Partnerships have always been the key to winning matches. Be it any ODI bilateral game or an ODI World Cup match, teams build excellent scores on the board, riding on great partnerships. It results in giving the fielding side a tough ordeal. In short, long partnerships are a nightmare for bowlers.
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Top Five Partnerships in ODI World Cups
Cricket fans have seen many great partnerships in ODI World Cups. Legendary names like Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Saeed Anwar, Steve Waugh, Sourav Ganguly, etc., have been involved in long and match-winning partnerships. We briefly look at the top five ODI World Cup partnerships in terms of runs scored.
- Marlon Samuels & Chris Gayle – 372 (303 balls) vs Zimbabwe
Marlon Samuels and Chris Gayle hold the record for the highest partnership in an ODI World Cup for any wicket. The West Indies duo added a mammoth 372 off 303 balls for the second wicket against Zimbabwe in the 2015 ODI World Cup group stage fixture. The match witnessed the first double hundred in the World Cup. Gayle made 215*, while Samules remained unbeaten on 133.
More records by Samuels & Gayle:
- Highest partnership for any wicket in ODIs
- The first and only partnership to cross the 350-run mark in World Cup
- Sourav Ganguly & Rahul Dravid (318 (269 balls) vs Sri Lanka
Playing in their first World Cup, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly stitched together a remarkable partnership in a must-win game for India in the 1999 World Cup. Both these batters put Sri Lankan bowlers to the sword as India piled on the runs in Taunton. It was the first 300-run partnership in ODIs. Ganguly, who hit seven sixes and 17 fours, made 183 – his highest ODI score. Meanwhile, Dravid struck 145. They added 318 runs for their second wicket.
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- Upul Tharanga & T Dilshan – 282 (269 balls) vs Zimbabwe
Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan have registered the highest opening partnership in the history of the ODI World Cup. The duo thrashed a hapless Zimbabwe attack, amassing 282 runs for the opening wicket. Tharanga and Dilshan both struck centuries, scoring 133 and 144, respectively. It was the 2011 World Cup group stage game. - David Warner & Steve Smith – 260 (209 balls) vs Afghanistan
David Warner and Steve Smith grabbed the headlines in the match meeting between Australia and Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup. After losing Aaron Finch early, Warner and Smith steadied the ship with some excellent batting. Warner went haywire but missed a double hundred by 22 runs, while Smith was out for 95. But they paved the way for a big total thanks to the 260-run stand.
- David Miller & JP Duminy – 256* (179 balls) vs Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe was at the receiving end of another big partnership in the 2015 World Cup. This time, David Miller and JP Duminy thrashed Zimbabwe to all parts of the ground. Batting first, South Africa lost four wickets with 83 on the board. But Miller’s excellent counter-attacking batting and able support from Duminy ensured South Africa posted a big score. Both players brought up centuries.
There are 16 double-century partnerships registered in the ODI World Cup. The two triple hundred stands came in the 1999 and 2015 World Cups.
Concluding Thoughts
With runs flowing in white-ball cricket in the last few years and the 2023 World Cup being held in India, cricket fans will be hoping that batters will pile on runs and set record-breaking partnerships.