Test cricket comes with a whole new set of challenges and obstacles. Unlike the white-ball format, test cricket gives a true chance for a fight between bat and ball. The first ever test match was played way back in 1877 between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Since then, this format has given some incredible, once-in-a-lifetime moments to the fans.
Test cricket gives the batters enough time to bat and bat longer. That’s the reason we have seen a batter get 400 runs and a team get almost 1000 runs in a single inning. One such record we will cover here is related to the highest partnerships. There have been some record-breaking partnerships in Test cricket. So let’s check it.
Highest Partnership in Test Cricket
| Pair | Runs | Wkt | Team | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene | 624 | 3rd | Sri Lanka | South Africa | Colombo (SSC) | 27 Jul 2006 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama | 576 | 2nd | Sri Lanka | India | Colombo (RPS) | 2 Aug 1997 |
| Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe | 467 | 3rd | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Wellington | 31 Jan 1991 |
| Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman | 451 | 2nd | Australia | England | The Oval | 18 Aug 1934 |
| Mudassar Nazar, and Javed Miandad | 451 | 3rd | Pakistan | India | Hyderabad (Sind) | 14 Jan 1983 |
| Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh | 449 | 4th | Australia | West Indies | Hobart | 10 Dec 2015 |
| Conrad Hunte and Garry Sobers | 446 | 2nd | West Indies | Pakistan | Kingston | 26 Feb 1958 |
| Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara | 438 | 2nd | Sri Lanka | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 14 May 2004 |
| Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera | 437 | 4th | Sri Lanka | Pakistan | Karachi | 21 Feb 2009 |
| Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar | 429* | 3rd | South Africa | Bangladesh | Chattogram | 24 Apr 2003 |
3. Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe (467 runs) vs Sri Lanka in 1991
An average inning score for a team in test cricket is around 400–450. But what happens when two batters record a partnership of 450 or more runs? It happened in January 1991 in a match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Wellington. It was the first game of a three-match series. Batting first, New Zealand got bowled out for just 174 runs in the first inning. In reply, Sri Lanka batted well and made 497 runs.
Aravinda de Silva (267 runs) scored a brilliant century for them. Trailing by 323 runs, New Zealand needed a miracle, and it did happen. Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe added a record-breaking partnership of 467 runs for the third wicket. New Zealand made 671/4 in 220.3 overs when the match ended in a draw. Jones made 186 runs, while Crowe was unlucky and missed his triple hundred. He made 299 runs with 29 fours and three sixes.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama (576 runs) vs India in 1997
The second-highest partnership in test cricket came in a record-breaking game between India and Sri Lanka in August 1997 in Colombo. After winning the toss, India batted first. They batted pretty well and had three batters score centuries: Navjot Sidhu (111), Sachin Tendulkar (143), and Mohammad Azharuddin (126). India batted for two days and declared at 537/8 in 167.3 overs. It looked like a daunting task to overcome that first-inning score. But what happened next was just incredible.
Sri Lanka batted continuously for the next three days and registered the highest ever test score. They also had three centurions, but those hundreds were big. Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama made 576 runs for the second wicket to help Sri Lanka reach 952/6 and declare. Mahanama made 225 with 27 fours. Jayasuriya scored his career-best score of 340 runs, including 36 fours and two sixes. And with not much time left, the match ended in a draw.
1. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene (624 runs) vs South Africa in 2006
Sri Lanka has the top two highest test partnerships. The biggest one was just inevitable and came against South Africa in July 2006 in Colombo. It was the first test of a two-match series. South Africa batted first and got dismissed for 169 runs in the first inning. In reply, Sri Lanka lost two wickets for just 14 runs. But then came the biggest test of the partnership in history between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
Both batters added a huge partnership of 624 runs for the third wicket and batted for almost two days. Sangakkara made 287 runs, and Jayawardene scored his career-best score. He made 374 runs with 43 walks and one six. As a result, Sri Lanka declared their inning at 756/5 in 185.1 overs. They got a lead of 587 runs. South Africa tried hard but got all out for 434 runs. As a result, Sri Lanka won that game by an inning and 153 runs.