The West Indies are the most successful team when it comes to the T20 World Cup. They are the only team that has won the T20 World Championship twice. The first time they won was in 2012, beating Sri Lanka. Then they won the 2016 World Cup, beating England in the finals. Both wins came under the leadership of Darren Sammy.
The team full of power-hitters is best suited to the T20 format. That is why they are one of the most powerful sides when it comes to T20 cricket. But in this article, we will look at the list of highest partnerships for the West Indies in the World Cup events.
3. Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle (103 runs) against England in 2012 World Cup
The third highest partnership came in the 14th match of the 2012 World Cup against England at Pallekele. After winning the toss, the West Indies chose to bat first and had a great start. Both openers added 103 runs for the first wicket in 10.6 overs to give a quick start. Chris Gayle scored 58 off 35 balls and Johnson Charles scored 84 off 56 balls.
West Indies scored 179/5 runs in their 20 overs. Chasing the target, England lost their first two wickets in the very first over. In the end, they could only manage 164/4 and lost the match by 15 runs. Charles was named the “Man of the Match” for his brilliant knock.
2. Andre Fletcher and Chris Gayle (133 runs) against Australia in 2009 ICC event
Chris Gayle features in every big partnership for his team. The second highest partnership came against Australia in the 2009 World Cup at The Oval. Batting first, Australia made 169/7 in their 20 overs. David Warner scored 63 runs and was the top scorer. Chasing the target, both West Indian openers batted and batted long.
Gayle and Andre Fletcher added 133 runs for the first wicket in 11.3 overs to kick Australia out of the game. Gayle scored 88 off 50 balls, and Fletcher made 53 off 32 balls. West Indies chased down the target with seven wickets in hand and 25 balls to spare. The “Universe Boss” was named “Man of the Match” for his captain’s knock.
1. Chris Gayle and Devon Smith (145 runs) against South Africa in 2007
The first match of the first edition of the T20 World Cup saw a few records broken. It was the first ever World Cup match between the West Indies and South Africa in Johannesburg. After winning the toss, the Caribbean team chose to bat first and came out all guns blazing. Chris Gayle, in particular, went briserk and scored an excellent century. He scored 117 runs off 57 balls and added 145 runs for the first wicket with Devon Smith (35).
West Indies posted 205/6 in their 20 overs. It was a big target to chase, but the South African batters played equally well. The Proteas chased down the target in just 17.4 overs and made 208/2 runs, winning the match by 8 wickets with 14 balls to spare. Herschelle Gibbs played an unbeaten innings of 90* off 55 balls. Justin Kemp scored an unbeaten 46* off 22 balls. Both batters added an unbeaten 120 runs for the third wicket to help South Africa win that match.
List of highest partnership for West Indies in T20 World Cup
| Players | Runs | W | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle and Devon Smith | 145 | 1st | South Africa | Johannesburg | 2007 |
| Andre Fletcher and Chris Gayle | 133 | 1st | Australia | The Oval | 2009 |
| Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle | 103 | 1st | England | Pallekele | 2012 |
| Chris Gayle and Devon Smith | 97 | 1st | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 2014 |
| Johnson Charles and Lendl Simmons | 97 | 3rd | India | Wankhede | 2016 |
| Devon Smith and Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 95 | 2nd | Bangladesh | Johannesburg | 2007 |
| Chris Gayle and DJ Bravo | 83 | 3rd | Australia | Colombo (RPS) | 2012 |
| Lendl Simmons and Andre Russell | 80* | 4th | India | Wankhede | 2016 |
| Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 80 | 1st | India | Bridgetown | 2010 |
| Ramnaresh Sarwan and DJ Bravo | 77 | 5th | Sri Lanka | Nottingham | 2009 |