable total of 205 runs. Following this, a brilliant bowling performance restricted Bangladesh to only 101 runs.
4. Reeza Hendricks And Quinton de Kock Vs. West Indies
Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock’s 152-run opening stand against West Indies during the 2023 West Indies tour of South Africa stands on number four. In the high-scoring match, the visitors put up 258 runs on the board. However, the Proteas chased down the total with one over to spare.
5. Richard Levi And AB de Villiers Vs. New Zealand
Richard Levi and AB de Villiers stand on this list with their unbeaten third-wicket partnership of 133 runs. While playing a bilateral series in New Zealand, the duo helped in crushing the hosts as they chased down the total of 173 runs in only 16 overs with eight wickets remaining.
6. Graeme Smith And Loots Bosman Vs. Pakistan
Now, we have Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman. The pair stitched an unbeaten 132-run partnership for the first wicket against Pakistan in 2007. The Pakistani batters could gather only 129 runs in the first innings. Later, Smith and Bosman chased down the total without losing a single wicket.
7. Rassie Van der Dussen And David Miller Vs. India
Moving on, we have Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller, who put together 131 runs for the fourth wicket against India. While remaining unbeaten at the end, the duo guided their team to a seven-wicket victory as they successfully chased down India’s total of 211 runs in the final over of the match.
8. Reeza Hendricks And Faf du Plessis Vs. Pakistan
Reeza Hendricks and Faf du Plessis make are the next duo on this list, for their 131-run knock against Pakistan in the first T20I of the 2019 Pakistan tour of South Africa. The Proteas successfully defended their total of 192 runs as they restricted the opposition to 186 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
9. Riley Rossouw And Quinton de Kock Vs. Australia
On number nine, we have Riley Rossouw and Quinton de Kock with their partnership of 129 runs against Australia. While chasing a moderate total of 144 runs, the South African batters put up a brilliant batting display and won the match with one over to spare and seven wickets in hand.
10. Aiden Markram And Quinton de Kock Vs. West Indies
The knock to make it to the ultimate position on list is the 128-run partnership between Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock. While playing the fifth match of the South Africa tour of West Indies, the visitors presented a target of 169 runs to the hosts, which they failed to chase down and faced a 25-run defeat.
