South made their first appearance in the game of cricket in 1888-89 with their debut test match against England. Since then, the journey of this team has begun. Over the years, South Africa has been involved in a number of great matches. Some went in their favor, while others went against them. The Proteas hold many records in the game.
But here, this article will catch up regarding a record against them that is related to the highest partnerships in test cricket. In fact, the biggest test partnership ever recorded came against South Africa. So let’s check the complete list of the highest test partnership against South Africa in history.
Highest Partnership against South Africa in Test
| Pair | Runs | Wkts | Team | Venue | Date |
| Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene | 624 | 3rd | Sri Lanka | Colombo (SSC) | 27 Jul 2006 |
| Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow | 399 | 6th | England | Cape Town | 2 Jan 2016 |
| Steve Waugh and Greg Blewett | 385 | 5th | Australia | Johannesburg | 28 Feb 1997 |
| Bill Edrich and Denis Compton | 370 | 3rd | England | Lord’s | 21 Jun 1947 |
| Leonard Hutton and Cyril Washbrook | 359 | 1st | England | Johannesburg | 27 Dec 1948 |
| Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan | 331 | 2nd | West indies | St John’s | 29 Apr 2005 |
| Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist | 317 | 6th | Australia | Johannesburg | 22 Feb 2002 |
| Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma | 317 | 1st | India | Visakhapatnam | 2 Oct 2019 |
| Geoff Pullar and Colin Cowdrey | 290 | 1st | England | The Oval | 18 Aug 1960 |
| Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell | 286 | 4th | England | Lord’s | 10 Jul 2008 |
3. Steve Waugh and Greg Blewett (385 runs) for 5th wicket in 1997
The third-highest test partnership was registered against South Africa in March 1997 at Johannesburg by Australia. It was the first game of the series, and the Proteas won the toss and decided to bat. In the first inning, the hosts got all out for 302 runs in 91.4 overs. Australia started cautiously, but then they had a big partnership for the fifth wicket that took them past South Africa’s score.
Steve Waugh and Greg Blewett added 385 runs and Australia declared their first inning at 628/8 in 19.34 overs. Waugh made 160 runs with 22 fours, and Blewett scored 214 runs, including 33 boundaries. Australia took a lead of 326 runs. In the second inning, the Proteas struggled, and the whole team got dismissed for 130 runs. Thus, Australia won that game by an inning and 196 runs.
2. Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow (399 runs) for 6th wicket in 2016
England registered the second biggest partnerships against South Africa in the longest format of the game. It came in Capetown in the second game of the series. After winning the toss, England batted first. They batted pretty well and declared at 629/6 in 125.5 overs in their first inning. It saw the second fastest double century in the test cricket by Ben Stokes. He scored a 163-ball double hundred and added a 399-run stand with Jonny Bairstow for the 6th wicket.
Stokes made 258 off 198, including 30 fours and 11 sixes, Bairstow remained unbeaten on 150 including 18 fours and two sixes. In reply, South Africa also batted well and declared at 627/7 in 211 overs. In the second inning, England was at 159/6 when the game ended in a draw. Stokes was named “Man of the Match” for his superb double hundred.
1. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene (624 runs) for 3rd wicket in 2006
The highest ever partnership in test cricket is registered with the champion Sri Lankan pair of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. It came in July 2006 in Colombo, when South Africa came to Sri Lanka for two tests. It was the first test, and South Africa got dismissed for just 169 runs in their first inning in 50.2 overs. In reply, Sri Lanka batted for the next two and a half days and posted a huge score.
They declared their inning at 756/5 in 185.1 overs, with huge partnerships of 626 runs for the third wicket. Sangakkara scored a briliant double century and made 287 runs. Jayawardene scored his career-best 374 runs in that partnership. Sri Lanka got a big lead of 587 runs. South Africa batted again and got bowled out for 434 runs. As a result, Sri Lanka won that game by an inning and 153 runs.