England is known as the first country to introduce the game of cricket to the world. It started in 1877 against Australia. After that, a number of teams started playing this game, and now it is one of the most popular sports in the world. England has seen many ups and downs during this period. They sometimes dominate the opposition, while other times the opposition gets the better of them.
Just like that, this article will have the details related to the highest test partnerships against England in the history so far. There have been some instances when a batting pair scored big against them. All those records will be covered below. The fourth-highest test partnership is registered against England.
Highest Partnership against England in Test
Pair | Runs | Wkt | Team | Venue | Date |
Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman | 451 | 2nd | Australia | The Oval | 18 Aug 1934 |
Sid Barnes and Don Bradman | 405 | 5th | Australia | Sydney | 13 Dec 1946 |
Garry Sobers and Frank Worrell | 399 | 4th | West Indies | Bridgetown | 6 Jan 1960 |
Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman | 388 | 4th | Australia | Leeds | 20 Jul 1934 |
Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis | 377* | 3rd | South Africa | The Oval | 19 Jul 2012 |
Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf | 363 | 3rd | Pakistan | Leeds | 4 Aug 2006 |
Jack Fingleton and Don Bradman | 346 | 6th | Australia | Melbourne | 1 Jan 1937 |
Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell | 338 | 3rd | West Indies | Port of Spain | 17 Mar 1954 |
Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs | 338 | 1st | South Africa | Birmingham | 24 Jul 2003 |
Alan Border and Steve Waugh | 332* | 5th | Australia | Leeds | 22 Jul 1993 |
3. Garry Sobers and Frank Worrell (399 runs) for 4th wicket in 1960
The third highest partnership against England in a test came in January 1960 at Bridgetown. It was recorded by a West Indian pair, Garry Sobers and Frank Worrell. England batted first and made 482 runs in their first inning, with Ken Barrington (128) and Ted Dexter (136*) scoring centuries. In reply, the West Indies had some struggles in the middle. But a big fourth-wicket partnership helped them reach a big total.
Garry Sobers and Frank Worrell added 399 runs for the fourth wicket. As a result, West Indies declared their first inning at 563/8 in 239.4 overs. Worrell remained unbeaten at 197 and sobers scored 226 runs in that inning. West Indies got a first-inning lead of 81 runs. In the second inning, England was at 71/0 when the match ended in a draw.
2. Sid Barnes and Don Bradman (405 runs) for 5th wicket in 1946
In test cricket, Australia registered the top two highest partnerships against England. The second highest came in December 1946 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It was the second game of the five-match series, and England won the toss and batted first. They got dismissed for 255 runs in their first inning. In reply, Australia batted for the next two days and declared at 659/8 in 173 overs, with some big centuries in the middle.
The pair of Sid Barnes and Don Bradman added 405 runs for the fifth wicket. Both batters scored double centuries and made an identical score. Barnes made 234 runs, including 17 fours, while Bradman also scored 234 runs with 24 boundaries. Australia got a lead of 404 runs in the first inning. Trailing by a big score, England tried hard but reached only 371 runs. As a result, Australia won the game by an inning and 33 runs.
1. Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman (451 runs) for 2nd wicket in 1934
The highest test partnership against England came in August 1934, when Australia played England at the Oval. This match is remembered for a huge win for Australia. It was the last game of the five-match series. Australia won the toss and batted first. In the first inning, they batted brilliantly and scored 701 runs. Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman added 451 runs for the second wicket and set an excellent platform. Both batters scored a double century each.
Ponsford made 266 runs with 27 fours, while Bradman made 244 runs, including 32 fours and one six. England replied with 321 all out and Australia got a lead of 380 runs. Australia batted again and scored 327 runs in their second inning. They set a target of 708 runs for England, but the English team managed only 145 runs and lost by a huge margin of 562 runs, which is the second highest in test cricket.