Opening partnerships are key to any format of the game as they set the platform for the rest of the batsmen to thrive on, and it is even more crucial in the Test format. It is not an easy job to open in Tests, and to be able to build long innings without losing wickets is something extraordinary.
The openers are exposed to the new ball in longer formats, which takes a toll on their batting average significantly as well. But some openers have made it through all the complications and have conquered the bowling attack with excellent concentration and technique.
Coming back to that, let us look at the top 10 highest opening partnerships in Test Cricket History.
Highest Opening Partnerships in Tests
| Partners | Partnership | Against | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neil Mckenzie & Graeme Smith (SA) | 415 | Bangladesh | Chattogram | 2008 |
| Vinoo Mankad & Pankaj Roy (IND) | 413 | New Zealand | Chennai | 1956 |
| Virender Sehwag & Rahul Dravid (IND) | 410 | Pakistan | Lahore | 2006 |
| Glenn Turner & Terry Jarvis (NZ) | 387 | West Indies | Georgetown | 1972 |
| Bill Lawry & Bob Simpson (AUS) | 382 | West Indies | Bridgetown | 1965 |
| Graeme Smith & Herschelle Gibbs (SA) | 368 | Pakistan | Cape Town | 2003 |
| Leonard Hutton & Cyril Washbrook (ENG) | 359 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 1948 |
| Graeme Smith & Herschelle Gibbs (SA) | 338 | England | Birmingham | 2003 |
| Kraigg Brathwaite & Tagenarine Chanderpaul (WI) | 336 | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 2023 |
| Marvan Atapattu & Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 335 | Pakistan | Kandy | 2000 |
Key Insights
Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith have recorded the highest opening partnership in Test cricket. The South African duo put up 415 runs for the first wicket against Bangladesh in the first innings of the 2008 Chattogram Test.
McKenzie (226) and Smith (232) scored their individual double centuries in the same innings. This was the second instance of both openers scoring double hundreds in the same Test innings.
Bill Lawry (210) and Bob Simpson (201) were the first openers to smash double centuries in the same Test innings. When Simpson got out for 201, the duo had added 382 runs for the first wicket against the West Indies in the 1965 Bridgetown Test.
Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy were the first opening duo to put up a 400-plus run stand for the first wicket. The pair contributed 413 runs for the first wicket against New Zealand in the first innings of the 1956 Chennai Test.
Herschelle Gibbs and Smith featured in three 300-plus run first wicket partnerships, the most by an opening pair in Tests. Overall, Smith partnered in four 300-plus opening stands, the most by a batter in Tests.
There are over 100 instances of opening pairs lodging 200 or more runs partnerships for the first wicket in Tests. Six of those instances belong to Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, the most by an opening duo in Tests.
Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya had a run rate of 7.32 during their first wicket stand of 144 runs against Bangladesh in the second innings of the 2001 Colombo Test. This is the highest partnership run rate for the first wicket by a pair (minimum 100 runs).
Joe Burns-David Warner and Zak Crawley-Ben Duckett are the two pairs with a six-plus run rate in two 100-plus run partnerships for the first wicket in Tests.
Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes have scored the most runs for the first wicket in Tests. The duo aggregated 6482 runs in 148 innings while opening for the West Indies.
Greenidge and Haynes also put up the most century stands for the opening wicket. They had 16 hundred-plus run first-wicket partnerships between them.
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