South Africa is one of the few teams that has a good record both at home and away. They have been one of the toughest side to play for any opposition. One of the prime reasons for their consistency is their batting depth, and some of the biggest batting icons have represented this nation across all three formats. Partnerships are intended to propel a team to dominance.
Especially in ODIs or T20Is, a strong partnership helps a team gain momentum. And South Africa has made some records related to partnerships in ODIs. Often, teams have big partnerships in the top order because they get more balls to face in ODIs. But South Africa holds the record for the highest fifth-wicket ODI stand, which shows their batting depth. So let’s look into highest ODI stand for South Africa.
Highest Partnership in ODI by South Africa
| Pair | Runs | Wkt | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quintin de Kock and Hashim Amla | 282* | 1st | Bangladesh | Kimberley | 15 Oct 2017 |
| David Miller and JP Duminy | 256* | 5th | Zimbabwe | Hamilton | 15 Feb 2015 |
| Faf du Plessis and David Miller | 252 | 4th | Australia | Hobart | 11 Nov 2018 |
| Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw | 247 | 1st | West Indies | Johannesburg | 18 Jan 2015 |
| Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw | 247 | 3rd | West Indies | Centurion | 28 Jan 2015 |
| Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis | 247 | 2nd | Ireland | Canberra | 3 Mar 2015 |
| Quintin de Kock and Hashim Amla | 239 | 1st | England | Centurion | 9 Feb 2016 |
| Quintin de Kock and AB de Villiers | 238 | 3rd | Pakistan | Johannesburg | 17 Mar 2013 |
| Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs | 235 | 1st | India | Kochi | 9 Mar 2000 |
| Daryll Cullinan and Jonty Rhodes | 232 | 4th | Pakistan | Nairobi (Gym) | 29 Sep 1996 |
3. Faf du Plessis and David Miller (252) vs Australia in 2018
Unlike other teams, South Africa’s third highest ODI partnership came for the fourth wicket. It was made against Australia in November 2018 when South Africa toured Australia for three ODIs. It was the final game, which was the series decider because both teams won one game each. South Africa batted first and had a poor start. They lost their first three wickets for 55 runs in 15.3 overs. But after that the world saw the third-highest 4th wicket stand.
The pair of Faf du Plessis and David Miller added 252 runs and took their team to a big score of 320/5 in 50 overs. Du Plessis made 125 runs with 15 fours and two sixes, while Miller scored 139 runs, hitting 13 fours and four sixes. That was enough for them to win, as Australia scored 280/9 in their chase and lost the game by 40 runs.
2. David Miller and JP Duminy (256*) vs Zimbabwe in 2015
South Africa’s second-highest ODI partnership and the highest fifth-wicket stand by any team came in the 2015 ODI World Cup. It was the game between South Africa and Zimbabwe in Hamilton. Zimbabwe chose to bowl after winning the toss. They started well with the ball and took South Africa’s first four wickets for 83 runs in 20.2 overs. It looked like they would roll over the Proteas. But that was the moment when the highest five-wicket stand was recorded.
David Miller and JP Duminy took the attack to the opposition. Both left-handers added an unbeaten 256 runs off just 178 balls to take their team to a total of 339/4. Duminy scored 115 not out with nine fours and three sixes, while Miller remained unbeaten on 138 off 92, including seven fours and nine sixes. Zimbabwe also tried hard but got dismissed for 277 runs in 48.2 overs and lost the game by 62 runs.
1. Quintin de Kock and Hashim Amla (282*) vs Bangladesh in 2017
The highest ODI partnership for South Africa came for the first wicket. It happened on October 15, 2017 against Bangladesh in the first ODI of the three-match series. After winning the toss, Bangladesh decided to put South Africa to bowl first. Mushfiqur Rahim played a really good inning and scored 110 not out. As a result, Bangladesh made 278/7 in their batting inning. Kagiso Rabada took 4/43 with the ball for the hosts.
Despite scoring a good score, the Bangladeshi bowlers couldn’t take advantage, and both South African openers took them to the cleaners. Hashim Amla and Quinton De Kock scored unbeaten centuries and added an unbeaten 282 for the first wicket in 42.5 overs to script a 10-wicket win over Bangladesh. Amla made a 112-ball 110, while De Kock scored a big century. He scored 168 off 148 balls. South Africa registered their highest ODI stand in this game.