Highest 1st Wicket Partnership in T20 | Highest Opening Partnership in T20

T20 cricket is a fast-paced format, a good 1st wicket partnership can lead to a faster run rate in the early overs, which is crucial in T20 cricket. 

It also relieves the pressure on the middle order batters. This allows them to play more strategically and build on the platform set by the openers.

The history of T20 internationals has witnessed many incredible opening partnerships, with opening batsmen putting on massive scores and breaking records. 

The highest 1st wicket partnership in T20 is 236 runs. Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani of Afghanistan made that partnership against Ireland in 2019

Highest 1st Wicket Partnership in T20 | Top 10

Here is a comprehensive overview of the top 10 highest opening partnerships in T20 internationals:

1. Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani (Afghanistan) – 236 Runs Partnership

Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani smashed an unbeaten 236 runs against Ireland in 2019, which is the highest 1st wicket partnership in t20. Their partnership helped Afghanistan post a mammoth total of 278/3.

Zazai scored a blistering 162 runs off just 62 balls, while Ghani chipped in with a solid 73 runs off 48 balls. This partnership helped Afghanistan to a crushing 84-run victory.

2. Aaron Finch and D’Arcy Short (Australia) – 223 Runs Partnership

Finch and Short put on a show in July 2018 against Zimbabwe. The Australian openers tore apart the Zimbabwean bowling attack, racing to 223 runs in just 15 overs. 

Finch was the aggressor, scoring 172 runs off just 76 balls, while Short played a supporting role with 46 runs. This partnership helped Australia to a massive 100-run victory.

3. Sabawoon Davizi and Dylan Steyn (Czech Republic) – 220 Runs Partnership

Sabawoon Davizi and Dylan Steyn of Czech Republic put on a remarkable 220-run opening stand against Bulgaria in 2022. 

Davizi scored a brilliant 115 runs off 59 balls, while Steyn scored 106 runs off 55 balls. This partnership helped the Czech Republic to a comfortable 88-run victory.

4. Avinash Pai and Louis Bruce (Gibraltar) – 213 Runs Partnership

This dominant 1st wicket partnership between Avinash Pai and Louis Bruce came in May 2022 during an ICC Men’s European Championship T20 against Bulgaria. 

Pai and Bruce made light work of the Bulgarian bowling attack, smashing an unbeaten 213 runs in 20 overs. 

Pai made 86 runs off 59 balls, while Bruce scored 99 runs off just 63 balls. This partnership helped Gibraltar to a convincing 21-run victory.

5. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 203 Runs Partnership

Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam made an unbeaten 203-run partnership against England in 2022. 

Rizwan scored 88 runs off 51 balls, while Babar played an outstanding knock of 110 runs. Rizwan and Azam chased down a target of 200 with ease, reaching the winning total without losing a wicket.

6. George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer (Scotland) – 200 Runs Partnership

George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer put on an attacking display, smashing 200 runs in just 15.1 overs against Netherlands in 2019. 

Munsey was the more aggressive batsman, scoring 127 runs off 56 balls, while Coetzer played a solid supporting role with 89 runs off 50 balls. This 200-run partnership helped Scotland to a comfortable 58-run victory.

7. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 197 Runs Partnership

This iconic Pakistani opening pair made another outstanding 197-run partnership against South Africa. 

Rizwan scored 73 runs off 47 balls, while Azam played an outstanding knock of 122 runs. This partnership helped Pakistan to a comprehensive 9-wicket victory.

8. Kamau Leverock and Tre Manders (Bermuda) – 179 Runs Partnership

Kamau Leverock and Tre Manders made this 179-run partnership against Panama in February 2023 during an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier match.

Leverock was the aggressor, scoring 103 runs off 58 balls, while Manders played a supporting role with 67 runs off 55 balls. This partnership helped Bermuda to win the match by 60 runs.

9. Avinash Pai and Louis Bruce (Gibraltar) – 172 Runs Partnership

This partnership is the second entry for this Gibraltar opening pair, highlighting their dominance in associate cricket. 

