Highest partnerships for 5th wicket or below in ODIs
Partnerships are a very important aspect of team sports, and it is no different in cricket. Like bowlers like to hunt in packs, some batting partnerships, over the years, have earned legendary status by virtue of the truckloads of runs scored. Big opening partnerships are always crucial for teams as they set the platform and put the opposition under massive pressure.
However, some partnerships lower down the order have bamboozled the bowling side and taken the cricket world by storm. A recent effort of such kind was between the South African pair of Heinrich Klassen and David Miller, who added a whopping 222 runs between them against Australia in the Centurion ODI in what now stands as the fifth-highest partnership for the fifth wicket in ODIs overall. On that note, here’s a look at the highest partnerships for 5th wicket or below in ODI cricket.
1. Grant Elliot and Luke Ronchi – 267* for 6th wicket
The Kiwis faced Sri Lanka in the fifth ODI of a seven-match series in Dunedin in January 2015. The home side were reduced to 93/5 in the 20th over and were staring down the barrel. However, Grant Elliot and Luke Ronchi formed an astonishing partnership of 267 off 180 deliveries to take their team to a mammoth score of 360/5 in 50 overs. Elliot remained unbeaten on 104 off 96 balls while Ronchi annihilated the Sri Lankan bowlers to amass 170 in just 99 deliveries. The hosts won the game by 108 runs.
2. JP Duminy and David Miller – 256* for 5th wicket
The South Africans locked horns with Zimbabwe in Hamilton in a Pool B encounter in the 2015 ODI World Cup. The Proteas slipped to 4/83 inside 21 overs, losing their top four batters, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, and AB de Villiers. The left-handed duo of David Miller and JP Duminy joined forces to take the Zimbabwean bowlers to the cleaners, en route to forming an enterprising 256 partnership off 179 balls. Miller finished unbeaten on 138 off 92 deliveries while Duminy remained not out on 115 off 100 balls. Zimbabwe lost by 62 runs while chasing a target of 340.
3. Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan – 226* for 5th wicket
England and Ireland played a one-off ODI in Dublin on September 3, 2013. Batting first, Ireland posted a decent total of 269/7 on the back on captain William Porterfield’s century. In reply, England lost four wickets for just 48 runs inside 15 overs. Skipper Eoin Morgan had to play a captain’s knock alongside Ravi Bopara. The duo took the attack the the Irish bowlers and registered a 226-run partnership off just 169 balls to take their team to victory with six wickets and seven overs in the bank.
