5 highest averaging player pairs in ODI cricket

In any team sport, partnerships are important and they act as a very important key to success. They build a path for the team’s success.

In cricket, batting partnerships are given utmost importance, especially in limited-overs cricket. You need pairs to take up responsibility, understand each other and take the team forward accordingly. It’s not that bowling partnerships are not important but we generally tend to keep track of batting partnerships.

Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are first few pairs that come to mind when we talk batting partnerships in ODI cricket.

Hence, let’s look at 5 of the best partnerships in ODI cricket (in terms of average).

Criteria – Minimum 3000 ODI runs as a pair

Note – Pairs ranked based on their average

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#5 Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara – 53.67

This is the only pair in this list that has batted for more than 100 innings together in ODI cricket. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara played together for over 15 years.

While Sangakkara might have scored more runs alongside Mahela Jayawardene, his best returns came with Dilshan. The Dilshan- Sangakkara duo have batted together in 108 innings and have amassed a staggering 5475 runs at a superb average of 53.67. The stitched together 39 50+ stands. They have 20 hundred partnerships (which includes a couple of double-century stands) which is the second-most in ODI cricket history after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly’s 26.

Their best partnership of 210 (not out) came during the 2015 World Cup. Both batsmen struck tons as Sri Lanka piled up 332 in their 50 overs in their group stage game against Bangladesh. Another memorable partnership was 128 against India in Rajkot in 2009 which put Sri Lanka on track in their chase of 414 (in which they fell short by 3 runs).

Hence, with Dilshan opening the batting and Sangakkara coming in at 3, Sri Lanka’s batting was more or less in safe hands. They often built a solid platform for the Sri Lankan middle-order and to do it for over a decade and a half is a special achievement.

#4 Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson - 56.75

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have been one of the most prolific batting pairs in recent times, not only in ODI cricket but all three forms of the game.

In ODI cricket, batting at 3 and 4 respectively, Williamson and Taylor control the innings more often than not. They complement each other beautifully and have found success batting together. They’ve batted together in 55 ODI innings and have scored just over 3000 runs at an excellent average of 56.75. They have registered 11 hundred partnership in the 50-over format alone.

There have been instances where the duo have had gone through phases where they absolutely dominated. In 2014 in a 5-match ODI series against India, they shared stands of 121, 60, 130 and 152 in four consecutive games. Then again in 2015, they shared four successive 100+ stands against England (121, 206, 101) and Zimbabwe (137).

Hence, they’ve been one of the best batting pairs in modern day cricket and New Zealand continue to rely on the two.

#3 MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina – 56.90

MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina are one of the most famed batting pairs in the history of ODI cricket. Both players usually batted lower down the order and played the finisher’s role and they were excellent together.

In 73 innings, they’ve put on 3585 runs with 9 hundred and 18 fifty partnerships. Their average of 56.90 is one of the best in the history of the game. In fact, no pair has scored more runs in the middle-order i.e. for the 4th wicket or higher. Even while chasing, the duo have a very good track record as a pair. They’ve scored over 1500 runs at an average of almost 57 batting second.

Post the 2011 World Cup, the Dhoni-Raina duo became a vital cog of India’s middle-order. They performed exceedingly well in England in 2011 and 2014 (in ODIs) and were India’s saviours in multiple games. Their partnership of 196 (not out) against Zimbabwe in the 2015 World Cup remains one of their best performances (they rescued India from 92/4 and helped them chase 288).

#2 Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – 65.51

At the moment, there might not be a better batting pair than Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. While both of them have dominated white-ball cricket individually, they’ve fabulously as a pair. Their average of 65.51 is one of the best in the history of ODI cricket.

They have racked up close to 4000 runs in just 64 innings and have shared 15 hundred partnerships. In these 15 100+ stands, 5 have been double century stands which is the most by any pair in ODI cricket history (second best is 3). They understand each other’s game really well and it’s evident with the way the bat together.

When Kohli is going well, Rohit plays second fiddle and feeds the former the strike and when Rohit is going well, Kohli does the same. Hence, they feed off each other’s form and success. They’ve been the pillars of India’s batting line-up in limited-overs cricket and their form has been one of the major reasons for India’s white-ball success over the last few years.

#1 Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers – 72.34

The pair of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers tops this list of best partnerships in ODI cricket history (in terms of average). The duo have been phenomenal together and if you take a close look at the stats, every time South Africa have racked up big totals in the last decade or so, it’s been the duo of Amla and de Villiers that have made significant contributions, both individually and as a pair.

In 45 ODI innings, the duo have amassed 3111 runs at a stunning average of 72.34. Right from the very start, the duo made it a habit to bat big. They batted together for the first time in 2008 and shared a 33-run stand. But their next two partnerships were 144 (unbeaten) and 118, both of which came against a strong Australian side.

They have 12 hundred partnerships with a highest of 238 which came against Pakistan in 2013. In fact, they share a hundred partnership every 3.75 innings which is one of the best. Thus, the Amla-de Villiers pair ranks amongst the very best in the history of the game.