Highest Partnerships for Every Wicket in ODIs

Cricket is now a batsman's game, at least that's what people say. It wasn't the same when the game first began. The advantage was always with the bowlers despite the rules being modified to make the game fair as they find new ways to get the batsman out. Another feature fo bowlers were to hunt in pairs. Mostly pacers used to trouble the batsmen with different styles of bowling from opposite ends.

With enough problems on their side, batsmen started to counter this with a batting style of their own, building partnerships. Many big totals have been broken down easily by chasing sides with the help of partnerships.

Let's take a look at the highest partnerships for every wicket in ODIs.

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#1 1st Wicket- Fakhar Zaman and Imam Ul Haq (Pakistan vs Zimbabwe)- 304

Imam Ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman were steady at the start but then Fakhar began to take control of the innings and soon became the first Pakistani player to score a double century and he finished off at 210 of 156 balls.

Fakhar Zaman and Imam Ul Haq

His partner Imam Ul Haq was dismissed for 113 off 122 balls by Wellington Mazakadza when the team's score was 304. The partnership broke the record for the highest partnership for the 1st wicket. Pakistan finished off the innings at 399/1 and Zimbabwe got bundled out for 155 handing Pakistan an easy win.

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#2 2nd Wicket- Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels( West Indies vs Zimbabwe)- 372

This is the highest partnership on this list as the two batsmen took charge when the score was zero and remained until the end breaking numerous records till the end. Chris Gayle went berserk as he smashed 215 off 147 balls and became the fastest player to score an ODI double hundred as well as the highest partnership till date.

Samuels acted as the foil for Gayle and stroked his way to a patient 133 off 156 balls while Gayle destroyed their bowling lineup. Zimbabwe wasn't bad as they got all out for 289 in 44.3 chasing 363.

#3 3rd Wicket- Darren Bravo and Dinesh Ramdin ( West Indies vs Bangladesh)- 258

Darren Bravo and Dinesh Ramdin

West Indies batsmen Darren Bravo and wicketkeeper Ramdin hold the record for the highest 3rd wicket partnership. After losing Gayle and Simmons early, the two talented batsmen took charge and consolidated the innings before going after spinner Abdul Razzaq and piling on the runs.

Ramdin finished off with 169 in 121 balls and Darren Bravo scored 124 runs off 127 balls. Bravo finally got out when the score was 270/2 and the innings soon collapsed as the West Indies scored 338/7 at the end of 50 overs. Bangladesh wasn't able to get off to a great start and scored 247/8 in 50 overs.

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#4 4th Wicket- Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja (India vs Zimbabwe)- 275*

Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja built a gritty 275 runs partnership in the Pepsi Triangular Series, 1998. India lost Tendulkar, Laxman, and Ganguly early in the innings but both the experienced hands of the teams took charge. Azharuddin scored an unbeaten 153 off 150 balls which remains his highest score till date.

Ajay Jadeja supported him well and scored 116 off 121 balls and India finished with 301/3. They eventually ended up winning the match by 32 runs as Grant Flower's hundred kept Zimbabwe in the hunt before the bowlers bogged them down. This remains the greatest partnership for the 4th wicket even after 20 years.

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#5 5th Wicket- David Miller and JP Duminy( South Africa vs Zimbabwe)- 256*

David Miller and Duminy helped South Africa thrash Zimbabwe in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 when they put on an unbeaten stand of 256. After losing their openers early and soon Du Plessis and De Villiers are gone, Miller decided to attack the Zimbabwe bowling attack. Duminy followed suit with a brilliant hundred. Miller smashed his way to a total off 138 runs off 92 balls and Duminy finished with 115 off 100 balls. Zimbabwe gave a tough fight but perished for 280 in pursuit of 340.

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#6 6th Wicket- Grant Elliot and Luke Ronchi ( New Zealand vs Sri Lanka)- 267*

Grant Elliot and Ronchi's partnership broke innumerable records in this match. Ronchi recorded the highest score by a No.7 batsman when he finished off with 170 runs of just 99 balls and Elliot with 104 off 96 balls. After an initial stumble, New Zealand seemed to have recovered but they lost quick wickets and were 93/5 when Ronchi stepped out to bat. The rest is part of lesser-known history. Sri Lanka in reply to 360 got bundled out for 252 with only Dilshan getting out for 116.

#7 7th Wicket- Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid (England vs New Zealand)- 177

Jos Buttler(R) and Adil Rashid(L) on their way to their record-breaking partnership total

Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid put on an incredible 177-run stand to bolster England's total to 408/9 in 50 overs against New Zealand. Joe Root and skipper Morgan had steadied the ship after an initial falter but both of them fell for 104 and 50. Soon Stokes and Billings followed leaving the team at 202/6 when spinner Adil Rashid joined Buttler.

Then came the improbable as the duo took the Kiwi bowlers for a ride as only Trent Boult could escape unscathed. Buttler finally got dismissed for 129 of 77 balls when the score was 379/7 and Rashid at 394/9 after scoring 69 off 50 balls. The Kiwis were bundled out for 198 handing England a victory by a huge margin.

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#8 8th Wicket- Justin Kemp and Andrew Hall (South Africa vs India)- 138*

Justin Kemp and Andrew Hall batted South Africa out of trouble against India after a top-order collapse that reduced them to 136/7 in 35.5 overs. In the next 14.1 overs, Kemp and Hall who joined him scored quickly and dominated the Indian bowling attack. Kemp finished off with a brilliant 100 off 89 balls and Hall with 56 off 47 balls. South Africa finished off at 274/7, a score which India failed to achieve when they bundled out for 168. Hall picked up three wickets as well.

#9 9th Wicket- Angelo Matthews and Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka vs Australia)-132

Matthews and Malinga holds the record for the 9th wicket partnership in ODIs

Angelo Matthews and Malinga rescued Sri Lanka from an improbable situation and won the game for their team. Australia batted first and was restricted to 239/8 courtesy a 5-wicket haul by Thisara Perera.

In reply, the Aussie bowlers never let the Lankan batsmen breathe easy and the wickets kept falling and they were 107/8 staring at defeat when Malinga joined all-rounder Angelo Matthews.

They took an attacking approach and Malinga played with great grit and character and scored 56 off 48 balls before being dismissed when the scores were level. Matthews then finished the game with a boundary handing Sri Lanka a memorable win. He won the MOM award for his brilliant knock of 77 off 84 balls.

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#10 10th Wicket- Sir Vivian Richards and Michael Holding (West Indies vs England)- 106*

Sir Vivian Richards single-handedly decimated England in this match where he scored his highest score in ODIs, 189*. West Indies were struggling at 12/2 when he came out to bat and he stayed on smashing the England bowlers as well as milking them for singles. The wickets kept falling around him as no one could survive at the crease for long and the team was staring at an all-out when tailender Michael Holding joined the master blaster at 166/9.

Sir Vivian Richards took charge and began an all-out attack especially targeting the all-rounder Ian Botham. Holding held on and he remained unbeaten on 12 off 27 balls and Viv finished off with a mammoth 189 off 170 balls in one of the greatest ODI innings ever as the Windies scored 272/9 in 55 overs.

England got all out for 168 as Joel Garner picked up three wickets. Holding and Sir Viv Richards picked up two wickets each to wrap up a memorable ODI win for Windies.