This time, the pair put on a show in October 2021 during an ICC Men’s European Championship T20 match against Bulgaria. 

Pai and Bruce smashed 172 runs in just 16.3 overs. Pai continued his fine form, scoring 107 runs off 52 balls, while Bruce contributed a valuable 73 runs off 50 balls. This partnership helped Gibraltar to win the match by 37 runs.

10. Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson (New Zealand) – 171 Runs Partnership

This opening partnership of 171 runs from two of New Zealand’s best batsmen came in January 2016 against Pakistan. 

Guptill was the dominant batsman, scoring 87 runs off 58 balls, while Williamson played a more controlled innings with 72 runs off 48 balls. 

Guptill and Williamson chased down a target of 169 with ease, winning the match by 10 wickets and with 14 balls remaining.

List of All the Highest 1st Wicket Partnerships in T20 Internationals

Sr. No.	Partners	Runs	Team	Opposition	Ground	Match Date
1	Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani	236	Afghanistan	v Ireland	Dehradun	23-Feb-19
2	Aaron Finch, D'Archy Short	223	Australia	v Zimbabwe	Harare	3-Jul-18
3	Sabawoon Davizi, Dylan Steyn	220	Czech Rep.	v Bulgaria	Marsa	12-May-22
4	Avinash Pai, Louis Bruce	213*	Gibraltar	v Bulgaria	Marsa	13-May-22
5	Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam	203*	Pakistan	v England	Karachi	22-Sep-22
6	George Munsey,Kyle Coetzer	200	Scotland	v Netherlands	Dublin (Malahide)	16-Sep-19
7	Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam	197	Pakistan	v South Africa	Centurion	14-Apr-21
8	Kamau Leverock, Tre Manders	179	Bermuda	v Panama	Buenos Aires	28-Feb-23
9	Avinash Pai, Louis Bruce	172*	Gibraltar	v Bulgaria	Marsa	23-Oct-21
10	Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson	171*	New Zealand	v Pakistan	Hamilton	17-Jan-16
11	Jos Buttler, Alex Hales	170*	England	v India	Adelaide	10-Nov-22
12	GC Smith, LE Bosman	170	South Africa	v England	Centurion	15-Nov-09
13	Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul	165	India	v Sri Lanka	Indore	22-Dec-17
14	YBK Jaiswal, Shubman Gill	165	India	v West Indies	Lauderhill	12-Aug-23
15	Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan	160	India	v Ireland	Dublin (Malahide)	27-Jun-18
16	Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan	158	India	v New Zealand	Delhi	1-Nov-17
17	Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam	158	Pakistan	v West Indies	Karachi	16-Dec-21
18	Zubaidi Zulkifle, Virandeep Singh	156	Malaysia	v Bahrain	Bangi	19-Dec-22
19	PD Hennessy, Awais Ahmed	155	Spain	v Malta	Cartagena	30-Mar-19
20	PR Stirling, KJ O'Brien	154	Ireland	v West Indies	St George's	15-Jan-20
21	Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam	152*	Pakistan	v India	Dubai (DSC)	24-Oct-21
22	Q de Kock, RR Hendricks	152	South Africa	v West Indies	Centurion	26-Mar-23
