Sri Lanka has gone through many ups and downs in the game of cricket. Sometimes they stay at the top, but in some moments they also lose badly. However, they hold many incredible records in the game. Sri Lanka is the only team in test cricket history to have added more than 500 runs as a partnership twice.
They hold the record for the highest test partnership of 626 runs and also the highest test total. But with the highest partnerships recorded against them in test format. That’s what we have brought to you here. This article will go over all of the most significant test partnerships against Sri Lanka in history.
Highest Partnership against Sri Lanka in Test
| Pair | Runs | Wkt | Team | Venue | Date |
| Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe | 467 | 3rd | New Zealand | Wellington | 31 Jan 1991 |
| Qasim Umar and Javed Miandad | 397 | 3rd | Pakistan | Faisalabad | 16 Oct 1985 |
| Kane Williamson and BJ Watling | 365* | 6th | New Zealand | Wellington | 3 Jan 2015 |
| Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls | 363 | 3rd | New Zealand | Wellington | 17 Mar 2023 |
| Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq | 352* | 3rd | Pakistan | Dhaka | 12 Mar 1999 |
| Joe Burns and Travis Head | 308 | 4th | Australia | Canberra | 1 Feb 2019 |
| Hashim Amla and JP Duminy | 292 | 3rd | South Africa | Johannesburg | 12 Jan 2017 |
| Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali | 287 | 2nd | Pakistan | Colombo (SSC) | 30 Jun 2012 |
| Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli | 283 | 3rd | India | Delhi | 2 Dec 2017 |
| Shan Masood and Abid Ali | 278 | 1st | Pakistan | Karachi | 19 Dec 2019 |
3. Kane Williamson and BJ Watling (365* runs) for 6th wicket in 2015
Out of the top four biggest test partnerships against Sri Lanka, it is New Zealand that has added three of them. The third-highest stand came in January 2015 in Wellington, when Sri Lanka toured New Zealand. It was the second test, and New Zealand scored 221 in their first inning. In reply, Sri Lanka made 356 runs and took a lead of 135 runs. New Zealand needed a good total in their second inning.
They were struggling at 159/5, then came a huge 6th wicket partnership between Kane Williamson and BJ Watling. Both batted and added an unbeaten 365 runs, and New Zealand declared at 524/5, giving a target of 390 runs. Watiling made 142 not out, while Williamson made an unbeaten 242. Chasing the target, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 196 runs and lost the game by 193 runs.
2. Qasim Umar and Javed Miandad (397 runs) for 3rd wicket in 1985
Pakistan recorded the second highest test partnership against Sri Lanka. They did it in October 1985 in Faisalabad during the first test of the tour. Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat first. They batted for more than two days in their first inning and scored 479 runs in 200.3 overs. Aravinda de Silva scored a century and made 122 runs. In reply, Pakistan also got off to a good start, with Mudassar Nazar (78) scoring a half-century.
But then, Qasim Umar and Javed Miandad added a huge third-wicket partnership of 397 runs. Both batters scored a double century each. Umar made 206 runs, and Miandad remained unbeaten on 203 runs. Pakistan made 555/3 in 162.5 overs. The game wasn’t left with much time. Hence, both teams decided to end it in a draw.
1. Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe (467 runs) for 3rd wicket in 1991
The highest test partnership ever recorded against Sri Lanka came in January 1991 in Wellington, when they faced New Zealand. It came in the first match of the three-test series. Sri Lanka bowled first after winning the toss. They dismissed New Zealand for just 174 runs. Then, with the help of a double century from Aravinda de Silva (267), Sri Lanka made 497 runs in 151.1 overs. They took a 223-run lead in the first inning.
Trailing by 223 runs, New Zealand had a good start with opener John Wright scoring 88 runs. He added 134 runs for the first wicket with Trevor Franklin (39). But the biggest partnership came for the third wicket between Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe. Both batters added 467 runs. Jones missed his double century and got out for 188 runs. But Crowe was more unlucky, as he missed his triple century by one run and got out for 299 runs. New Zealand was at 671/4 in 220.3 overs when the match ended in a draw.