Biggest opening partnership in men’s ODIs
The One Day Internationals have witnessed many individual and collective performances over the years that have gone on to become a part of the cricketing folklore. Among these, even opening partnerships find a special mention as well with many of the opening batters getting involved in some crucial batting stands that helped in laying a solid foundation for their respective teams. What is more important here is that two of these opening partnerships in the top three list feature the Asian teams. Without further ado, here’s a look at all of them.
3. 292, Litton Das and Tamim Iqbal vs Zimbabwe 2020
The Bangladesh duo of Litton Das and veteran opener Tamim Iqbal were involved in a 292-run opening stand during an ODI against Zimbabwe in March 2020 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
The rain-curtailed contest saw Bangladesh score a stiff total of 322/3 from their 43 overs with Tamim remaining unbeaten on 128 runs off 109 balls and Das scoring a blistering 143-ball 176. Bangladesh eventually emerged victorious by a comprehensive margin of 126 runs (DLS Method).
2. 304, Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman vs Zimbabwe 2018
The Pakistani left-handed batting pair of Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman take the second position in this category. The duo was involved in a 304-run opening stand during an ODI fixture against Zimbabwe in July 2018 at Bulawayo.
This partnership saw Fakhar Zaman register his career-best ODI score of an unbeaten 210 runs which came off just 156 deliveries, while Imam scored 113 runs as Pakistan posted a mammoth 399/1 on the board and skittled the Zimbabweans out for just 155 to come out on top by a massive margin of 244 runs.
1. 365, Shai Hope and John Campbell vs Ireland 2019
The West Indies duo of Shai Hoper and John Campbell hold the ‘Numero Uno’ spot in this category courtesy of a stellar 365-run opening stand against Ireland in Dublin in May 2019.
The milestone partnership also marked the first-ever instance where both openers succeeded in breaching the 150-run mark individually. While Campbell scored a 137-ball 179, Hope made 170 runs from 152 deliveries as the Windies posted a mammoth total of 381/3 on the board. The Caribbeans then bundled out the Irish team for a paltry 185 in just the 35th over to register a comfortable win by 196 runs.
