T20 World Cup: A champion team always has a good batting depth with them. A team that has a good number of all-rounders who can bat lower down the order is always a blessing to have. Such players can win you a match out of nowhere. But losing the first six wickets early can also put more pressure on the lower order batsmen. So the job becomes important.
Normally, at Nos. 7 or 8, mostly the bowlers come to bat. So it becomes more vital for the batting team to have players who can contribute with the bat as well at those numbers. Because to win a World Cup, a team needs multi-dimensional players. However, there are only three instances when the seventh-wicket partnership has crossed the 50-run mark in an ICC event. So, in this article, we will discuss the top ten highest seventh-wicket partnerships in the T20 World Cup.
1. Mike Hussey and Steve Smith (74) against Bangladesh in the World Cup 2010
The highest partnership came in the 2010 World Cup match between Australia and Bangladesh at Bridgetown. Batting first, Australia had a horrible start to their batting innings. They lost their wickets at regular intervals, and Bangladeshi bolwers were all over them. The Aussies were restricted to 65/6 when Steven Smith joined Mike Hussey in the crease. Smith, who started his career as a leg-spinner, was not that famous for his batting in his early days.
However, both batters took Australia out of the sinkhole and put on an important 74-run partnership for the seventh wicket, which helped the Men in Yellow to post a decent score of 141/7. Hussey was unbeaten on 47* and Smith got out after scoring 27 runs. But in the end, the target proved to be a match-winning one. The Australian bowlers didn’t let Bangladesh score runs and bowled them out for 114, winning the match by 27 runs.
2. Angelo Mathews and K. Sangakkara (68*) against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2009
This was the final match of the 2009 T20 World Cup between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. After winning the toss, Sri Lanka chose to bat first. But they didn’t have the start that they would have hoped for in the final. The Pakistani bowlers were all over them and got the first six wickets for just 70 runs. It was looking like Sri Lanka would be bowled out for less than 100. But an important seventh-wicket partnership between Angelo Mathews (35*) and Kumar Sangakkara (64*) brought their team out of trouble.
Both batters added 68 runs for the seventh wicket and remained unbeaten till the end. Sri Lanka posted 138/6 in their 20 overs. However, it was never a challenging score against a strong Pakistani team and they chased it down comfortably. The Men in Green won the final by 8 wickets, and it was their maiden T20 title.
3. George Bailey and Pat Cummins (68) against West Indies in the T20I World Cup 2012
This was the second semi-final of the 2012 T20 World Cup between the West Indies and Australia. After winning the toss, West Indies elected to bat first and, despite losing Johnson Charles (10), they played aggressively. The Caribbean team posted a big score of 205/4 in their 20 overs. Chris Gayle (75*), DJ Bravo (37*), and Keiron Pollard (38*) were stars with their bat. Chasing the target, Australia lost a few quick wickets and six of their top batters were back at the hut at 43 runs.
However, skipper George Bailey and Pat Cummins added 68 runs for the seventh wicket and tried to save the match. But it was too big of a target for them and Australia were all out for 131 and lost the match by 74 runs. West Indies then advanced to the final, where they won against Sri Lanka to win the World Cup.
T20 World Cup Highest Seventh Wicket Partnership List
| Batters | Partnership | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Hussey and Steve Smith (Australia) | 74 | Bangladesh | Bridgetown | 2010 |
| Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) | 70* | Pakistsan | Dubai | 2021 |
| Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit (Namibia) | 70 | Sri Lanka | Geelong | 2022 |
| Angelo Mathews and K. Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) | 68* | Pakistan | Lord’s | 2009 |
| George Bailey and Patt Cummins (Australia) | 68 | West Indies | Colombo | 2012 |
| J Mubarak and G Wijekoon (Sri Lanka) | 45* | Kenya | Johannesburg | 2007 |
| David Hussey and Mitchell Johnson (Australia) | 41 | Sri Lanka | Nottingham | 2009 |
| Albie Morkel and V. Philander (South Africa) | 39 | England | Capetown | 2007 |
| Misbah-Ul-Haq and Yasir Arafat (Pakistan) | 38 | India | Durban | 2007 |
| KJ Coetzer and RM Haq (Scotland) | 38 | South Africa | The Oval | 2009 |
| H Masakadza and P Utseya (Zimbabwe) | 33 | England | Cape Town | 2007 |
| R Ashwin and Suresh Raina (India) | 33 | Australia | Colombo | 2012 |
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 |