In modern-day T20 cricket, teams boast incredible batters who can change the course of a match with their individual performances. But in cricket, teamwork takes precedence over individual exploits, be it with the bat or the ball.
Having said that, when two brilliant batters join forces, things are only going to get better for the team as the pair forges a formidable partnership. Some prominent batting pairs have accumulated loads of runs while batting together, and it’s a testament to the understanding between them.
Here in this article, we’ll look at the top 10 highest partnership runs scored by batting pairs in T20Is.
Highest Partnership Runs by a Pair in T20I (Overall)
| Partners | Team | Innings | Total Partnership Runs | Highest Partnership | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | 73 | 3300 | 203* | 46.47 |
| Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling | Ireland | 79 | 2184 | 103 | 28.00 |
| KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma | India | 42 | 1897 | 165 | 46.26 |
| Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka | Sri Lanka | 54 | 1776 | 121 | 32.88 |
| Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel | Nepal | 57 | 1757 | 127 | 30.82 |
| Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma | India | 52 | 1743 | 160 | 33.51 |
| Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling | Ireland | 49 | 1720 | 154 | 35.10 |
| Abdul Waheed, Faisal Khan | Saudi Arabia | 40 | 1610 | 116 | 43.51 |
| Aaron Finch, David Warner | Australia | 44 | 1583 | 134* | 38.60 |
| Kyle Coetzer, George Munsey | Scotland | 46 | 1577 | 200 | 34.28 |
Key Insights on Record-Breaking Partnerships in T20I Cricket
Most Overall Partnership Runs and Century Stands in T20Is
The pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan is leading the charge with the highest partnership runs in T20Is.
The Pakistani duo became the first to accumulate 3000-plus runs while batting in tandem in the shorter format.
2522 of the partnership runs between Azam and Rizwan came while opening, the most for the first wicket by a pair in T20Is.
Azam and Rizwan have also aggregated the most runs as partners in the T20 World Cup. The pair has added 750 runs in 17 innings together.
Azam and Rizwan have stitched together the most century stands in T20Is, with 10 such partnerships between them.
The number jumps to 25 if we calculate the 50-plus run stands between Azam and Rizwan, which are again the most by a pair in T20Is.
Azam-Rizwan is the only pair to score 500-plus partnership runs against two teams – England and New Zealand – in T20Is.
The Pakistani duo has also put together 1000-plus runs in two calendar years, the only pair to do so in T20Is. Their 1380 partnership runs in 2021 are the most by a pair in a year in T20Is.
Highest Partnership Scores by Wicket in T20Is
Japan’s Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake and Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming stitched the highest-ever partnership in T20Is, partnering for an unbeaten 258-run alliance against China in 2024. This is also the highest partnership for the first wicket in this format.
India’s Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma became the first non-opening pair to score a 200-plus partnership in T20Is. The duo put together an unbeaten 210 runs for the second wicket against South Africa in the 2024 Johannesburg T20I.
Interestingly, Samson and Varma scored 109* and 120* in the above match, making it the third instance of two centurions in a T20I innings.
Partnership Consistency Records in T20Is
India’s Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni share the highest partnership average of 87.16 among the pairs who’ve batted together in 10 T20I innings. The duo added 523 runs together in 15 innings, with nine unbroken partnerships.
The nine unbeaten partnerships between Kohli and Dhoni are the joint-most by a pair in T20Is, along with South Africa’s JP Duminy and David Miller.
There are over 35 batting pairs with 1000-plus partnership runs, with Paul Stirling (Ireland), Rohit Sharma (India), and Virandeep Singh (Malaysia) featuring three times with three different partners.
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