A partnership is one of the essential things when it comes to cricket. It can be in any form-a batting or a bowling partnership. In cricket history, we have seen many huge ones by the batters where they made a plethora of runs to score big totals for their team. And it is not only the openers that make these partnerships. Combinations such as Ganguly-Tendulkar, Sangakkara-Jayawardene, Hayden-Langer, and Dhoni-Raina, have scored plenty of runs together in different formats. The following list shows the top ten highest partnerships in test cricket history.
1. Kumar Sangakkara And Mahela Jayawardene
The two pillars of the Sri Lankan cricket team, Sangakkara and Jayawardene, hold the record for the highest-ever partnership in test history. The duo put on 624 runs for the third wicket against South Africa in the first innings in Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 27th July 2006. Sangakkara made 287 runs, and Jayawardene scored 374 runs to guide Sri Lanka to an innings and 153 runs victory.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya And Roshan Mahanama
Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama stitched a partnership of 576 runs for the second wicket in the first innings against India on 2nd August 1997. R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, hosted this test match. The hosts scored the highest test total of all-time- 952/6 and Jayasuriya contributed 340 runs, and Mahanama scored 225 runs to end this test in a draw.
3. Andrew Jones And Martin Crowe
Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe put on a partnership of 467 runs for the third wicket against Sri Lanka on 31st January 1991 in the second innings. The Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand, hosted this test match. Jones scored 225 runs, and Crowe played a knock of 299 runs to end this test match in a draw.
4. Bill Ponsford And Donald Bradman
Donald Bradman holds the highest batting average in test cricket history. Along with Bill Ponsford, the duo made merry of the England bowlers for the second wicket in Australia’s first innings at The Oval, England, on 18th August 1934. Bradman scored 244 runs, and Ponsford scored 266 runs in this test match. Australia comfortably won the test match by 562 runs.
5. Mudassar Nazar And Javed Miandad
The Pakistani batting duo stitched a partnership of 451 runs for the third wicket in Pakistan’s first innings against India on 14th January 1983. The Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad, Pakistan, hosted the test match. Nazar played a knock of 231 runs, and Miandad made 280 runs to win the test match for Pakistan by an innings and 199 runs.
6. Adam Voges And Shaun Marsh
The Australian duo of Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh put on a partnership of 449 runs for the fourth wicket against West Indies in the first innings at Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Australia, on 10th December 2015. Voges scored an unbeaten 269, and Marsh contributed 182 runs to guide the Aussies to a victory by an innings and 212 runs.
7. Conrad Hunte And Garry Sobers
Sir Garfield Sobers and Conrad Hunte contributed 446 runs for the second wicket in the first innings against Pakistan at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, on 26th February 1958. Hunte scored 260 runs, and Sobers made an unbeaten 365 to help West Indies beat Pakistan by an innings and 174 runs.
8. Marvan Atapattu And Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara and Marvan Atapattu stitched together a partnership of 438 runs for the second wicket against Zimbabwe in Sri Lanka’s first innings. The Queen Sports Club in Bulawayo in Zimbabwe hosted this test match on 14th May 2004. Atapattu contributed 249 runs, and Sangakkara scored 270 runs to guide the island nation to a comfortable victory over the hosts by an innings and 254 runs.
9. Mahela Jayawardene And Thilan Samaraweera
Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera put on 437 runs for the fourth wicket against Pakistan in Sri Lanka’s first innings on 21st February 2009 at National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. Jayawardene scored 240 runs, and Samaraweera made 231, with the test ending in a draw.
10. Jacques Rudolph And Boeta Dippenaar
Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar made the highest partnership for South Africa for any wicket in their test cricket history. The South African duo put on an unbeaten 429 runs against Bangladesh for the third wicket in South Africa’s first innings. The MA Aziz Stadium in Chattogram, Bangladesh, hosted this test match on 24th February 2003. Dippenaar scored an unbeaten 177, and Rudolph made a career-best score of an unbeaten 222 to guide their country to an easy victory by an innings and 60 runs.
