The fifth wicket partnership for a team is highly crucial in the context of an ODI match, as it can make or break the momentum of an innings. It’s not only about accumulating runs but also the pace at which they go about doing the same.
So basically, it comes down to how the fifth wicket pair controls the game’s tempo and adapts to the match situation, be it stabilising the innings after a top-order collapse or accelerating towards the end.
There are some iconic players who have stitched iconic fifth-wicket partnerships in ODIs, and this has played a pivotal role in their team winning matches. These partnerships will forever be etched in cricket history as memorable ones.
Here are the top 10 highest partnerships for the 5th wicket in ODIs.
Highest 5th Wicket Partnership in ODI
| Players | Runs | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Miller, Jean-Paul Duminy (SA) | 256* | Zimbabwe | Hamilton | 15 Feb 2015 |
| Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara (ENG) | 226* | Ireland | Dublin | 3 Sep 2013 |
| Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmadullah (BAN) | 224 | New Zealand | Cardiff | 9 Jun 2017 |
| Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja (IND) | 223 | Sri Lanka | Colombo (RPS) | 17 Aug 1997 |
| Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller (SA) | 222 | Australia | Centurion | 15 Sep 2023 |
| Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke (AUS) | 220 | New Zealand | Wellington | 7 Dec 2005 |
| Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed (PAK) | 214 | Nepal | Multan | 30 Aug 2023 |
| Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva (ZIM) | 201 | Bangladesh | Harare | 7 Aug 2022 |
| Virat Kohli, Kedar Jadhav (IND) | 200 | England | Pune | 15 Jan 2017 |
| Aiden Markram, David Miller (SA) | 199 | Netherlands | Johannesburg | 2 Apr 2023 |
Key Insights
David Miller and JP Duminy have recorded the highest fifth-wicket partnership in ODI cricket. The duo stitched an unbeaten 256-run stand together, reviving South Africa from 83 for 4 against Zimbabwe in their 2015 World Cup encounter. This is the seventh-highest partnership in the ODI World Cup.
MS Dhoni featured in five 150-plus run stands for the fifth wicket in ODIs, the most for a batter. He had two partnerships with each of Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma and one with Gautam Gambhir.
Dhoni is the only batter to have two 150-plus run partnerships for the fifth wicket with two different partners in 50-over cricket.
Dhoni and Raina shared five century partnerships for the fifth wicket, the most by a batting pair in ODIs. The duo also aggregated 2421 runs in 54 innings, the most for the fifth wicket by a pair in ODIs.
Viv Richards and Collis King were the first pair to put up a century stand (139) for the fifth wicket in ODIs against England in 1979. Their 139-run partnership is the highest for the fifth wicket in the ODI World Cup final.
Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja were the first pair to breach the 200-run mark for the fifth wicket in ODIs. Their 223-run stand, though, ended in a loss as India failed to chase Sri Lanka’s 302 by two runs in 1997, making it the highest fifth-wicket partnership in a losing cause.
Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah’s 224-run partnership against New Zealand in 2017 is the highest by a pair in the Champions Trophy.
Eoin Morgan is the only batter to have featured in century stands for the fifth wicket for two different ODI teams. His one partnership (181* vs Canada) came for Ireland with Kevin O’Brien in 2009, while the other came for England with Ravi Bopara (226* vs Ireland) in 2013 and Ben Stokes (110 vs West Indies) in 2017.
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