Batting in partnerships plays a key role in Test cricket, for Test cricket is a game of patience and endurance. A batter has enough time to settle in and then convert small scores into big ones, which ultimately help to put a decent score on the board. Sri Lanka has had some of the greaTest Test batters of all time, and today we look at some of their best and highest partnerships in Test cricket.
1. 624 Runs Against South Africa
Sri Lanka faced South Africa in the first Test of the series in 2006 in Colombo. South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first, scoring 169 in the first innings. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, scored a massive 756 runs in their first innings. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene put up a 624-run partnership for the third wicket. Sri Lanka eventually won the match convincingly.
2. 576 Runs Against India
Sri Lanka was up against their neighbouring country, India, in the first Test of the series in 1997 in Colombo. After winning the toss, India chose to bat and put 537 runs on the board. In reply, Sri Lanka scored Test cricket’s highest innings total, i.e., 952 runs at the loss of six wickets. Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama put up a 576-run partnership for the second wicket.
3. 438 Runs Against Zimbabwe
The third partnership on our list is from the 2004 Sri Lanka tour of Zimbabwe. It was the second Test of the series, and after winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to field first. Zimbabwe scored 228 in their first innings, and then Sri Lanka put up a massive 713 runs in their first innings. Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara scored 438 runs for the second wicket.
4. 437 Runs Against Pakistan
The next partnership to feature on our list is from the 2009 Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan. In the first Test of the series at Karachi, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first, scoring 644 runs in their first innings. Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera both scored double centuries and put up a 437-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
5. 351 Runs Against India
Sri Lanka was up against India in the first Test of the 2009 series at Ahmedabad. India won the toss and elected to bat first, scoring 426 in the first innings. Sri Lanka then scored 760 runs in their first innings, with three players scoring centuries. Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene scored 351 runs for the sixth-wicket partnership.
6. 345 Runs Against Bangladesh
Sri Lanka played against Bangladesh in the first Test of the series in 2021 at Pallekele. Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first, scoring 541 runs in the first innings. Sri Lanka then replied by scoring 648 runs in their first innings, with Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva scoring a 345-run partnership.
7. 335 Runs Against Pakistan
The seventh partnership on our list is from the 2008 Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka. It was the third Test of the series to be played at Kandy, and after winning the toss, Sri Lanka chose to bat first and scored 467 runs. Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya put up 335 runs for the opening partnership.
8. 311 Runs Against Bangladesh
The eighth partnership to appear on our list is from the 2007 Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka. It was the third Test of the series, and after winning the toss, Sri Lanka elected to field first. Bangladesh scored 131 runs in their first innings, and Sri Lanka replied with 500 runs in their first innings. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene put up a 311-run partnership for the third wicket.
9. 308 Runs Against Bangladesh
Sri Lanka played against Bangladesh in the first Test of the series in 2018 at Chattogram. After winning the toss, Bangladesh opted to bat first and scored 513 runs in their first innings. Sri Lanka scored 713 runs in response, with Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva combining for 308 runs for the second wicket.
10. 281 Runs Against Zimbabwe
The last partnership to appear on our list is from the 2004 Sri Lanka tour of Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field first, restricting Zimbabwe to 199 runs in the first innings. Then the Lankans scored 541 runs in their first innings, with Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya scoring 281 runs for the opening wicket.
