Highest opening partnership in T20 World Cup

T20I World Cup: T20 cricket is the most watched cricket format among cricket fans. Cricket fans love watching players smash the bowlers for boundaries and sixes. And when it comes to the T20 World Cup, every player wants to give everything to help his team win this game. A good partnership can take the pressure off the batting team, be it chasing or setting a target.

However, the biggest chance for the batting team is to score maximum runs in the showdown. Because if the team starts well, half the work is done. As a result, opening batsmen are some of the best batsmen in their team. And there is no better moment for a team or its fans than when the opening statements of a game score a goal. And when it's a World Cup match, points up front become more important. So in this article, we will discuss the top ten partnerships in the history of the T20 World Cup.

1. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales (170*) against India in T20 World Cup 2022.

Jos Buttler and Alex Hales broke the T20 World Cup world record by scoring a combined 170 runs against India in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final. England won the toss and asked the Indian team to bat first. India could only score 168 runs in their 20 overs, which was not above par. A tough chase was on everyone's mind, but these two shots never stood a chance.

2. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan (152*) against India in T20 World Cup 2021.

The second-highest partnership was in the last T20 World Cup in the UAE, the most-watched cricket match of the year. It was a match between two arch rivals India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Babar Azam won the toss and asked India to bat first. And how well Shaheen Afridi started with the ball in hand. He took the important wicket of Rohit Sharma (0) in the first over. He returned to dismiss KL Rahul (3) in his second innings. Suryakumar Yadav (11) could not do much in his T20 World Cup debut.

However, captain Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant scored 53 runs for the fourth wicket and looked good to set a good target. But in the end, Afridi came back and dismissed Kohli too, ending any hope of a big target. Chasing a target of 152, Pakistan got off to a dream start with both openers coming into play and hitting boundaries. They took on the Indian bowlers and kept scoring throughout the innings. In the process, both the openers also scored their respective half-centuries and chased down the target in 17.5 overs without losing a single wicket. Babar was unbeaten on 68 and Rizwan on 79. With this victory, Pakistan also ended India's winning streak on the World Cup stage.

3. Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith (145) against South Africa in the 2007 T20 World Cup.

This was the first Group A match of the first season of the T20I World Cup in South Africa. West Indies host South Africa in Johannesburg. Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to field first. Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith opened the West Indies innings. And it was carnage right off the bat of Universe Boss. Gayle started hitting the South African bowlers in all parts of the ground. However, Smith also played his stroke, but who can match Chris Gayle's batting prowess?

The left-hander scored a half-century in 26 balls and kept on delivering. Both batsmen brought up their team's century in just 9.4 overs. However, after 35 runs, Dwayne Smith was out to debutant Vernon Philander. Before getting out, the two openers had added 145 runs for the first wicket in just 13.3 overs. The left-hander played his stroke from the other end and scored his maiden T20I World Cup century in the very first match. Gayle finished with 117 off 57 balls, including seven fours and ten maximums, helping his side to 205/6.

However, an unbeaten 90 from Herschelle Gibbs and 46* from Justin Kemp helped the hosts chase down the target with 14 balls to spare and eight wickets in hand. After all, Gayle has also been dubbed "the man of the game".

4. Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt (142) against Bangladesh in the 2010 T20I World Cup.

It was the fourth match of the 2010 T20I World Cup between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Beausejour Stadium, Grossaslet, Saint Lucia. Shahid Afridi who was the captain of Pakistan won the toss and took a good decision to bat first. Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal opened the game for Pakistan. Both were in good form before the tournament and continued their form in this match as well. Both the openers started playing their shots and toying with the Bangladeshi bowlers. No bowler could prove good against him during the game.

The two openers also brought up their respective half-centuries in the partnership. They put up a partnership of 100 runs in 11.4 overs. However, the partnership ended at 142 in 15.5 overs when Kamran Akmal walked out to Shakib Al Hasan. Interesting enough. both openers were on 73. Akmal scored 73 off 55 and Butt 73 off 46. They helped Pakistan reach the target of 173. By the end of the game, Bangladesh scored 21 runs less and Bangladesh lost the match badly. Salman Butt was named Man of the Match for his performance.

T20 World Cup Highest 1st Wicket Partnership List

Batters	Partnership	Against	Venue	Year
Jos Buttler and Alex Hales (Eng)	170*	India	Adelaide	2022
Mohammad Rizwan – Babar Azam (PAK)	152*	India	Dubai	2021
Chris Gayle – Dwayne Smith (WI)	145	South Africa	Johannesburg	2007
Kamran Akmal – Salman Butt (PAK)	142	Bangladesh	Gros Islet	2010
Gautam Gambhir – Virender Sehwag (IND)	136	England	Durban	2007
Chris Gayle – Andre Fletcher (WI)	133	Australia	The Oval	2009
Shane Watson – David Warner (AUS)	133	India	Colombo	2012
Aqib Ilyas – Jatinder Singh (Oman)	131*	PNG	Al Amerat	2021
Tillakaratne Dilshan – Sanath Jayasuriya (SL)	124	West Indies	Nottingham	2009
Mohammad Hafeez – Imran Nazir (PAK)	124	Bangladesh	Pallekele	2012
Mohammad Rizwan – Babar Azam (PAK)	105	New Zealand	Sydney	2022
Adam Gilchrist – Matthew Hayden (AUS)	104	Bangladesh	Cape Town	2007