Highest opening stands for West Indies in Test cricket
The West Indies cricket team has been blessed with some prolific batters in the longest format of the game, with several top-order batters leaving their mark on the format. Over the years the Windies team has seen some tremendous run-getters occupy the opening slot, but not all of them gelled together. But today we list the Windies openers who complimented each other valiantly, compiling the highest opening stands for their side.
3. Adrian Griffith and Sherwin Campbell – 276 runs
It was a tough opening day of play when New Zealand took on the West Indies in the first Test match of the series in Hamilton as the visitors got off to a sumptuous start thanks to Adrian Griffith and Sherwin Campbell. The opening pair put the Kiwi bowlers to the sword, adding a formidable stand for the opening wickets. The right-hand -left-hand combination worked wonders for the visitors as the duo added 276 runs for the opening wicket, with Campell top scoring for his side with a marvelous 170 for the Windies.
2. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes – 298 runs
With the series on the line, England traveled to Antigua for the fifth and final match against the West Indies. The visitors batted first in the contest and were bundled out for 260 runs despite resilience from the middle-order batters. England’s hopes of a series win took a beating in the second innings when the iconic pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes took the game to the bowlers. Greenidge was run out just one short of his 150, bringing an end to their massive opening stand of 298 runs.
1. Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul – 336 runs
The Windies went into the two-match Test series against Zimbabwe as overwhelming favorites, and the first innings of the opening Test proved to be the same. The Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, who has been an inspirational figure in the longest format of the game, found an able partner in Tagenarine Chanderpaul. While Brathwaite missed out on a memorable double ton, his young opening partner went into the record books after scoring 207 runs. They put together a mammoth 336 runs, the highest opening stand, and fifth-highest overall for the Windies in Tests.
