Highest Opening Partnership in T20 International

T20 is the shortest format of cricket that lasts for 20 overs, so for any team wishing to succeed in achieving the maximum number of runs through their opening pairings, it is paramount that they succeed in achieving it. An important role played by the first wicket partnership in the formation of a big total on the scoreboard is the formation of a big partnership.

In a 20 overs match, every cricket team wants its opening batsmen to keep a high run rate in order to give them a chance of scoring a lot of runs so the rest of the batsmen can play freely. With a good start to the inning, the middle order does not feel any pressure from the lower order and is free to play their own game without getting pressure from the lower order.

In the Powerplay, only two fielders are allowed to field outside the 30-yard line and this gives the opening pairs the advantage of being able to free their hands so that they can score a maximum number of runs.

The highest 1st wicket partnership in T20 International history is 236 runs made by Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani of Afghanistan against Ireland at Dehradun on 23 February 2019. To this day, it remains the highest 1st wicket partnership in the history of T20 Internationals.

There have only been three times in T20I history where the first wicket partnership has crossed 200 runs. The Australian duo of AJ Finch and DJM Short did this feat for the second time and scored 223 runs against Zimbabwe on the 3rd of July 2018.

The opening pairs of the Indian team have contributed to a total of 100 runs or more eight times. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, the first wicket partnership they scored for India in a T20I, scored 165 runs against the West Indies in Indore on 22 December 2017.

In the 20 overs game, there are 74 instances in which the first wicket partnership crossed 100 runs as part of the opening batsman’s innings. A maximum of ten times have New Zealand achieved this feat and scored 100 or more runs as a first wicket partnership in T20I, followed by Australia with eight times, India with five times, West Indies with five times, England with four times, Pakistan with four times, Sri Lanka with three times, and South Africa with three times in T20I.

Against England in Durban on 19 Sep 2007, Indian openers G Gambhir and V Sehwag achieved a first for India by making 1st wicket partnership of 136 runs as they opened the batting against England for the first time.

For the first time in nine years, KL Rahul and Mandeep Singh achieved this feat on behalf of the Indian team. Against Zimbabwe on the 20th of June 2016, they scored an unbeaten 103 runs to win the match unbeaten.

It was Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt who made the highest 1st wicket partnership in the history of Pakistan in T20I, scoring 142 runs against Bangladesh on 1 May 2010 at Gros Islet, but recently Babar Azam and Rizwan broke this record when they scored 197 runs at the first wicket for Pakistan.

As for Sri Lanka, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya scored 124 runs for the 1st wicket in their match against West Indies at Nottingham on 10 Jun 2009, which is the highest first wicket partnership ever played by Sri Lanka.

The highest first-wicket partnership between Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das occurred at Dhaka on 9 March 2020, when they made 92 runs against Zimbabwe.

The highest opening partnership in T20s

Batsmen (Team)	Runs	Against	Venue	Date
Hazratullah Zazai,Usman Ghani (Afghanistan)	236	Ireland	Dehradun	23 Feb 2019
Aaron Finch and DJM Short (Australia)	223	Zimbabwe	Harare	3 Jul 2018
George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (Scotland)	200	Netherlands	Dublin	16 Sep 2019
Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (Pakistan)	197	South Africa	Centurion	19 Apr 2021
Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (New Zealand)	171*	Pakistan	Hamilton	17 Jan 2016
Graeme Smith & Loots Bosman (South Africa)	170	England	Centurion	15 Nov 2009
Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul (India)	165	Sri Lanka	Indore	22 Dec 2017
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan (India)	160	Ireland	Dublin	27 Jun 2018
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan (India)	158	NZ	Delhi	1 Nov 2017
Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam (Pakistan)	158	WI	Karachi	16 Dec 2021
Paul Hennessy, Awais Ahmed (Spain)	155	Malta	Cartagena	30 Mar 2019
Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien (Ireland)	154	West Indies	St George’s	15 Jan 2020
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam Pakistan (T20 World Cup 2021)	152*	India	Dubai	24 Oct 2021
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam Pakistan	150	England	Nottingham	17 Jul 2021
Chris Gayle and Devon Smith West Indies	149	South Africa	Nottingham	11 Sep 2007