Test is known as the toughest format of the game. In its history of over 150 years, it has produced many iconic and game-changing partnerships in test cricket. A good partnership helps the team get to the driving seat and puts the opposition under pressure.
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Over the years, there have been many incredible partnerships that have been entered in the record book. This article is all about this state. Here we will talk about the top ten partnerships in Test cricket history. Only six times a pair has added 450 or more as a partnership. So, let’s check this elite list.
List of Top 10 Partnerships in Test cricket
| Pair | Runs | Wkt | Team | Vs | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kumar Sangakkara & Mahela Jayawardene | 624 | 3rd | Sri Lanka | South Africa | Colombo (SSC) | 27 Jul 2006 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya & Roshan Mahanama | 576 | 2nd | Sri Lanka | India | Colombo (RPS) | 2 Aug 1997 |
| Andrew Jones & Martin Crowe | 467 | 3rd | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Wellington | 31 Jan 1991 |
| Joe Root & Harry Brook | 454 | 4th | England | Pakistan | Multan | 7 Oct 2024 |
| Bill Ponsford & Don Bradman | 451 | 2nd | Australia | England | The Oval | 18 Aug 1934 |
| Mudassar Nazar & Javed Miandad | 451 | 3rd | Pakistan | India | Hyderabad (Sind) | 14 Jan 1983 |
| Adam Voges & Shaun Marsh | 449 | 4th | Australia | West Indies | Hobart | 10 Dec 2015 |
| Conrad Hunte & Garry Sobers | 446 | 2nd | West Indies | Pakistan | Kingston | 26 Feb 1958 |
| Marvan Atapattu & Kumar Sangakkara | 438 | 2nd | Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 14 May 2004 |
| Mahela Jayawardene & Thilan Samaraweera | 437 | 4th | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Karachi | 21 Feb 2009 |
Read Also:- Top 10 Fastest batters to 1000 Test Runs
10. Mahela Jayawardene & Thilan Samaraweera – 437 runs vs Pakistan in 2009
The tenth highest partnership in Test is registered with a pair of Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera. It came in a test against Pakistan in Karachi in February 2009. It came in the first inning, and both batters added 437 runs for the fourth wicket.
Jayawardene scored 240 runs while Samaraweera made 231. That mammoth stand helped Sri Lanka reach a total of 644/7, and they declared in 156.2 overs. Both batters played 108.3 overs. In reply, Pakistan made 765/6 and declared, and that match ended in a draw.
9. Marvan Atapattu & Kumar Sangakkara – 438 runs vs Zimbabwe in 2004
Sri Lanka’s pair of Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara hold the record for the ninth highest partnership in test cricket. They did it against Zimbabwe in Bulwayo in 2004. Both batters scored a double century each in the partnership, and they added 438 runs for the second wicket in 91.1 overs.
Atapattu made 249 runs while Sangakkara scored 270 runs, and Sri Lanka declared at 713/3. Zimbabwe got all out for 228 and 231 and lost the game by an innings and 254 runs.
8. Conrad Hunte & Garry Sobers – 446 runs vs Pakistan in 1958
The 8th highest partnership in test cricket was registered by West Indies in 1958 against Pakistan in Kingston. It came between Conrad Hunte and Garry Sobers for the second wicket. Both batters added a massive 446 runs.
Hunte scored 260 runs with 28 fours and one six, while Sobers played a marathon innings of 365 not out with 38 fours. West Indies declared at 790/3 and dismissed Pakistan for 328 and 288 runs to win the game by an innings and 174 runs.
7. Adam Voges & Shaun Marsh – 449 runs vs West Indies in 2015
The seventh-highest partnership in test cricket cake between Australia’s Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh. He did it against the West Indies in Hobart in December 2015. It was a quick partnership where they added 449 runs in 87.3 overs.
Marsh scored a brilliant 182 off 266 balls, while Voges scored his highest test score of 269 not out of 285 balls, with 33 fours. Australia declared their first innings at 583/4 in 114 overs and dismissed West Indies for 223 and 148 runs in two innings and won by an innings and 212 runs.
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6. Mudassar Nazar & Javed Miandad – 451 runs vs India in 1983
Pakistan’s pair of Mudassar Nazar and Javed Miandad became only the second pair to add 450+ partnerships in test cricket. They did it against archrivals India in Hyderabad (Sind) in January 1983. These two added 451 runs from 60/2. Both batters scored double centuries each.
Mudassar scored 231 runs while Miandad made 280 not out. Pakistan reached 581/3 in 166 overs and declared their innings. India only made 189 and 273 in two innings and lost the game by an innings and 119 runs.
5. Bill Ponsford & Don Bradman – 451 runs vs England in 1934
There was a time when teams used to score 300 and 400 as totals. That’s when Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman became the first pair to add over 450 runs in partnership. This pair added 451 runs against England in 1934 at the Oval.
Ponsford made 266 while Bradman played a brilliant knock of 244 off 271 balls. That partnership helped Australia reach 701 runs. Eventually, they won the game by a massive 562 runs.
4. Joe Root & Harry Brook – 454 runs vs Pakistan in 2024
It is very rare when both batters score over 250+ in a partnership. In modern-day cricket, it has become more rare because teams don’t go for big totals. But one such occasion came in a test between England and Pakistan in Multan when England played the fourth-highest test total of 823/7 and declared.
That was possible because of an insane 454-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Harry Brook and Joe Root. Brook slammed the second-fastest test triple hundred off 310 balls and scored 317 while Root made 262 runs. Pakistan were all out for 556 and 220, and England registered a brilliant win by an innings and 47 runs.
Read More:- Joe Root Record-Breaking Test Run-Getter England
3. Andrew Jones & Martin Crowe – 467 runs vs Sri Lanka in 1991
The third-highest partnership in test cricket is registered under the name of New Zealand’s Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe. These two batters added 467 runs for the third wicket in 1991 against Sri Lanka in Wellington. It came in very crucial time.
New Zealand got all out for 174 runs in the first innings and Sri Lanka made 497 runs. Trailing by a massive 323 runs, New Zealand needed a special effort. That’s when Crowe and Jones added 467 runs. Captain Crowe made an unbeaten 299 runs and missed his triple century, while Jones scored 186 runs. They played 162.3 overs and saved the test. New Zealand were 671/4 when the game ended in a draw.
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2. Sanath Jayasuriya & Roshan Mahanama – 576 runs vs India in 1997
The highest total in test cricket of 952/6 was made by Sri Lanka against India in Colombo in 1997. In the first innings, India declared at 537/8 in 167.3 overs. It was a big first-inning score, and Sri Lanka needed a string reply. That is when Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama added an unbelievable 576 runs for the second wicket.
Both batters scored their highest test score. Jayasuriya made 340 runs off 578 balls, and Mahanama scored 215 runs off 561 balls. This was the first time that a 500+ run partnership was made in test. Sri Lanka registered the highest test total, and the match was drawn.
1. Kumar Sangakkara & Mahela Jayawardene – 624 runs vs South Africa in 2006
Scoring more than 600 runs as a partnership is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and it was recorded between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in a test against South Africa in Colombo in 2005. Jayawardene and Sangakkara added a reduced 624 runs in 157 overs and played for almost two days.
Jayawardene made the fourth-highest individual score of 374 runs, and Sangakkara scored 287 runs. Sri Lanka declared at 756/5 in 185.1 overs. South Africa made 169 and 434 in two innings and lost the game by an innings and 153 runs.
