The Asia Cup stands as one of the crickеting world’s most еstееmеd tournamеnts, consistently dеlivеring highly compеtitivе matchups. Amongst the strategies that can make or break a team’s performance in ODI cricket, the opening partnership reigns supreme, and this holds true for the Asia Cup as well.
A formidablе opеning partnеrship not only еstablishеs thе batting tеam’s tеmpo for thе innings but also providеs a solid foundation for subsеquеnt batsmеn to build upon. Additionally, it exerts substantial pressure on the opposing bowling unit, disrupting their rhythm and making it challenging for them to find their groovе.
This article will list thе top 10 highest opening partnеrships in Asia Cup history.
Highest Opening Partnerships in T20 Asia Cup
| Partners | Team | Opening Partnership | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli, KL Rahul | India | 119 | Afghanistan | Dubai (DICS) | 8 Sep 2022 |
| Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan | Sri Lanka | 110 | Pakistan | Mirpur | 4 Mar 2016 |
| Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka | Sri Lanka | 97 | India | Dubai (DICS) | 6 Sep 2022 |
| Muhammad Waseem, Alishan Sharafu | UAE | 88 | Oman | Abu Dhabi | 15 Sep 2025 |
| Muhammad Kaleem, Rohan Mustafa | UAE | 83 | Afghanistan | Fatullah | 19 Feb 2016 |
| Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 83 | Sri Lanka | Dubai (DICS) | 27 Aug 2022 |
| Jatinder Singh, Zeeshan Maqsood | Oman | 72 | Afghanistan | Fatullah | 20 Feb 2016 |
| Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan | Sri Lanka | 68 | UAE | Mirpur | 25 Feb 2016 |
| Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan | Bangladesh | 63 | Afghanistan | Abu Dhabi | 16 Sep 2025 |
| Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka | Sri Lanka | 62 | Afghanistan | Sharjah | 3 Sep 2022 |
Highest Opening Partnerships in ODI Asia Cup
| Partners | Team | Opening Partnership | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed | Pakistan | 224 | India | Mirpur | 18 Mar 2012 |
| Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma | India | 210 | Pakistan | Dubai | 23 Sep 2018 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 201 | Bangladesh | Karachi | 30 Jun 2008 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya, Avishka Gunawardene | Sri Lanka | 191* | Bangladesh | Colombo | 23 Jul 2004 |
| Anshuman Rath, Nizakat Khan | Hong Kong | 174 | India | Dubai | 18 Sep 2018 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu | Sri Lanka | 171 | Bangladesh | Colombo | 22 Jul 1997 |
| Sachin Tendulkar, Manoj Prabhakar | India | 161 | Sri Lanka | Sharjah | 9 Apr 1995 |
| Imrul Kayes, Anamul Haque | Bangladesh | 150 | Pakistan | Mirpur | 4 Mar 2014 |
| Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma | India | 147* | Nepal | Pallekele | 4 Sep 2023 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu | Sri Lanka | 137 | India | Colombo | 26 Jul 1997 |
Explore Asia Cup’s Batting Records
Most Runs in a Single Asia Cup Edition
Most Runs Against a Team in Asia Cup
Highest Individual Scores in Asia Cup
Most Fifty-plus Scores in Asia Cup
Highest Batting Strike Rates in Asia Cup
Highest Partnerships in Asia Cup
Explore Asia Cup’s Bowling Records
Most Wickets Against a Team in Asia Cup
Most Wickets in Single Asia Cup Edition
Best Bowling Figures in Asia Cup
Most Five-Wicket Hauls in Asia Cup
Explore Asia Cup’s Team Records
Asia Cup Winners List (With Captains)
Most Wins as Captain in Asia Cup
Most Wins by Teams in Asia Cup
Teams with Most Wins against an Opponent
Highest Team Totals in Asia Cup
Lowest Team Totals in Asia Cup
Key Insights
Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed have recorded the highest opening partnership in the ODI Asia Cup. The pair put up 224 runs for the first wicket against India in Mirpur in 2012. This is also the highest partnership for any wicket in a losing cause in the ODI tournament.
Hafeez (105) and Jamshed (112) smashed individual hundreds, making it the second instance of both openers scoring centuries in an ODI innings in the Asia Cup.
Sanath Jayasuriya (130) and Kumar Sangakkara (121) were the first opening pair to score hundreds in the same innings in the ODI Asia Cup. In fact, the duo posted the first 200-run opening stand in the tournament (201) against Bangladesh in 2008.
Anshuman Rath and Nizakat Khan have put up the highest opening stand by an associate pair in the ODI Asia Cup. They aggregated 174 runs for the first wicket against India in 2018, though in a losing cause. This remains the lone 100-plus run opening partnership by an associate pair.
Sanath Jayasuriya is the only batter to have featured in five 100-plus first wicket stands in the ODI Asia Cup. He is also the only batter to put up two 100-plus opening stands with two partners – Marvan Atapattu (171 vs BAN & 137 vs IND) and Kumar Sangakkara (201 & 116 vs BAN).
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have posted the highest opening partnership in the T20 Asia Cup. The pair contributed 119 runs against Afghanistan in 2022. Kohli later went on to score a century, the second batter to do so in the T20I competition.
Dinesh Chandimal-Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kusal Mendis-Pathum Nissanka are the two opening pairs with two fifty-plus run stands in the T20 Asia Cup.
The 110-run partnership by Chandimal and Dilshan is the highest in a losing cause in the T20 Asia Cup. This was also the first-ever 100-plus run opening stand in the tournament.
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