Highest opening stands in World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup has a rich history of 48 years where several legendary opening pairs have left an indelible mark on the tournament. Over the years, numerous opening pairs have given electrifying starts to their teams in the ODI World Cup laying the platform for a massive score or chasing down the target without any loss of wickets.
The ongoing edition of the Cricket World Cup has seen several being sent for a toss by some of the fiercest strikers in the game. As we’re halfway through the ongoing edition, let’s take a look at the top three highest opening stands in World Cup history:
3. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga, 231* vs England, Colombo, 2011
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, England managed to post just 229/6 in the Quarterfinal riding on Jonathan Trott’s 86. In reply, Dilshan and Tharanga took the matter in their own hands and chased down the target without any trouble in 39.3 overs Dilshan remained unbeaten on 108* (115) while Tharanga scored 102* (122) to see his team home.
2. Mitchell Marsh and David Warner, 259 vs Pakistan, Bengaluru, 2023
Captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to field first on arguably the best batting wicket in India and was left regretting his decision for the rest of the match. David Warner (163 off 124) and Mitchell Marsh (121 off 108) piled on the misery on Pakistan bowlers as they added 259 runs for the first wicket in 203 balls. As a result, Australia posted a massive score of 367/9 in their allotted 50 overs and won the match by 62 runs.
1. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga, 282, vs Zimbabwe, Pallekele, 2011
After being put in to bat first by Zimbabwe Captain Elton Chigumbura, Dilshan and Tharanga happily accepted the invite and got involved in a massive 282-run stand for the first wicket off 268 balls. Dilshan went on to score 144 (131) while Tharanga plundered 133 (141) as Sri Lanka posted 327/6 in their allotted 50 overs. They went on to win the match by 139 runs and Dilshan took home the Player of the Match award for his hundred and figures of 4/4 with the ball.
