Top 10 Highest opening partnerships in T20Is

T20 cricket is an exciting brand of cricket and never ceases to excite and entertain. The attacking form of the game is an ultimate treat for all the cricket lovers who like the bowlers getting bashed all around the ground. Similarly, batsmen are the ones who provide this entertainment, and hardly fail to deliver in the format. From the team’s perspective, the opening partnership is vital in order to put up big scores ahead of the opposition. Therefore, teams choose their best pair of explosive batsmen to open the innings and give them a fast paced head start to the innings. And, there have been many occasion when the openers who have literally destroyed the opposition and set up mammoth partnerships. Here are the highest opening partnerships in T20Is. 10. Graeme Smith, Loots Bosman (South Africa) – 132* v Pakistan: Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman. (© Getty Images) The match between South Africa and Pakistan at the Wanderers in 2007 created a new example of the dominance of batsmen over bowlers as South African openers Graeme Smith (71 from 40 balls) and Loots Bosman (53 from 32 balls) raced past the target of 130 in just 12th over. This also resulted in the first ever 10-wicket win in T20I. Smith and Bosman were unstoppable and tore the Pakistan bowlers apart, hitting 14 fours and 6 sixes between them which were nearly twice as many as the Pakistani batsmen hit in the first innings. The chase was brought to an end in style by Skipper Smith who hit Shahid Afridi for a huge six. 9. Shane Watson, David Warner (Australia) – 133 v India: (© Getty Images) India faced humiliation at the hands of Australia, more particularly Shane Watson and David Warner. India went face to face with Australia in the Group 2 match of the ICC World T20 2012 at Colombo. India, without Virender Sehwag, posted a less challenging total of 140 after 20 overs. The Indians might have struggled for firepower but Australian openers Shane Watson and David Warner batted with utmost ease to plunder the Indian bowlers for a record 133 runs partnership in just 13.3 overs (in all, 8 bowlers were used by India during the match). Watson muscled 72 runs in 42 deliveries with two fours and seven sixes while Warner made 63* from 41 deliveries, striking seven fours and three sixes. 8. Chris Gayle, Andre Fletcher (West Indies) – 133 v Australia: (Photo Source: Getty Images) Chris Gayle and Andre Fletcher did the most of the damage during the 3rd match of the 2009 T20 World Cup. Australia batted first and set 170 for West Indies to chase. The target looked challenging but the explosive pair of Fletcher and Gayle were at their destructive best. At the end of the power play, West Indies were 83. The pair went on to put on 133 runs for the first wicket and almost sealed the match in West Indies’ favor. The partnership was broken after Fletcher (53 from 32 balls) was dismissed by Mitchell Johnson in the 12th over. Chris Gayle was also later dismissed for 88 runs from 50 balls. 7. Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag (India) – 136 v England: (© Hindustan Times via Getty Images) The match between India and England in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 was epic, full of drama and entertainment. India won the toss and elected to bat first. The decision paid off as the Delhi duo of Gautam Gambhir (58 from 41 balls) and Virender Sehwag (68 from 52 balls) blasted off the England bowlers. Both the batsmen walloped sixes and fours and made 136 for the first wicket, setting the platform for a huge total. In the 15th over, Chris Tremlett found success and put an end to the partnership dismissing Virender Sehwag. However, this excellent performance was eclipsed by another magical feat after Yuvraj Singh butchered Stuart Broad for 6 sixes in one over to create history. 6. Mukhtar Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad (Pakistan) – 142 v Zimbabwe: Mukhtar Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad. (© AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images) International cricket was back on the Pakistan soil after 6 years when Zimbabwe toured the nation to play the 2-match T20I series in 2015. The day had begun well for Zimbabwe after they batted first put up 172 runs on the scoreboard. But, their brilliant efforts were washed out by the Pakistani opening pair of Mukhtar Ahmed and Ahmed Shehzad as they piled on 142 runs for the first wicket in just 13.3 overs. Shehzad struck 55 runs off 35 balls before departing in the 14th over while Mukhtar made a 45-ball 83 with the help of 12 fours and 3 sixes. 5. Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt (Pakistan) – 142 v Bangladesh: Pakistani cricketer Salman Butt (R) greets teammate Kamran Akmal. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images) Openers Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt together launched an assault on Bangladesh in the 2010 World T20. Pakistan won the toss and went in to bat. Akmal and Butt opened the innings and began to have a crack at the bowlers. Both took risks and got rewards; posting 142 runs for the first wicket. Bangladesh were not able to contain the imposing duo until the 16th over when Akmal (73 runs from 55 balls) was finally caught at point off the bowling of Shakib Al Hasan. Salman Butt (73 from 46 balls) also contributed equally. 4. Michael Lumb, Alex Hales (England) – 143* v New Zealand: England’s Alex Hales (R) celebrates the win with team mate Michael Lumb. (Photo by Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images) It was a day which the New Zealand bowlers would like to forget as England openers Michael Lumb and Alex Hales made a mockery of the Kiwis bowling attack in the third and deciding T20I of the series at Wellington in 2013. New Zealand had posted a relatively easy target of 140 runs for the England to chase after batting first. English openers Michael Lumb and Alex Hales took the challenge and batted in sublime form to wrap off the match in the 13th over. Lumb (53 from 34 balls) and Hales (80 from 42 balls) shared an opening partnership of 143 runs to enable England lift the T20 series. Together the pair hit 10 fours and 9 sixes in the innings. 3. Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith (West Indies) – 145 v South Africa: (Photo Source : Gallo Images) Chris Gayle is the ultimate king of this format and this match is just one of the many evidence of it. Gayle and Dwayne Smith came out to open after they were put into bat by South Africa at Johannesburg in 2007. In a matter of an hour, the pair raced to 145 runs in 13.3 overs with Gayle (117 runs from 57 balls) blasting the first century in T20Is. Dwayne Smith (35 from 34 balls), however, did not get much opportunity to bat. WI eventually set 205 runs target but another dazzling inning of 90 runs from Herschelle Gibbs saw South Africa chased down the target successfully. 2. Graeme Smith, Loots Bosman (South Africa) – 170 v England: Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman. (© Getty Images) Loots Bosman (94 from 45 balls) was just one blow away from recording the second century in Twenty20 internationals while Graeme Smith hammered 88 from 44 balls, as the South African openers led England’s rout in the 2nd T20I on 15th November 2009. The openers whacked 170 runs and laid the platform for the other batsmen to pile on runs. South African put up a massive total of 241 for 6 ahead of England. In all, the pair struck 15 sixes and 13 boundaries and batted at a strike rate of over 200. 1. Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (New Zealand) – 171 v Pakistan Martin Guptill (front L) and Kane Williamson (front R) of New Zealand. Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images) The 2nd T20I between hosts New Zealand and Pakistan on 17th January 2016 at Hamilton will be remembered for Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson’s 171 runs blitzkrieg stand. Pakistan batted first and posted 169 runs for the host New Zealand to chase. Captain Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill opened the innings and got into the act straightaway, thrashing the potent bowling attack in the relatively small ground. The duo chased down the target all on their own, giving their team a thumping 10 wicket win. Williamson, made 72 not off only 48 balls, featuring 11 fours, while Guptill’s hit an unbeaten 87 from 58 deliveries striking four sixes and nine fours. All the stats updated till 4th March 2016. Also read: Top 10 Most economical bowling spells in T20Is

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Top 10 Highest opening partnerships in T20Is

6. Mukhtar Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad (Pakistan) – 142 v Zimbabwe:

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