Good partnerships are always hard-hitting for the opponent team, especially in Test cricket. When it goes well together, it goes really well.
Two batters batting together with the right synchronisation and understanding can save Test matches and, most often, put any top opposition team on the back foot.
In this article, we will see the top batting pairs who have scored the most 200-plus partnerships in Test cricket.
Most 200+ Runs Partnerships in Test cricket
| Partners | No. of 200+ Partnerships | Highest Partnership |
|---|---|---|
| Hashim Amla - Jacques Kallis (SA) | 6 | 377* |
| Matthew Hayden - Justin Langer (AUS) | 6 | 255 |
| Mike Atherton - Graham Gooch (ENG) | 4 | 263 |
| Michael Clarke - Michael Hussey (AUS) | 4 | 334* |
| Michael Clarke - Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 4 | 386 |
| Rahul Dravid - Virender Sehwag (IND) | 4 | 410 |
| Rahul Dravid - Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 4 | 249 |
| Sourav Ganguly - Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 4 | 281 |
| Gordon Greenidge - Desmond Haynes (WI) | 4 | 298 |
| Mohammad Yousuf - Younis Khan (PAK) | 4 | 363 |
Key Insights
Australia’s Matthew Hayden-Justin Langer and South Africa’s Hashim Amla-Jacques Kallis have stitched the most double century partnerships in Tests, scoring six each.
Two of those double century stands by Amla and Kallis were unbeaten, the most by a pair in Tests. In fact, no other pair has two unbroken partnerships of 200 or more runs in the format.
Amla and Kallis converted three of their six double century partnerships into triple century stands, the joint most by a pair in Tests, along with their fellow countrymen Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs.
Five of the 200-plus run partnerships between Amla and Kallis ended up in wins for South Africa, the most by a pair in Tests.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf-Younis Khan and Bangladesh’s Litton Das-Mushfiqur Rahim had two double century stands in losing causes, the joint-most by a pair in red-ball cricket.
The Indian pair of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have scored the most century partnerships in Test cricket, crossing the 100-run mark 20 times while batting together.
The Indian duo also leads the chart for the most partnership runs by a pair in Test cricket, aggregating 6920 runs in 143 innings.
No pair has made more than one 400-plus partnership in Test cricket history. But Don Bradman (Australia), Kumar Sangakkara, and Mahela Jayawardene (both from Sri Lanka) have featured in two partnerships of 400 or more runs with different partners.
Bradman and Bill Ponsford were the first pair to breach the 400-run mark, putting together 451 runs for the second wicket against England in the 1934 Oval Test.
Sangakkara and Jayawardene forged the highest-ever partnership for any wicket in Test history. The duo scored 624 runs for the third wicket against South Africa in the 2006 Colombo Test. You can read more about this record-breaking stand here.
Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama are the other pair with a 500-plus run stand in Tests. Their 576-run alliance for the second wicket against India in the 1997 Colombo Test powered Sri Lanka to the highest-ever Test total – 952 for 6 declared.
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