Top 5 Best Opening Partnerships Ever Seen in ODI Cricket

Opening partnerships form the basis of everything that follows in a One Day International match. The best partnerships not only give their team a strong start, but also destroy the morale of the opposition team.

Five partnerships in ODI history are better than any opening partnership ever played. They rewrote the record books and shattered the bowling attack before the game even started. Here is a list of the top 5 best opening partnerships ever seen in ODI cricket.

Top 5 Best Opening Partnerships in ODI Cricket

Partnership	Runs	Team	Opposition	Match	Venue	Match Date
John Campbell & Shai Hope	365	West Indies	Ireland	Ireland Tri-Nation Series 2019, 1st Match	Dublin, Ireland	5 May 2019
Imam-ul-Haq & Fakhar Zaman	304	Pakistan	Zimbabwe	Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe 2018, 4th ODI	Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	20 Jul 2018
Tamim Iqbal & Litton Das	292	Bangladesh	Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh 2019–20, 3rd ODI	Sylhet, Bangladesh	6 Mar 2020
Upul Tharanga & Sanath Jayasuriya	286	Sri Lanka	England	Sri Lanka tour of England 2006, 5th ODI	Leeds, England	1 Jul 2006
David Warner & Travis Head	284	Australia	Pakistan	Pakistan tour of Australia 2016–17, 5th ODI	Adelaide, Australia	26 Jan 2017

1. John Campbell and Shai Hope – 365 Runs

The highest opening partnership in ODI history belongs to the West Indies, and it came against Ireland of all teams. In the first match of the Ireland tri-series played in Dublin in 2019, John Campbell and Shai Hope put on a 365-run partnership.

No opening pair has put on such a big partnership at the beginning of an ODI innings before or since. This partnership is the gold standard against which every other opening partnership in the format is measured.

2. Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman – 304 Runs

Pakistan’s left-handed opening pair recorded the second-highest opening partnership in ODI history during the tour of Zimbabwe in 2018. Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman scored 304 runs in the fourth ODI of the series played in Bulawayo on 20 July 2018.

The uncle-nephew pair, in which Imam was the nephew of Inzamam-ul-Haq, had become one of Pakistan’s most reliable opening combinations and this innings emerged as their best collective effort in the top order.

Also Read: Top Batters With The Most Sixes in the 20th Over of T20Is

3. Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das – 292 Runs

Bangladesh’s opening pair posted the third-highest partnership in ODI history against Zimbabwe at home. Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das shared a 292-run partnership in the third ODI of Zimbabwe’s tour of Bangladesh, played in Sylhet on 6 March 2020.

This innings came as Bangladesh were building the lowest-cost opening partnership of the modern ODI era, with Tamim’s experience combining well with Liton’s stroke play.

4. Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya – 286 Runs

One of the oldest entries on this list still holds a place among the greatest opening stands ever played. Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya scored 286 for Sri Lanka against England in the 5th ODI of Sri Lanka’s tour of England in 2006, played at Leeds on 1 July 2006.

Jayasuriya was an established legend of explosive opening batting at the time and this innings, combined with a young Tharanga, added another chapter to his legacy in Sri Lanka’s top order.

5. David Warner and Travis Head – 284 Runs

Australia’s David Warner and Travis Head recorded the fifth-highest opening partnership in ODI history against Pakistan. The pair shared a 284-run stand in the 5th ODI of Pakistan’s 2016–17 tour of Australia, played in Adelaide on 26 January 2017, which was appropriately played on Australia Day.

The partnership showcased Warner’s established aggression at the top of the order and Head’s emergence as a serious international batting talent, a combination that would largely define Australia’s white-ball cricket for years to come.

Follow Cricbites for the latest cricket updates, match schedules, player news, records, rankings and expert insights from around the world.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!