ODI World Cup: South Africa has always played competitive cricket when it comes to any form of cricket. They have always been one of the toughest sides in any ICC tournament. But it is their luck that they haven’t had the taste of winning the World Champions title. Despite making four semi-finals in 1992, 1999, 2007, and 2015, they couldn’t make it to the finals.
But still, whenever they enter the tournament, they are regarded as one of the favorites. In this article, we will cover the top most partnerships for the Proteas in the history of South Africa. But interestingly, in the top 50 highest partnerships in the ODI World Cup, South Africa is the only team that has not allowed any one to score a big partnership among them.
3. Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers (221 runs) against Netherlands in 2011 ICC tournament
Their third highest partnership, which is more than 200, came in a match against the Netherlands in 2011 at Mohali. Netherlands won the toss and chose to bowl first. South Africa lost their first two wickets in 15 overs for 58 runs. But after that, two centuries from Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers took South Africa to a massive total.
Amla scored 113 runs and De Villiers played a blinder of 134 off 98 balls to help his team post 351/5 in the first innings. It was a huge total to chase for any team. In the end, Netherlands were bowled out for 120 runs and lost the match by a big margin of 231 runs, which is the highest for South Africa in the World Cup.
2. Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis (247 runs) against Ireland in 2015 ICC tournament
South Africa made it to the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup mainly due to their consistent batting. In the 24th match of the tournament between South Africa and Ireland at Canberra, the Proteas registered their second highest partnership. After winning the toss, they decided to bat first, but South Africa lost the first wicket of Quinton de Kock early.
But after that, the rest is history. Because Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis added a huge partnership of 247 runs for the second wicket and scored their respective centuries. Amla scored 159 off 128 balls and Du Plessis made 109 runs to help their team reach a massive total of 411/4. The South African bowlers also bowled well, and Ireland got all out for 210 and lost the match by 201 runs.
1. David Miller and JP Duminy (256* runs) against Zimbabwe in 2015 World Cup
The highest and biggest partnership for South Africa came in the very same tournament in 2015. In a match against Zimbabwe at Hamilton, South Africa batted first and scored a mammoth score of 339/4 in their 50 overs. But it didn’t start well as they lost their first four wickets for just 83 runs in 20 overs. But after that, the unbeaten partnership between David Miller and JP Duminy just changed the game.
Both batters added 256* runs in just 29.3 overs and also scored their respective centuries. Miller made 138* off 95 balls, while Duminy scored 115* off 100 balls. Zimbabwe also tried hard to chase down the target, but in the end, they fell short by 62 and got all out for 277 runs. Miller won the “Man of the Match” for his century.
List of South Africa Highest Partnership in ODI World Cup
| Players | Runs | Wkt | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Miller and JP Duminy | 256* | 5th | Zimbabwe | Hamilton | 2015 |
| Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis | 247 | 2nd | Ireland | Canberra | 2015 |
| Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers | 231 | 3rd | Netherlands | Mohali | 2011 |
| Gary Kirsten and Andrew Hudson | 186 | 1st | Zimbabwe | Rawalpindi | 1996 |
| Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs | 176 | 1st | New Zealand | Birmingham | 1999 |
| Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis | 175* | 2nd | Sri Lanka | Chester-le-Street | 2019 |
| Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers | 170 | 2nd | West Indies | St George’s | 2007 |