23	J Butler, GH Smit	152	Guernsey	v Germany	Deventer	15-Aug-23
24	Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam	150	Pakistan	v England	Nottingham	16-Jul-21
25	R Pathan, M Spoors	149	Canada	v Philippines	Al Amerat	18-Feb-22
26	C Tommy, N Nipiko	148	Vanuatu	v Fiji	Suva	16-Mar-23
27	CH Gayle, DS Smith	145	West Indies	v South Africa	Johannesburg	11-Sep-07
28	J Bulele, F Damiao Couana	145	Mozambique	v Cameroon	Rwanda	3-Nov-21
29	S Davizi, H Gori	144	Czech Rep.	v Malta	Marsa	20-Oct-19
30	R Pathan, NS Dhaliwal	144	Canada	v Panama	Coolidge	14-Nov-21
31	MJ Lumb, AD Hales	143*	England	v New Zealand	Wellington	15-Feb-13
32	Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt	142	Pakistan	v Bangladesh	Gros Islet	1-May-10
33	Mukhtar Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad	142	Pakistan	v Zimbabwe	Lahore	22-May-15
34	A Johnson, SA Wijeyeratne	142	Canada	v Oman	Al Amerat	16-Nov-22
35	KL Rahul, RG Sharma	140	India	v Afghanistan	Abu Dhabi	3-Nov-21
36	Zubaidi Zulkifle, Virandeep Singh	140	Malaysia	v Bhutan	Bangi	2-Jul-22
37	A Dizija, S Tosic	137	Serbia	v Turkey	Sofia	23-Jun-23
38	G Gambhir, V Sehwag	136	India	v England	Durban	19-Sep-07
39	MJ Guptill, C Munro	136	New Zealand	v West Indies	Mount Maunganui	3-Jan-18
40	RG Sharma, KL Rahul	135	India	v West Indies	Wankhede	11-Dec-19
41	T Manders, AC Douglas	135	Bermuda	v Bahamas	Coolidge	10-Nov-21
42	Muhammad Muneeb, Aziz Mohammad	135	Belgium	v Malta	Gent	11-Jun-22
43	AJ Finch, DA Warner	134*	Australia	v Sri Lanka	Colombo (RPS)	7-Jun-22
44	CH Gayle, ADS Fletcher	133	West Indies	v Australia	The Oval	6-Jun-09
45	SR Watson, DA Warner	133	Australia	v India	Colombo (RPS)	28-Sep-12
46	LMP Simmons, E Lewis	133	West Indies	v Ireland	Basseterre	19-Jan-20
47	GC Smith, LE Bosman	132*	South Africa	v Pakistan	Johannesburg	2-Feb-07
48	Khawar Ali, Jatinder Singh	132*	Oman	v Maldives	Al Amerat	25-Feb-20
49	MJ Guptill, C Munro	132	New Zealand	v Australia	Auckland	16-Feb-18
50	BA Pai, L Bruce	132	Gibraltar	v Bulgaria	Marsa	24-Oct-21
51	JC Buttler, AD Hales	132	England	v Australia	Perth	9-Oct-22
52	Aqib Ilyas, Jatinder Singh	131*	Oman	v P.N.G.	Al Amerat	17-Oct-21
53	JD Ryder, BB McCullum	130	New Zealand	v West Indies	Hamilton	28-Dec-08
54	R Sandaruwan, Usman Patel	129	Kuwait	v Bahrain	Al Amerat	26-Feb-20
55	Muhammad Waseem, V Aravind	129	U.A.E.	v Afghanistan	Abu Dhabi	19-Feb-23
56	AD Hales, C Kieswetter	128*	England	v West Indies	The Oval	23-Sep-11
57	MJ Guptill, BB McCullum	127*	New Zealand	v Zimbabwe	Harare	15-Oct-11
58	T Bavuma, RR Hendricks	127	South Africa	v Ireland	Belfast	24-Jul-21
59	DO Obuya, SO Tikolo	126*	Kenya	v Scotland	Nairobi (Gym)	4-Feb-10
60	AA Obanda, SO Tikolo	126	Kenya	v Canada	Dubai (DSC)	10-Feb-10
61	J Charles, E Lewis	126	West Indies	v India	Lauderhill	27-Aug-16
