New Zealand their first appreance in the ODI cricket on 11 February 1973 when they played their debut ODI game against Pakistan. The journey began from there, and they became regular members in the one-day format. Although they have yet to win the maiden ODI World Cup, they won the ICC Knockout Trophy in 2000, beating India in the final.
New Zealand has had many match-winning partnerships in 50-over cricket. The most famous for them was the highest 6th wicket partnership which came in 2015. They have made partnerships of 200 or more a total of 8 times in total. And we will check out that list of the highest ODI partnerships for the Black Caps so far.
Highest Partnership in ODI by New Zealand
| Pair | Runs | Wkt | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Marshall and Brendon McCullum | 274 | 1st | Ireland | Aberdeen | 1 Jul 2008 |
| Luke Ronchi and Grant Elliott | 267* | 6th | Sri Lanka | Dunedin | 23 Jan 2015 |
| Martin Guptill and Tom Latham | 236* | 1st | Zimbabwe | Harare | 4 Aug 2015 |
| Kane Williamson and Tom Latham | 221* | 4th | India | Auckland | 25 Nov 2022 |
| Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor | 206 | 3rd | England | Southampton | 14 Jun 2015 |
| Lou Vincent and Stephen Fleming | 204 | 1st | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 24 Aug 2005 |
| Martin Guptill and Will Young | 203 | 2nd | Netherlands | Hamilton | 4 Apr 2022 |
| Ross Taylor and Tom Latham | 200 | 4th | India | Wankhede | 22 Oct 2017 |
| Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor | 195 | 5th | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 25 Oct 2011 |
| Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle | 193 | 1st | Pakistan | Dunedin | 28 Feb 2001 |
3. Martin Guptill and Tom Latham (236*) vs Zimbabwe in 2015
New Zealand’s third highest stand for any wicket in the ODI format came in August 2015 in Harare against Zimbabwe. After winning the toss, Zimbabwe decided to bat first. They had a poor batting performance, but Sikandar Raza held one end from his side. He scored 100 not out to help his team reach a respectable total of 235/9 in 50 overs. It didn’t look like a challenging total, and the Kiwi openers played quite comfortably.
Both Martin Guptill and Tom Latham didn’t bother any other batter and chased the target down on their own. They added an unbeaten 236 runs in 42.2 overs to help the Black Caps register a win by 10 wickets. Guptill made 116 runs, while Latham was not out after 110 runs. It was their third-highest ODI partnership in the game.
2. Luke Ronchi and Grant Elliott (267*) vs Sri Lanka in 2015
The record for the highest sixth-wicket partnership in 50-over cricket belongs to New Zealand. It came in January 2015, when Sri Lanka toured New Zealand for a seven-match ODI series. It was the fifth game of the series in Dunedin with Sri Lanka winning the toss and fielding first. New Zealand started badly and lost their side at 93 in 20 overs. It looked like they would get dismissed quickly.
But after that, New Zealand registered their second-highest ODI stand. It came between Luke Ronchi and Grant Elliott for the sixth wicket. They added a massive, unbeaten 267 runs in 30 overs to take the Kiwis to 360/5 in 50 overs. Elliott made 104 not out, but Ronchi went totally berserk and scored his career-best ODI score. He made an unbeaten 170 runs off just 99 balls, with 14 fours and nine sixes. Chasing the target, Sri Lanka got dismissed for 252 runs and lost the game by 108 runs.
1. James Marshall and Brendon McCullum (274) vs Ireland in 2008
New Zealand and Ireland produced a record-breaking match on July 1, 2008, in Aberdeen. This game is remembered for many reasons, and one of them was also New Zealand’s highest ODI partnership. It came for the first wicket. Ireland decided to field first after winning the toss. However, the opening pair of James Marshall and Brendon McCullum smashed all of the Irish bowlers all over the place. Both batters added a massive partnership of 274 runs in 42.2 overs.
McCullum scored 166 runs off 135 balls, with 12 fours and 10 sixes, while Marshall made 141-ball 161 runs. As a result, New Zealand scored their highest ODI score of 402/2 in the first inning. In response, Ireland found it hard to get going and got dismissed for 112 runs in 28.4 overs. That gave New Zealand the highest ODI win of 290 runs. However, India broke that record recently when they beat Sri Lanka by 317 runs in Janaury 2023.