England is known as the one that introduced the game of cricket to the world. They along with Australia played the first ever cricket match that was held in 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. With a rich history of more than 150 years, England holds many records in their record book. However, there are also a number of records which are against them.
Partnerships are meant to give a team an edge over the opposition. And if it is a big partnership for the first wicket then it is just goldust. There are a number of the teams that have recorded some big partnerships against the English team. This article will include the list of highest opening stand against England in test.
Highest Opening Partnership in Test against England
| Pair | Runs | Team | Venue | Date |
| Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs | 338 | South Africa | Birmingham | 24 Jul 2003 |
| Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor | 329 | Australia | Nottingham | 10 Aug 1989 |
| Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes | 298 | West Indies | St John’s | 12 Apr 1990 |
| Stewie Dempster and Jackie Mills | 276 | New Zealand | Wellington | 24 Jan 1930 |
| Bruce Mitchell and Jack Siedle | 260 | South Africa | Cape Town | 1 Jan 1931 |
| Mark Taylor and Michael Slater | 260 | Australia | Lord’s | 17 Jun 1993 |
3. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes (298 runs) in 1990
The third highest test partnership for the first wicket agianst England came in April 1990 at St. John’s. This came in the final game of the five-match series. After winning the toss, England batted first. They made 260 runs in their first inning. In response, West Indies had a brilliant start with both openers scoring a century each. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes added 298 runs for the first wicket to give their team a good start.
Greenidge made 149 runs including 18 fours and three sixes. Haynes scored 167 runs with 24 boundaries and one six. West Indies made 446 runs in 120.5 overs and took a lead of 186 runs. Trailing with a healthy lead, England had a pretty bad batting performances. They got dismissed for 154 runs and lost the game by an inning and 32 runs.
2. Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor (329 runs) in 1989
Australia registere the seocnd-highest opening partnership against England in the red-ball cricket in August 1989. It came in the fifth and final test of the Australia’s tour of England in Nottingham. It was Australia that won the toss and decided to bat first. In the first ininng, they got a good start from their openers. Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor added 329 runs for the first wicket. Marsh made 138 runs with 15 boundaries in it.
Taylor scored a brilliant double century. He scored 219 runs including 23 fours. Australia batted for two and a half days and declared at 602/6 in 206.3 overs. In reply, England got all out for 255 runs in 76.5 overs. Australia enforced the follow on and England batted once again. But the story was same. England registered a 167 all out in the second inning. Thus, Australia won by an inning and 180 runs.
1. Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs (338 runs) in 2003
The biggest partnership for the first wicket against England was made by former South African opener. They did it in July 2003 in Birmingham during the first test of the five-match series. South Africa decided to bat first as they won the toss. Both openers scored their respective centuries and added a massive opening stand of 338 runs in 74.5 overs. Gibbs made 179 runs in his inning. Smith scored his highest career score.
The southpaw played a marathon inning of 277 runs. South Africa declared at 594/5 in 145 overs. In reply, England made 408 runs with a century from Michael Vaughan (156). With a lead of 186 runs, South Africa batted again and declared at 134/4 in 26 runs. They gave England a target of 321 runs. England was at 110/1 when the match ended in a draw.