A Longer Partnership between the two Batsmen can lead their team to a Big Total in a T20 Cricket match. The same goes for the T20 World Cup match as well. T20 World Cup history is full of many higher partnerships between the batsmen, that took their team into a dominating position.
ICC T20 World Cup Longest Partnerships
From Mahela Jayewardene & Kumara Sangakara to Mohammad Hafeez & Imran Nazir, Cricket fans have seen some of the monumental batting pairs in T20 World Cup history.
They helped their teams in many crucial moments of the match by scoring longer partnerships with their great chemistry and running between the wickets. Here are the Top 10 Longest Partnerships in ICC T20 World Cup history.
| Partners | Runs | Wkt | Team | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
| Mahela Jayawardene & Kumara Sangakkara | 166 | 2nd | Sri Lanka | v West Indies | Bridgetown | 7 May 2010 |
| Babar Azam & Mohammed Rizwan | 152* | 1st | Pakistan | India | Dubai | 24 Oct 2021 |
| Alex Hales & Eoin Morgan | 152 | 3rd | England | v Sri Lanka | Chattogram | 27 Mar 2014 |
| Chris Gayle & Dwayne Smith | 145 | 1st | West Indies | v South Africa | Johannesburg | 11 Sep 2007 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan & Mahela Jayawardene | 145 | 2nd | Sri Lanka | v England | Chattogram | 27 Mar 2014 |
| Kamran Akmal & Salman Butt | 142 | 1st | Pakistan | v Bangladesh | Gros Islet | 1 May 2010 |
| KL Rahul & Rohit Sharma | 140 | 1st | India | v Afghanistan | Abu Dhabi | 3 Nov 2021 |
| Gautam Gambhir & Virendar Sehwag | 136 | 1st | India | v England | Durban | 19 Sep 2007 |
| Chris Gayle & Andre Fletcher | 133 | 1st | West Indies | v Australia | The Oval | 6 Jun 2009 |
| Shane Watson & David Warner | 133 | 1st | Australia | v India | Colombo (RPS) | 28 Sep 2012 |
Mahela Jayawardene & Kumara Sangakkara – 166
Mahela Jayawardene and Kumara Sangakara are two great cricket legends from Sri Lanka. In their prime, they both dominated even the most furious bowling attacks of opponent teams. Jayawardene and Sangakra together scored 166 runs for the 2nd Wicket against West Indies in the 16th Match of T20 World cup 2010.
The match took place at Bridgetown on 7th May 2010. This 2nd Wicket Partnership between Jayawardene and Sangakara now stands as the highest partnership for any wicket in T20 World Cup history. Mahela Jayawardene remained unbeaten at 98 by hitting 4 sixes and 9 fours during the partnership.
Whereas, his partner Sangakara went on to score 68 runs with the help of three sixes and 5 fours. Due to this partnership, Sri Lanka won the match by 57 runs. And, Mahela Jayawardene was declared Man of the match for his marvelous contribution with the bat.
Babar Azam & Mohammed Rizwan – 152*
Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan have revolutionized the Pakistan batting lineup by providing stable starts in modern days of cricket. They both hold the record for 2nd longest Partnership for any wicket. In the famous match against India in T20 World Cup 2021, they together achieved 152* for the first wickets.
Rizwan remained unbeaten at 79. Whereas, his partner Babar Azam went on to grab 68 runs in that partnership. With such a stunning opening stand, Pakistan abled to defeat India by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2021. This also was the first-ever defeat for India at the hands of Green Shirts in any World Cup match.
Alex Hales & Eoin Morgan – 152
At number 3 on our list, we have an English batting pair consisting of Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan. Both these players are considered batting giants nowadays. They both scored 152 runs for the 3rd wicket against Sri Lanka in the 22nd Match of T20 World Cup 2014. This now stands as the 2nd Longest Partnership for any wicket in T20 World Cup history.
Alex Hales amassed 116 runs by striking 6 glorious sixes and 11 boundaries in the match. Whereas, his partner Eoin Morgan scored a handy 57 runs with the help of 2 sixes and 7 boundaries. As a result, England won the match by six wickets against Sri Lanka, and Alex Hales was awarded Man of the Match.
Chris Gayle & Dwayne Smith – 145
Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith Once reigned the Cricket World as openers together. They were excellent partners on the field and gave West Indian cricket fans many memorable victories. Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith scored 145 runs for the 1st wicket against South Africa in the opening match of the T20 World Cup 2007. The match took place in Johannesburg on 11 September 2007. This now stands as the 4th highest Partnership for any wicket in T20 World Cups.
Chris Gayle recorded the first T20 World Cup History by posting 117 runs on 57 balls. His innings was powered by 10 sixes and 7 boundaries. His partner, Dwayne Smith also came in handy with 35 on 34 balls. Smith struck three boundaries during the match. As a result, West Indies posted one of the highest totals in T20 World Cup history.
