WTC: Ranking top 5 opening partnership

Whenever there’s a Test match coming up, all the cricket fans eagerly get in front of their screens and on the field to delve into the purest format of the game. And like the ODI and T20 world cups, the International Cricket Council (ICC) opted to appease Test cricket enthusiasts with the World Test Championship. Although it had only just begun in 2019, it had seen some excellent competition along the way with stellar records.

Yet again, the final is here, taking place between India and Australia this time. Teams have always benefited a lot from the opening partnerships, which set the tone for the innings and gave their teams a good start in the competition by setting the stage for a large total. Especially in such protracted rounds when keeping wickets is crucial.

Therefore, in Test matches, the first-wicket partnership is quite significant. Fans have seen several outstanding opening partnerships that contributed to the team's strong results throughout Test cricket's history.

Let's have a look at the five most significant opening partnerships in the history of WTC:

 5. Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne

With New Zealand's strong bowling attack on their backs, this opening pair displayed their class. Chasing a difficult 268, this pair set the tone and commanded the batting unit from the front in the first Test on Saturday, August 17, at Galle. They shared a first-wicket total of 161 runs, which proved crucial in determining the outcome. 

Along with Lahiru, who contributed 64 runs to his team's total during the game, captain Dimuth Karunaratne set the bar high as he led by example by scoring 122 runs overall on the strength of six boundaries. The opening pair made it simple for Sri Lanka to chase down the target and, for the first time since 2012, proclaimed a decisive six-wicket victory against New Zealand.

With their remarkable performance, they surpassed the previous best of 99 and equalled the record for the highest opening partnership in the Test between these two nations. This pair demonstrated how crucial the performance of two opening hitters is to a team's overall success.