T20 World Cup: Pakistan have been one of the best teams when it comes to the shorter format of the game. They ended the inaugural season as the runners-up after losing to their arch-rivals India in the final. But then they continued their success in the next ICC tournament and won the 2009 World Cup in England, beating Sri Lanka in the finals.
Speaking of Pakistan’s overall record in the T20 World Cup, they are arguably one of the best teams at the moment. So the Men in Green have a good history and some great records in this tournament. In this article, we will discuss the list of the highest partnerships by Pakistan in World Cup history.
3. Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Nazir (124 runs) against Bangladesh in 2012 ICC event
Their third highest partnership came in a match against Bangladesh in the 2012 World Cup at Pallekele. After winning the toss, Bangladesh chose to bat first and posted a decent total of 175/6. Shakib Al Hasan scored 84 off 54 balls. For Pakistan, Yasir Arafat picked up three wickets. Chasing the target, both Pakistani openers started really well and didn’t let the Bangladeshi bowlers settle down.
Both batters added 124 runs for the opening wicket in just 13.3 overs, and after that it was just a matter of formalities left for them in the chase. Mohammad Hafeez scored 45 off 47 balls and Imran Nazir scored a quick 72 off 36 balls, including nine fours and three sixes. Pakistan chased down the target in 18.4 overs and won the match by eight wickets.
2. Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt (142 runs) against Bangladesh in 2010 ICC T20 event
This was the 4th match of the 2010 World Cup between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Gros Islet. After winning the toss, Pakistan chose to bat first. Both openers came and took on the bowlers straight away and added a massive 142-run partnership for the first wicket. Both batters also scored their respective half-centuries. Salman Butt scored 73 off 46 balls and Kamran Akmal scored 76 off 55 balls.
Pakistan scored 172/3 in their 20 overs. Chasing the target, Bangladesh also had a few good starts but couldn’t carry on the moment till the very end. Eventually, Pakistan won that match by 21 runs, and Salman Butt won the “Man of the Match”.
1. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam (152* runs) against India in 2021 T20 World Cup
This match was written in the history of Pakistan’s cricket because this was the first time that they defeated India in a World Cup match. It was the first match of the campaign for both teams, and after winning the toss, Babar Azam asked India to bat first. Shaheen Afridi gave them a perfect start, remoiving both openers early. After that, Virat and Pant did manage to score some runs, but the Indian team could only manage 151/7 runs.
The Pakistani opener came and didn’t give any chance to the Indian bowlers and kept on scoring runs. Both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan got to their fifties and added an unbeaten partnership of 152* runs to win the match. Babar scored 68* off 52 and Rizwan made 79* off 55.
List of highest partnership for Pakistan in T20 World Cup
| Players | Runs | Wicket | Against | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam | 152* | 1st | India | 2021 |
| Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt | 142 | 1st | Bangladesh | 2012 |
| Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Nazir | 124 | 1st | Bangladesh | 2012 |
| Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq | 119* | 5th | Australia | 2007 |
| Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam | 113 | 1st | Namibia | 2021 |
| Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik | 101 | 4th | Sri Lanka | 2007 |
| Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal | 96 | 3rd | Australia | 2014 |