New Zealand became only the fifth country to play test cricket. They played their first ever test match in January 1930 against England at Christchurch. However, New Zealand is the first country to win the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021. They beat India in the WTC final to become the inaugural champions.
Apart from this, New Zealand holds interesting stats in the longest format of the game. The Black Caps have also registered the third-highest partnership in the test format. That’s what we’ll look into here. This article will include the biggest partnership ever recorded by New Zealand in the history of the test format.
Highest Partnership in Test by New Zealand
| Pair | Runs | Wkt | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe | 467 | 3rd | Sri Lanka | Wellington | 31 Jan 1991 |
| Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis | 387 | 1st | West Indies | Georgetown | 6 Apr 1972 |
| Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls | 367 | 4th | Pakistan | Christchurch | 3 Jan 2021 |
| Kane Williamson and BJ Watling | 365* | 6th | Sri Lanka | Wellington | 3 Jan 2015 |
| Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling | 352 | 6th | India | Wellington | 14 Feb 2014 |
| Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill | 339 | 6th | Bangladesh | Hamilton | 15 Feb 2010 |
| Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson | 297 | 2nd | Pakistan | Sharjah | 26 Nov 2014 |
| Stewie Dempster and Jackie Mills | 276 | 1st | England | Wellington | 24 Jan 1930 |
| Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder | 271 | 4th | India | Perth | 26 Mar 2009 |
| Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor | 265 | 3rd | Australia | Perth | 13 Nov 2015 |
3. Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls (369 runs) vs Pakistan in 2021
New Zealand registered their third highest partnership against Pakistan in January 2021 in Christchurch. It was the second game of the two-match series. After winning the toss, New Zealand decided to bowl first. They did a decent job and dismissed Pakistan for a below-par score of 297 runs. Kyle Jamieson picked up 5/69 for them. In reply, New Zealand batted brilliantly and declared their inning at 659/6 in 158.5 overs.
They had a massive fourth-wicket partnership between Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls. Both batters added 369 runs and put New Zealand on top. Williamson scored a brilliant double century and made 238 runs, while Nicholls scored 157 runs. New Zealand took a first inning lead of 362 runs. In the second inning, Pakistan batted more poorly and got dismissed for 186 runs. Jamieson picked up 6/48 once again. New Zealand won that game by an inning and 176 runs.
2. Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis (387 runs) vs West Indies in 1972
New Zealand recorded their second biggest partnership in test for the first wicket. It came in April 1972, when they played against the West Indies in Georgetown. West Indies batted first and declared their inning at 365/7 in 135 overs. New Zealand responded brilliantly, scoring 543/3 and declaring their first innings. They had a big opening stand, and both openers added 387 runs for the first wicket to give them a great start.
Glenn Turner scored 259 runs with 22 fours, and Terry Jarvis made 182 runs, including 19 fours. Both added the second-highest partnership for their country. New Zealand got a first inning lead of 178. West Indies were at 86 runs for no wicket in their second inning when the match ended in a draw.
1. Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe (467 runs) vs Sri Lanka in 1991
The highest partnership for New Zealand and the third-highest overall came in January 1991, when they locked horns against Sri Lanka in Wellington. It was the first match of the three-match series. Batting first, New Zealand got bowled out cheaply. They scored only 174 runs in their first inning. Sri Lanka batted well and scored 497 runs in reply. Aravinda de Silva scored a brilliant 267 runs for them. Sri Lanka took a first-inning lead of 323 runs. Trailing by a big score, New Zealand needed some good partnerships in the middle.
Eventually, that’s what happened. New Zealand recorded their highest test partnership in the second inning, which came for the third wicket. The pair of Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe added 467 runs for the third wicket to help New Zealand reach a big total. Jones made 186 runs, and skipper Crowe made 299 runs. He missed his triple century by just one run. New Zealand made 671/4 in 220.3 overs when the game ended in a draw.