Sri Lanka holds many records in the history of the game. The biggest record that seems unbreakable is the highest ever test total of 952/6d against India, which they made in 1997. Apart from that, one more record that is just mind-boggling is for the top two highest test partnerships. Sri Lanka is the only team to register 500-plus and 600-plus test partnerships in test history.
But what are the highest partnerships that are made against Sri Lanka? This article will have the top five biggest test partnerships for the first wicket in the longest format against Sri Lanka. There have been some occasions when Sri Lanka has conceded big opening stands. So let’s check.
Highest Opening Partnership in Test against Sri Lanka
| Pair | Runs | Team | Venue | Date |
| Shan Masood and Abid Ali | 278 | Pakistan | Karachi | 19 Dec 2019 |
| Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden | 255 | Australia | Cairns | 9 Jul 2004 |
| Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag | 233 | India | Kanpur | 24 Nov 2009 |
| Michael Slater and Mark Taylor | 227 | Australia | Perth | 8 Dec 1995 |
| Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag | 221 | India | Brabourne | 2 Dec 2009 |
3. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag (233 runs) in 2009
Former Indian openers registered the third-highest opening partnership against Sri Lanka in Kanpur. It was the second game of Sri Lanka’s tour of India in 2009-10. India batted first after winning the toss. India had a brilliant batting performance, with the top three getting centuries. The start was given by Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. Both added 233 runs for the first wicket. Gambhir made 167 runs with 15 fours, and Sehwag made 133 in 122 balls, including 18 fours and two sixes.
India scored 642 runs in 154 balls. But Sri Lanka couldn’t bat in that fashion and got all out for 229 runs in 84 overs. India got a lead of 413 runs, and they enforced a follow-on. The second inning was another failure for Sri Lanka, and they got dismissed for 269 runs. India won that game by an inning and 144 runs.
2. Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden (255 runs) in 2004
The pair of Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden from the mighty Australian side in July 2014 registered the second-highest opening stand against Sri Lanka. They did it in Cairns when Sri Lanka toured Australia. In the first inning, Australia started well with a 255-run partnership for the first wicket between Langer and Hayden. Langer made 162 runs, and Hayden scored 117 runs. Australia made 517 runs in 124.2 overs in their first inning.
Sri Lanka also tried hard and reached 455 runs in 144.4 overs but conceded a 62-run lead. In the second inning, Australia declared at 292/2, with Hayden scoring 132 runs. Sri Lanka had a target of 355 runs and was struggling at 183/8. But they were lucky that their 8th wicket pair played almost 10 overs, and they had a hard-fought draw.
1. Shan Masood and Abid Ali (278 runs) in 2019
The highest opening test partnership against Sri Lanka is registered under the name of the Pakistani opener. It came in December 2019 at the Karachi National Stadium. Pakistan managed 191 runs in 59.3 overs in the first inning. Sri Lanka replied with 271 runs and took a first-inning lead of 80 runs. But in the second inning, Pakistan had a contrasting batting performance, with its top four batters scoring their respective centuries.
Shan Masood (135) and Abid Ali (174) provided them with a great foundation and added 278 runs for the first wicket. Apart from them, Azhar Ali (118) and Babar Azam (100*) also scored centuries. As a result, Pakistan declared at 555/3 in 131 overs and gave a target of 476 runs to win. Sri Lanka didn’t have much contribution in the middle and got all out for 212 runs. As a result, Pakistan won that game by 263 runs.