Do you know? Which opening pair has faced most number of balls in men’s Test

Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka hold the record for the most balls faced by an opening pair in men’s Test. The red-ball format of the sport requires players to be on their toes to perform at the highest level. Considering the fact that the Test format is a five-day long game, the process could naturally be tiresome and lethargic.

Despite this, cricketers keep themselves at their best levels to get produce noteworthy performances and get their side ahead in the contest. For the batters specifically, the Test format requires them to have all the patience and perseverance to get the vital scores and construct the important partnerships. However, only a handful of cricketers play out innings which are noteworthy in the Test format.

There are also a set of players who take their own time to build on an innings and get their side ahead. Such was the case with Jayasuriya and Atapattu who complimented each other with contrasting styles of play. The duo openers notched up the record against Pakisran in Kandy in 2000 as they added 335 runs from 686 balls for the first wicket that propelled the side to post a mammoth total of 467/5 in their first innings.

Atapattu remained 207* in the innings, with Jayasuriya falling for 188. Both went to have highly successful careers and their partnership produced 4533 runs at an average of 39.41 from 122 innings with nine century and 24 half-century stands. While the former duo Lankan openers continue to hold the record, recently Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies nearly surpassed the feat as the pair put on 336 runs from 685 balls before being parted in the first Test against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Ground on Monday, February 6.