Biggest partnerships in Asia Cup
The much-awaited Asia Cup is back and will kick start on August 27, 2022. The event will be officially hosted by the Sri Lanka Cricket board but will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amidst the unrest in the Island nation. Six teams will fight among themselves in order to stand tall among the rest and clinch the coveted silverware.
The Asia Cup has been previously played in both T20I and ODI formats, and this time, the tournament will be played in the T20I format, as it will help the participating nations to prepare themselves for the T20I World Cup which is set to take place in October this year in Australia. As teams gear up for the mega event, let us have a look at the highest partnerships in the tournament so far, in the 20-over format.
3. Shikhar Dhawan & Virat Kohli- 94 runs
At the Asia Cup, India’s Shikhar Dhawan and former skipper Virat Kohli established their team’s highest partnership in a T20I contest. In the 2016 final clash against Bangladesh, Dhawan and Kohli stitched up a 94-run partnership for the second wicket to help the Men in Blue win by an eight-wicket margin and win their record sixth Asian Cup.
2. Dinesh Chandimal & Tillakaratne Dilshan- 110 runs
The opening partnership of 110 runs between Dinesh Chandimal and Tillakaratne Dilshan against Pakistan comes in second position among the highest partnerships in T20I Asia Cup games. Chandimal and Dilshan gave the Lankans a strong start when Sri Lanka was put to bat first, up until the former’s departure in the 15th over. Sri Lanka eventually lost the match by six wickets after scoring 150/4 in their 20 overs, but the partnership between the duo is remembered by many.
1. Umar Akmal & Shoaib Malik- 114* runs
The record for the highest partnership in the history of the Asia Cup has been secured by the Pakistan cricket team. The record partnership in the competition for T20I matches belongs to Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik’s 114-run stand against the UAE. The duo achieved the feat in the 2016 Asia Cup. Although Akmal scored 50 runs, Malik scored 63 runs off just 49 balls to be adjudged as the Player of the Match. They made it possible for Pakistan to win by seven wickets by chasing 130 in 18.4 overs.
