T20 World Cup: The next T20 World Cup is around the corner, and all the teams are preparing for one of the biggest ICC events. Cricket lovers are eagerly waiting for the multi-national tournament. Fans love to see batsmen hit the ball for boundaries. But for any team, the biggest challenge is choosing the right combination for the match. And the role of the middle-order batters becomes more vital in that case.
Because losing early wickets will put all the pressure on the No. 5 and 6 batsmen. So, their role becomes more difficult. It is not easy to score runs coming down the order. Because in T20 cricket, batters get very few balls down the order. But there is some instance when batsmen at 5 and 6 have made a significant contribution to help their team get over the line. So, in this article, we will discuss the top ten highest fifth-wicket partnerships in the T20 World Cup.
1. Shoaib Mallik and Misbah-Ul-haq (119*) against Australia in the World Cup 2007
Interestingly, there has been only one instance when a fifth-wicket partnership has crossed the 100-run mark in the World Cup. That was also in the inaugural edition at Johannesburg in 2007. This was the 18th match of the tournament between Australia and Pakistan. Batting first, the Aussies scored 164/7 runs in their 20 overs. Chasing the target, the Men in Green lost their first four batsmen at 46, and Australia were all over Pakistan. It looked like the Aussies would pull off a simple victory.
But something else was waiting for them. Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq came to the crease and started scoring some runs. Both batters added an unbeaten match-winning partnership of 119 runs to seal the deal for their team. In the end, Pakistan chased down the target without losing any further wickets and with five balls to spare. That 119-run partnership is still a record in the World Cup.
2. Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shinwari (98) against Zimbabwe in the World Cup 2016
This was the ninth match of the 2016 World Cup between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in Nagpur. Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first. But the decision didn’t go well as they lost their first four wickets for just 63 runs. Only opener Mohammad Shahzad scored 40 runs. That brought Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shinwari to the crease. Both batters played cautiously.
Both batters added 98 runs for the fifth wicket to bring their team to the track. They helped the Afghan team to post a good score of 186/6 in their 20 overs. Chasing the target, Zimbabwe were dominated by the Afghan bowlers. They were bowled out for 127 runs, handing a 59-run victory to Afghanistan. Nabi was the “Man of the Match” for his 52 with the bat and 1/14 with the ball.
3. Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright (95) against West Indies in the World Cup 2010
This was the 8th match of the 2010 World Cup between England and West Indies. Winning the toss, West Indies elected to bowl first. The English team had a quiet, decent start, and the first three batters had decent starts, but none carried it and threw their wickets. That restricted England to 88/4. And with not much batting left, England appeared to be struggling. But then came the match-saving partnership between Eoin Morgan (55) and Luke Wright (45*).
Both batters added 95 runs for the fifth wicket to bring their team out of the sinkhole. England posted 191/5 in their 20 overs. However, it started raining during the mid-innings and the match was reduced to six overs. West Indies were given a target of 60 runs in their six overs, which was a relatively easy one for the strong batting lineup. In the end, the West Indies won by 8 wickets using the D/L method.
T20 World Cup Highest Fifth Wicket Partnership List
Batters | Partnership | Against | Venue | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shoaib Mallik and Misbah-Ul-haq (Pakistan) | 119* | Australia | Johannesburg | 2007 |
Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shinwari (Afghanistan) | 98 | Zimbabwe | Nagpur | 2016 |
Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright (England) | 95 | West Indies | Providence | 2010 |
KIC Asalanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka) | 86 | Bangladesh | Sharjah | 2021 |
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma (India) | 85 | South Africa | Durban | 2007 |
MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh (India) | 84 | Australia | Dhaka | 2014 |
D Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies) | 77 | Sri Lanka | Nottingham | 2009 |
Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Phillips (New Zealand) | 76* | Namibia | Sharjah | 2021 |
Jos Buttler and Joe Root (England) | 75 | South Africa | Mumbai | 2016 |
SPD Smith and SR Watson (Australia) | 74* | Pakistan | Mohali | 2016 |
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 |