Sri Lanka has always performed well in ICC events, winning the 2014 T20 World Cup and finishing second in the 2009 and 2012 T20 World Cups. Cricket lovers were blessed to watch some legends from Sri Lanka play the game of cricket. In the shorter format as well, they came out as one of the strongest teams.
The overall record of SL Team is really good in the T20 event. One of the prime reasons for this is the right combination of strong batting and some good spin bowling options. But in this article, we will look at some of the best batting partnerships for SL in the T20 World Cup.
3. Tillakratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya (124 runs) agianst West Indies in 2009 ICC event
This was the 11th match of the 2009 World Cup between Sri Lanka and West Indies at Nottingham. After winning the toss, the Caribbean team chose to bowl first, but that move didn’t pay off. Because both Sri Lankan openers came hard on the bowlers, 124 runs for the first wicket Both Tillakratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya scored their respective half-centuries.
Dilshan scored 74 off 47 balls and Jayasuriya made 81 off 47 balls. Sri Lanka posted a score of 192/5 in their 20 overs. West Indies had a few batters get starts while chasing the target, but they couldn’t convert them into anything significant.In the end, they scored only 177/5 and lost the match by 15 runs. Jayasuryia won the “Man of the Match.”
2. Tillakratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene (145 runs) against England in 2014 ICC event
Sri Lanka has two of the top five highest partnerships by a team in the T20 World Cup. Their second highest partnership came in the 22nd match between England and Sri Lanka at Chattogram. Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 189/4 in their 20 overs. Although they lost the first wicket early. But after that, Tillakratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene added 145 runs for the second wicket.
Dilshan scored 55 runs off 47 balls and Jayawardene made 89 off 51 balls. However, England lost their first two wickets in the very first over of the chase. But after that, they also had a big partnership of 152 runs between Alex Hales (116*) and Eoin Morgan (57) to win the match.
1. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara (166 runs) against West Indies in 2010 T20 World Cup
This is not just the highest partnership for Sri Lanka but also by any team in the World Cup. It was the 16th match of the 2010 event between Sri Lanka and West Indies. Batting first, the Lions scored 195/3 in their 20 overs. Sanath Jayasuriya got out early, but Mahela Jayawardene and skipper Kumar Sangakkara added a massive partnership of 166 runs for the second wicket to help their team reach a big total.
Both batters scored big half-centuries. Jayawardene scored an unbeaten 98 off 56 balls, including nine fours and four maximums, while Sangakkara scored 68 off 49. It proved to be a big target for the West Indies to chase and they only scored 138/8, losing the match by 57 runs.
List of Highest Partnership in T20 World Cup by Sri Lanka
| Players | Runs | Wkt | Against | Ground | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara | 165 | 2nd | West Indies | Bridgetown | 2010 |
| Tillakratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene | 145 | 2nd | England | Chattogram | 2014 |
| Tillakratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya | 124 | 1st | West Indies | Nottingham | 2009 |
| Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga | 123 | 4th | Ireland | Abu Dhabi | 2021 |
| Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara | 108* | 2nd | West Indies | Pallekele | 2012 |
| Kumar Sangakkara and Jeevan Mendis | 94 | 4th | Zimbabwe | Hambantota | 2012 |
| Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka | 91 | 2nd | West Indies | Abu Dhabi | 2021 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene | 87 | 3rd | Kenya | Johannesburg | 2007 |
| Charith Asalanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa | 86 | 5th | Bangladesh | Sharjah | 2021 |