Opening is usually the most challenging position to bat, in test cricket. Amassing a massive number of runs at the top usually makes a huge difference. We will now have a look at the highest opening partnerships in test cricket.
10. Australia (1989)
This was the fifth game of a six-match series in the Australia tour of England. Australia had a 3-0 lead before the match and had already won the series. Australia continued its dominance in this match. Australia batted first and had an opening partnership of more than 300 runs. Australia ended up with a final score of 602, with which they achieved an innings victory. Australia had an opening partnership of 329 in this innings.
9. Sri Lanka (2000)
Sri Lanka hosted Pakistan in this match. Sri Lanka batted first, and the openers Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya had a massive partnership, with Jayasuriya scoring 188 and Atapattu scoring an unbeaten 207. However, the innings and the match got cut short, when rain washed out a majority of the third day and the final two days. Sri Lanka had an opening partnership of 335 in this innings.
8. South Africa (2003)
South Africa toured England for a Test series. Their openers were Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs. They had a partnership of over 300 runs. An impressive fact is that, this was the second time they had a 300+ opening partnership in this year. The match got drawn in the end. South Africa had an opening partnership of 338 in this innings.
7. England (1948)
This game was a part of the England tour of South Africa in 1948-49. The English team was relatively strong as compared to South Africa. The English openers put up a 350+ stand, which led them to score 608. The match got drawn in the end. England had an opening partnership of 359 in this innings.
6. South Africa (2003)
South Africa had a long run as a very dominant test team in the 2000s, and this game against Pakistan, was a sample. South Africa batted first. The openers Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith piled upon the runs. South Africa scored 620, and later won the match by an innings and 142 runs. South Africa had an opening partnership of 368 in this innings.
5. Australia (1965)
Australia toured West Indies. This game had Bill Lawry and Bob Simpson as the openers for Australia. Australia batted first, and the opening stand was massive. Both the openers had scored a double century. They became the first opening pair in test history to each score a double hundred in the same innings. Despite this, the match was not a dominant win for Australia at all. They had set West Indies a target of 253, and West Indies came really close with 242-5, after which the match got drawn. Australia had an opening partnership of 382 in this innings.
4. New Zealand (1972)
New Zealand toured West Indies for this test series. In this game, West Indies had batted first and posted 365. In response to that, New Zealand’s opening pair amassed runs, and they crossed the West Indies total, by themselves. Later on, the match got drawn. New Zealand had an opening partnership of 387 in this innings.
3. India (2006)
India toured Pakistan for a test series. The pitch was very flat. Pakistan batted first and scored 679. In reply, India opened the batting with Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, who both stayed on the crease for a long while and were accumulating runs. They scored over 400 runs in their opening stand. The match got drawn. India had an opening partnership of 410 in this innings.
2. India (1956)
This game was the final game in the five-match test series as a part of the New Zealand tour of India. India was leading 1-0. In this match, India batted first, and the openers Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy put up a massive opening stand of over 400 runs. In the end, India won the match by an innings and 109 runs. India had an opening partnership of 413 in this innings.
1. South Africa (2008)
South Africa’s dominant run, in test cricket, continued with this game. South Africa toured Bangladesh for a Test series. In this game, South Africa batted first. The openers Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith piled upon runs. Together they posted over 400 runs, which is the highest opening partnership in tests, to date. South Africa eventually reached an innings victory. South Africa had an opening partnership of 415 in this innings.
