T20 World Cup: A good partnership plays a key role in the shortest games of cricket. And there are numerous instances when one of the two openers gets out early and the No. 3 batter needs to join the crease. Sometimes it happens in the very first over of the batting innings. And sometimes it happens during the power play. But a partnership for the second wicket is as important as the opening partnership.
If the openers have given a good start, it helps to carry on the momentum. On the other hand, it also helps in stopping more wickets being lost and helps the team to set a good target. And it becomes even more important in the high-pressure games of the T20 World Cup. However, if we look at the history of the World Cup events, there are not many occasions when more than 100 runs have been added for the second wicket. Only six times has it happened that the second wicket partnership has crossed the 100-run mark. So, in this article, we will discuss the top ten highest second wicket partnerships in the T20 World Cup.
1. Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw (163) against Bangladesh in T20 World Cup 2022
Quinton De Kock and Rilee Rossouv scored 163 runs together which is now the highest partnership in T20 world cup for second wicket and it is the highest partnership (overall). They did it batting first against Bangladesh in 2022 World cup in Syndey. Rilee Rossouv went on in this inning and score the first century of T20 world cup 2022.
2. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara (166) against West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2010
The second highest ever second wicket partnership was added in the third edition of this ICC event. This was the 16th match of the tournament, when Sri Lanka locked horns with West Indies at Bridgetown. Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat first. Sri Lanka lost the wicket of Sanath Jayasuriya early as he got out after scoring only six runs. The skipper then joined Mahela Jayawardene at the crease. Both stylish batters then started to play their shots to all parts of the ground and kept scoring runs.
Both also brought up their respective half-centuries in this process. They put up the highest partnership of 166 runs for the second wicket, which is still a record in an ICC event. Sangakkara got out after scoring 68 runs, and Jayawardene carried on and remained unbeaten on 98 runs. The Lankan lions gave West Indies a target of 195 which they were not able to chase and lost the match by 57 runs.
3. T. Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene (145) against England in the T20 World Cup 2014
The second instance also features two Sri Lankan batters. But this time it was Tillakaratne Dilshan with Mahela Jayawardene against England in the 2014 World Cup in Chattogram. England skipper Stuart Broad won the toss and chose to bowl first. Sri Lanka lost their opener, Kusal Perera, early and that brought Jayawardene to the crease. Then he, along with Dilshan, takes the attack to the English bowlers. Surprisingly, Jayawardene took the aggressive approach and both batters completed their half-centuries.
However, after adding 145 runs for the second wicket, Jayawardene got out and the partnership was broken. He scored 89 and Dilshan scored 55 in those innings to help their team reach a score of 189. However, they lost the match courtesy of an unbeaten century from English opener Alex Hales (116*). But that partnership remained the second highest ever.
4. Mitchell Marsh and David Warner (124) against West Indies in the T20I World Cup 2021
The third and most recent one came at the last ICC event in the UAE. It was the 38th match of the tournament between West Indies and Australia. West Indies batted first and set the Men in Yellow a target of 158 runs to win. Chasing the target, Australia lost the wicket of skipper Aaron Finch early. But after that, Mitchell Marsha and David Warner played the aggressive innings. Both batters looked in full swing to end it early.
And in the end, that’s what they did. Australia chased down the target of 161 in just 16.2 overs courtesy of a 124-run partnership between Warner and Marsh. They also scored their half-century each. Marsh was unlucky that he got out after scoring 53 runs. But Warner was unbeaten on 89 and was also named “Man of the Match.”
T20 World Cup Highest Second Wicket Partnership List
| Batters | Partnership | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw (South Africa) | 168 | BAN | Sydney | 2022 |
| Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 166 | WI | Bridgetown | 2010 |
| T. Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) | 145 | ENG | Chittagong | 2014 |
| Mitchell Marsh and David Warner (Australia) | 124 | WI | Abu Dhabi | 2011 |
| Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen (England) | 111 | AUS | Bridgetown | 2010 |
| Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 108* | WI | Pallekele | 2012 |
| Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (India) | 106 | WI | Dhaka | 2014 |
| Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (India) | 100 | BAN | Dhaka | 2014 |
| Michael Hussey and Shane Watson (Australia) | 99 | SA | Colombo | 2012 |
| Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith (South Africa) | 97 | IND | Gross Islet | 2010 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Smith (West Indies) | 97 | BAN | Joannesburg | 2007 |
Highest T20 World Cup Partnership by Wicket
| Overall | 1st Wicket | 2nd Wicket |
| 3rd Wicket | 4th Wicket | 5th Wicket |
| 6th Wicket | 7th Wicket | 8th Wicket |
| 9th Wicket | 10th Wicket |