62	PR Stirling, KJ O'Brien	126	Ireland	v Afghanistan	Dehradun	23-Feb-19
63	AB de Villiers, HM Amla	125	South Africa	v England	Johannesburg	21-Feb-16
64	TP Ura, A Vala	125	P.N.G.	v Namibia	ICCA 2 Dubai	20-Oct-19
65	TM Dilshan, ST Jayasuriya	124	Sri Lanka	v West Indies	Nottingham	10-Jun-09
66	Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Nazir	124	Pakistan	v Bangladesh	Pallekele	25-Sep-12
67	A Johnson, SA Wijeyeratne	124	Canada	v Oman	Al Amerat	21-Nov-22
68	Litton Das, Rony Talukdar	124	Bangladesh	v Ireland	Chattogram	29-Mar-23
69	RG Sharma, S Dhawan	123	India	v West Indies	Lucknow	6-Nov-18
70	MP O'Dowd, BN Cooper	123	Netherlands	v Bermuda	Dubai (DSC)	26-Oct-19
71	H Lakov, IA De Silva	123	Bulgaria	v Czech Rep.	Marsa	12-May-22
72	AJ Finch, DA Warner	122	Australia	v Sri Lanka	Adelaide	27-Oct-19
73	RR Hendricks, Q de Kock	121*	South Africa	v Sri Lanka	Colombo (RPS)	14-Sep-21
74	DA Warner, DJM Short	121	Australia	v New Zealand	Auckland	16-Feb-18
75	Zeeshan Kukikhel, Abhijeet Ahuja	121	Hungary	v Malta	Ilfov County	5-Sep-21
76	G Mckeon, HA Jackson	121	France	v Estonia	Kerava	30-Jul-22
77	BB McCullum, MJ Guptill	120	New Zealand	v Zimbabwe	Harare	17-Oct-11
78	DA Warner, AJ Finch	120	Australia	v South Africa	Cape Town	26-Feb-20
79	KL Rahul, V Kohli	119	India	v Afghanistan	Dubai (DSC)	8-Sep-22
80	Muhammad Waseem, V Aravind	119	U.A.E.	v Afghanistan	Abu Dhabi	18-Feb-23
81	RG Sharma, S Dhawan	118	India	v Bangladesh	Rajkot	7-Nov-19
82	TP Ura, A Vala	118	P.N.G.	v Philippines	Port Moresby	28-Jul-23
83	A Sharma, Muhammad Waseem	118	U.A.E.	v Oman	Doha	16-Sep-23
84	KL Rahul, RG Sharma	117	India	v New Zealand	Ranchi	19-Nov-21
85	FH Allen, DP Conway	117	New Zealand	v Pakistan	Christchurch	11-Oct-22
86	PD Salt, JC Buttler	117	England	v West Indies	Tarouba	19-Dec-23
87	Taranjeet Singh, R Satheesan	116*	Romania	v Serbia	Sofia	26-Jun-21
88	TP Visee, MP O'Dowd	116	Netherlands	v Ireland	Al Amerat	17-Feb-19
89	K Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh	116	Nepal	v Netherlands	Kirtipur	17-Apr-21
90	Aziz Mohammad, Muhammad Muneeb	116	Belgium	v Gibraltar	Gent	28-Jun-22
91	PR Stirling, KJ O'Brien	115	Ireland	v Scotland	Al Amerat	15-Feb-19
92	PD Salt, JC Buttler	115	England	v West Indies	St George's	16-Dec-23
93	D Ndikubwimana, K Irakoze	114	Rwanda	v Tanzania	Rwanda	21-Aug-23
94	Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam	113	Pakistan	v Namibia	Abu Dhabi	2-Nov-21
95	G Mckeon, HA Jackson	113	France	v Czech Rep.	Kerava	24-Jul-22
96	J Bulele, F Damiao Couana	112	Mozambique	v Eswatini	Kigali	2-Dec-22
97	Ameer Saiyed, K Motlhanka	112	Botswana	v Rwanda	Nairobi (Gym)	10-Jun-23
98	AR Patwa, II Selemani	112	Tanzania	v Rwanda	Rwanda	22-Aug-23
99	DA Warner, SR Watson	111	Australia	v Pakistan	Dubai (DSC)	10-Sep-12
100	MJ Lumb, AD Hales	111	England	v Australia	Chester-le-Street	31-Aug-13

Data Source: ESPN Cricinfo