ICC World Cup: The One Day World Cup is coming to India as the next ICC event will be hosted by India in 2023. England won the last World Cup at home in 2019, and Australia won at home in 2015. And the 2011 ICC event was won by India in 2011. So that means that the last three titles were won by the home side. What are the chances of India now?
However, a team with a strong middle order always puts pressure on the opposition. Because losing a few early wickets always puts pressure on the team and a partnership in the middle can turn the match around. That is the reason the batter at Nos. 3 or 4 is the backbone of the batting order.
So, in this article we will discuss the top ten highest fourth-wicket partnerships in the history of the ODI World Cup.
1. Michael Clarke and Brad Hodge (204 runs) against Netherlands in the 2007 World Cup
The highest ever fourth-wicket came in the match between Australia and Netherlands in the 2007 World Cup. Batting first, the Aussies had a decent start and couldn’t capitalize on it. Australia lost their three wickets for 116 runs in the 20 overs. The pair of Michael Clarke and Brad Hodge came to the crease and things changed. Both batters didn’t look uncomfortable and played freely. From 116/3, they took the score to 320/4 and added 204 runs for the fourth wicket.
Hodge brought up his century and scored 123 runs. Clarke remained unbeaten at the end with 93* and Australia posted 358/5. Chasing the target, Netherlands batted poorly and got all out for 129 runs, handing the Aussies a massive victory of 229 runs. The Men in Yellow went on to win the World Cup as well.
2. Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das (189*) against West Indies in the 2019 World Cup
Every World Cup, Bangladesh does some extraordinary things. Here they are with the second highest fourth-wicket partnership against West Indies in the 2019 event. Batting first, the Caribbean team posted a big total of 312/8 in their 50 overs. Shai Hope made 96, and Evin Lewis scored 70 runs. Chasing the target, the Bangladeshi openers also started well and added 52 runs for the first wicket.
But they lost three wickets in succession. But star all-rounder Shakib al Hasan and Litton Das then came to the rescue. And it was not just a rescue; they went on to win the match for their team. Both batters added an unbeaten partnership of 189* runs for the fourth wicket and Bangladesh won the match by seven wickets and 51 balls to spare. Shakib scored 124* and Litton was unbeaten on 94*.
3. Lee Germon and Chris Harris (168 runs) against Australia in the 1996 World Cup
This was the 4th quarter-final match of the 1996 World Cup between New Zealand and Australia. Batting first, the Kiwis lost their first three wickets early for just 44 runs. It was looking like they would get bowled out below 150. But then came the match-turning partnership between Lee Germon and Chris Harris for the 4th wicket. Both batters added 168 runs to help the Black Caps come out of misery. Harris scored 130 runs and Germon scored 89 runs and New Zealand ended the innings at 286/9.
However, Australia chased down the target with a brilliant century from Mark Waugh with six wickets in hand. Waugh was also named “Man of the Match” for his knock of 110 runs along with one wicket off the ball.
ODI World Cup Highest 4th Wicket Partnership List
| Batters | Partnership | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Clarke and Brad Hodge (Australia) | 204 | Netherlands | Basseterre | 2007 |
| Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das (Bangladesh) | 189* | West Indies | Taunton | 2019 |
| Lee Germon and Chris Harris (New Zealand) | 168 | Australia | Chennai | 1996 |
| RB Kanhai and CH Lloyd (West Indies) | 149 | Australia | Lord’s | 1975 |
| Zaheer Abbas and Imran Khan (Pakistan) | 147 | New Zealand | Nottingham | 1983 |
| Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh (Australia) | 120* | South Africa | Leeds | 1999 |
| Greg Chappell and KD Walters (Australia) | 117 | Sri Lanka | The Oval | 1975 |
| IVA Richards and AL Logie (West Indies) | 116 | Sri Lanka | Karachi | 1987 |
| Javed Miandad and Imran Khan (Pakistan) | 112 | Australia | Lahore | 1987 |
| Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni (India) | 109 | Sri Lanka | Wankhede | 2011 |