One day cricket has seen more instances of middle and lower order piling on the foundation created by top order to win the matches. While the top 3 have been instrumental in deciding the fate at many occasions, there are enough instances where batsmen after fall of second wicket have changed the course of matches. Today we’ll talk about batting pair which came together after the fall of second wicket. Here’s the top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket.
10. 224*(Dean Jones, Allan Border)
On January 28, 1985, Australian All-rounder Allan Border joined Dean Jones at the fall of Steve Smith against Sri Lanka. The two went on with all guns blazing at the Adelaide Oval in this Benson & Hedges World Series Cup match. Australia finished at 323/2 form their 50 overs.
While Zones scored a 77 ball 99 with 4 fours & 3 sixes, Border scored a 88-ball 118 with 10 fours & 3 sixes. The partnership is 10th on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the third highest partnership for third wicket by any Australian Pair. Sri Lanka, on their chase, bundled out for 91.
9. 226 (Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene)
On July 1, 2006, Sri Lankan pair of Marvan Atapattu & Mahela Jayawardene came together against India and piled up 226 partnership runs against the neighboring country.
While Atapattu scored an unbeaten 102, Jayawardene scored 128. The partnership is 9th on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the second highest third wicket partnership by any Sri Lankan Pair.
8. 230 (Saeed Anwar, Ijaz Ahmed)
On December 11, 2002, Pakistani batsmen Saeed Anwar & Ijaz Ahmed came together after fall of Aamer Sohail against India. The two went on to add 230 partnership runs with Pakistan finishing at 314/5 from their overs.
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While Anwar scored a 132 ball 140 with 14 fours & 2 sixes, Ijaz scored a 112-ball 117 with 8 fours & a six. The partnership is 8th on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the highest partnership for third ODI wicket by any Pakistan Pair. India went on to win the match with Sourav Ganguly scoring 124 and Robin Singh scoring 82.
7. 234* (Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn)
On March 23 2003, Australian Damien Martyn & Ricky Ponting came together after fall of Matthew Hayden. The two batsmen, went on to score unbroken 234 partnership runs against India into the finals of ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. They finished at 359/2 from 50 overs.
While Martyn scored a 84 ball 88 with 7 fours & a six, Ponting scored a 121-ball 140 with 4 fours & 8 sixes. The partnership is 7th on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the second highest partnership for third ODI wicket by any Australian Pair. This match brought tears to Indian fans who saw their team coming from bad New Zealand tour into the World Cup and then reaching the finals only to lose miserably.
6. 237* (Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar)
On May 23 1999, Indians Sachin Tendulkar & Rahul Dravid came together after fall of Sadagoppan Ramesh against Kenya. These two went on to score unbeaten 237 partnership runs at ICC World Cup at County Ground, Bristol with India finishing at 329/2.
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While Sachin scored an unbeaten 101 ball 140 with 16 fours & 3 sixes, Dravid scored a 109 ball unbeaten 104 with 10 fours. This stayed the highest ODI partnership for any wicket for a good 15 years. The partnership is 6th on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the highest partnership for third wicket by any Indian Pair. Kenya, in reply, could reach 235/7.
5. 238 (Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers)
On March 17, 2013, South African Batsmen Hashim Amla & AB de Villiers came together at the fall of Colin Ingram against Pakistan. The two Proteas batsmen went on to score 238 partnership runs as South Africa finished at 343/5.
While Amla scored a 113 ball 122 with 9 fours & a six, de Villiers scored a 108-ball 128 with 12 fours & 3 sixes. The partnership is 5th on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the second highest ODI partnership for third wicket by any Proteas Pair. Pakistan, on their chase, bundled out for 309.
4. 239 (Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis)
On February 26 2020, Sri Lankan pair of Avishka Fernando & Kusal Mendis came together against West Indies and piled up 239 partnership runs against the Caribbean country. Sri Lanka finished at 345/8.
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While Fernando scored a 123 ball 127 with 10 fours, Mendis scored a 119-ball 119 with 12 fours. The partnership is 4th on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the highest partnership for the third ODI wicket by any Sri Lanka Pair. West Indies, in reply, bundled out for 184.
3. 242 (Steve Smith, George Bailey)
On January 12, 2016, Australians George Bailey & Steve Smith came together against India and amassed 242 partnership runs. They were chasing India’s 309 which included an unbeaten 171 from Rohit Sharma.
While Bailey scored a 120 ball 112 with 7 fours & 2 sixes, Smith scored a 135-ball 149 with 11 fours & 2 sixes. The partnership is 3rd on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for the third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the highest partnership for the third ODI wicket by any Australian Pair. Australia won the match with 4 balls to spare.
2. 247 (Hashim Amla, Rilee Rossouw)
On January 28 2015, South African pair of Rilee Rossouw & Hashim Amla came together after fall of Faf du Plessis. The two went on to create 247 partnership runs against West Indies as South Africa finished at 361/5.
While Russouw scored a 98-ball 132 with 9 fours & 8 sixes, Amla scored a 105-ball 133 with 11 fours & 6 sixes. The partnership is 2nd on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the highest ODI partnership for third wicket by any South African Pair.
1. 258 (Darren Bravo, Dinesh Ramdin)
On February 24, 2015, West Indies Batsmen Darren Bravo & Dinesh Ramdin haven’t scored a lot together. These two, however, came together to gather 258 partnership runs against Bangladesh. Ramdin had joined Bravo after fall of Gayle.
While Bravo scored a 127 ball 124 with 7 fours & 8 sixes, Ramdin scored a 121-ball 169 with 8 fours & 11 sixes. The partnership is atop on top 10 of the highest ODI partnership for third wicket. The partnership also happen to be the third highest partnership for any ODI wicket by any West Indies Pair. Bangladesh, on their chase, couldn’t go beyond 247/8.