However, South Africa too responded with a brutal chase. A lightning 90 from Herschelle Gibbs and Justin Kemp’s 46 drove South Africa to 8 wickets win over West Indies.
Tillakaratne Dilshan & Maehla Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene holds the record for most runs in T20 World Cups. This is why he also joins many Longest partnerships on our list. Tillakaratne and Mehla Jayawardene together scored 145 runs for the 2nd wicket in the 22nd Match of T20 World Cup 2014. The match took place on Chattogram on 27 May 2014. This now stands as the 5th highest partnership in T20 World Cup history.
Tillakaratne scored 55 runs on 47 balls with the help of 2 sixes and four boundaries. Whereas, his partner Mahela Jayawardene collected 89 runs on 51 balls by hitting 3 sixes and 11 boundaries. As a result, Sri Lanka posted 189 for 4 while batting first England.
However, England chased down the target by posting the 2nd Highest partnership on our list between Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan. Therefore, England won the match by six wickets.
Kamran Akmal & Salman Butt – 142
Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt also making it on our list as a batting pair at the 6th spot. They together recorded the 6th highest partnership in T20 World Cup history by scoring 142 runs in the 4th match of ICC T20 World Cup 2010 against Bangladesh. The match took place at the Gros Islet on 1st May 2010.
Both Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt scored 73 runs each in the partnership. How’s that for synchronization between the batting partners. Kamran Akmal availed 55 balls and stuck one six and eight boundaries to reach the score.
Whereas, his partner Salman’s butt utilized 46 balls to hit two sixes and eight boundaries to collect the runs. As a result, Pakistan posted a huge target of 172/3 against Bangladesh.
In return, Bangladesh crawled to 151/7 and fell short in the chase. Therefore, Pakistan won the match by 21 runs. Salman Butt was announced Man of the Match for his excellent innings in the match.
KL Rahul & Rohit Sharma- 140
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are considered the pillars of the modern-day Indian batting lineup. In T20 World Cup 2021, they together achieved 140 runs against Afghanistan for the 1st wicket. This now stands as the 7th longest partnership in T20 World Cups.
KL Rahul managed to post 69 runs on the board in that partnership. Whereas, his partner Rohit Sharma went on to smash 74 runs in the partnership. As a result, India finished their turn on a high note of 210 for 2 in 20 overs.
Gautam Gambhir & Virendar Sehwag – 136
Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were two of the most dominating Indian Openers in the late 2000s. They also shared one of the Highest Partnerships in T20 World Cups as well. Gambhir and Sehwag recorded 136 runs for the 1st wicket against England in the 21st match of the T20 World Cup 2007. The match took place in Durban on 19th September 2007. This now stands as the 8th highest partnership in T20 World Cup history.
Gautam Gambhir scored 58 runs on 41 balls by hitting one six and seven boundaries. Whereas, his partner Virendar Sehwag also smashed 68 runs on 52 balls with the help of 3 sixes and 4 boundaries. As a result, India posted one of the highest totals (218/4) in the T20 World Cups history against England. However, England ended their turn at 200/6 and fell short in the chase. As a result, India won the match by 18 runs.
Chris Gayle & Andre Fletcher – 133
Chris Gayle was a true hard hitter during his prime, this is why he features on multiple occasions in our list. In the 2009 T20 World Cup, Chris Gayle alongside Andre Fletcher recorded the 9th highest partnership in T20 World Cup history. They scored 133 runs for the 1st wicket against Australia in the 3rd match of T20 World Cup 2009. The match was held at The Oval on 6th June 2009.
Chris Gayle smashed 88 runs on 50 balls with the help of six sixes and six boundaries. Whereas, his batting partner Andre Fletcher too grabbed 53 runs on 32 balls by hitting one six, and seven boundaries. As a result, West Indies won the match by 7 wickets against Australia. Chris Gayle was announced Man of the Match for his heroics with the bat.
Shane Watson & David Warner – 133
Star Australian Cricketer and one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket Shane Watson had a stunning career as an opener in T20 format. He alongside David Warner set the 10th highest partnership record in T20 World Cup history. Watson and Warner recorded 133 runs for the 1st wicket against India in the 16th match of the T20 World Cup 2012. The match took place at Colombo on 28th September 2012. This now holds the 8th longest partnership in T20 WCs.
Shane Watson grabbed 72 runs on 42 balls by striking 7 sixes and 2 boundaries. Whereas, his batting partner David Warner remained unbeaten at 63 by utilizing 41 balls and hitting 3 sixes with 7 boundaries. As a result, Australia won the match against India by 9 wickets. Shane Watson was declared Man of the Match for his thunder fast innings.