In 2019, England became world champions in their own backyards when they won the ODI World Cup, beating New Zealand in the finals. Now they will be defending their titles in 2023 in India. The ODI World Cup is the most awaited multi-national tournament that happens after a wait of four years. That is the reason every team gives their all when it comes to playing in the ICC event.
However, the success of the team mainly depends on how good their batting order is. Notably, the first three batsmen make the most runs for the team in any competition. So that means the top three play a significant role for any team in the match. And in the pressure situation of the World Cup, it becomes more important. So, in this article we will discuss the top ten highest second-wicket partnerships in the history of the ODI World Cup.
ODI World Cup Highest 2nd Wicket Partnership List
| Batters | Partnership | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle and MN Samuels (West Indies) | 372 | Zimbabwe | Canberra | 2015 |
| Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid (India) | 318 | Sri Lanka | Taunton | 1999 |
| Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand) | 273* | England | Ahmedabad | 2023 |
| David Warner and Steve Smith (Australia) | 260 | Afghanistan | Perth | 2015 |
| Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis (South Africa) | 247 | Ireland | Canberra | 2015 |
| Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly (India) | 244 | Namibia | Pietermaritzburg | 2003 |
| JF Kloppenburg and KJJ van Noortwijk (Netherlands) | 228 | Namibia | Bloemfontein | 2003 |
| HDRL Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 212* | England | Wellington | 2015 |
| TM Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 210* | Bangladesh | Melbourne | 2015 |
| Sorav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag (India) | 202 | Bermuda | Port of Spain | 2007 |
| TM Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 195 | Scotland | Hobart | 2015 |
1. CH Gayle and MN Samuels (372 runs) against Zimbabwe in the 2015 ODI World Cup
It is not just the highest for a second wicket in the World Cup. But this is the highest ever partnership for any wicket in the history of 50-over cricket. This was the 15th match of the 2015 event between the West Indies and Zimbabwe. The Caribbean team chose to bat first but lost their opener, Dwayne Smith, off the second ball of the match. It brought Marlon Samuels to the crease, who joined Chris Gayle. After that, the rest is history.
Both batters toyed with the opposition bowlers and kept on scoring runs at will. Both brought up their respective centuries during the partnership and Gayle, who is known for scoring runs at a rapid pace, took full benefit of the opportunity and registered his highest ever score in ODI cricket. He played a marathon innings of 215 runs off 147 balls and got out off the last ball of the innings. Samuels played second fiddle and scored an unbeaten 133* runs. Both added a massive 372-run partnership for the second wicket.
Chasing the target, Zimbabwe showed some fight and kept on sneaking one or two boundaries here and there. But in the end, it was too big of a target to chase and they fell short by 73 runs, chasing the target of 373. Gayle took two wickets and was named “Man of the Match.”
2. SC Ganguly and R Dravid (318 runs) against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup
This was the highest second wicket partnership until 2015. This was the 21st match in the 1999 World Cup between India and Sri Lanka. Batting first, India lost opener Sadagoppan Rameshwarly early. On the fall of the first wicket, Rahul Dravid joined Sourav Ganguly at the crease. But then, both made life hard for Sri Lankan bowlers and played them at will. Both batsmen also completed their centuries in that inning and added a huge partnership of 318 runs for the second wicket. However, both got out after their centuries but helped their team post a mammoth total of 373/6 in the 50 overs.
Ganguly made his highest score of 183 runs, and Dravid was equally good and scored 145 runs. Taking on a big target was never going to be easy for Sri Lanka, and in the end, they got all out. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 216 runs, handing India the victory by 157 runs. For India, Robin Singh took five wickets and Ganguly won the “Man of the Match” award.
3. DA Warner and SPD Smith (260 runs) against Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup
The third highest partnership came in the 26th fixture of the 2015 World Cup between Australia and Afghanistan. The Men in Yellow lost the toss and batted first. But Aaron Finch got out early at a score of 14, which gave Steven Smith the opportunity to join David Warner on the other end. And that was the moment when both batters made the most of that opportunity and didn’t let any Afghan bowler breathe easily. Both batsmen added a big partnership of 260 runs for the second wicket and helped Australia reach a mountain score of 417/6 in their 50 overs.
Warner made 178 runs, Smith ended up with 95, and Glenn Maxwell played a cameo at the end with 88 off just 39 balls. Chasing a huge target, Afghanistan fell like a pack of cards against a lethal Australian pace attack and lost the match by a huge margin of 275 runs. They were bowled out for 142 runs.