Guide

Highest T20I Partnerships | Get the Top 10 list

The highest recorded partnership in T20 cricket is set by Argentina’s women cricketers Lucia Taylor and Albertina Galan, who tallied 350 runs for the first wicket against Chile Women during a bilateral T20I series in 2023.

Subhayan Dutta
Subhayan Dutta

Last Updated: 2024-07-12

Kaylan Geekie

7 minutes read

Afghanistan Cricket Team

Afghanistan Cricket Team

While individual batting performances often take center-stage in the T20 format, batting partnerships are equally crucial despite the very limited number of balls available to stitch one. The list of the highest T20I partnerships in men’s cricket is led by Japan’s L Yamamoto-Lake and K Kadowaki-Fleming, who forged a 258-run stand against China.

Building a good partnership in T20 cricket is difficult as neither of the duo can afford to take time while the other takes on the bowlers. A successful T20 partnership not only pressurizes the opponent but also keeps the squad fresh to commit everything during fielding.  


The highest recorded partnership in T20 cricket is set by Argentina’s women cricketers Lucia Taylor and Albertina Galan, who tallied 350 runs for the first wicket against Chile Women during a bilateral T20I series in 2023.

Highest T20I Partnerships: Top 10 list


Let’s look at the top 10 list of highest T20I partnerships in men’s cricket:

Top 10 List of Highest T20I Partnerships

RankBatsmanPartnershipWicketTeamOpponentVenueDate
1L Yamamoto-Lake, K Kadowaki-Fleming258*1stJapanv ChinaMong KokFebruary 15, 2024
2Usman Ghani, Hazratullah Zazai2361stAfghanistanv IrelandDehradunFebruary 23, 2019
3DJM Short, AJ Finch2231stAustraliav ZimbabweHarareJuly 3, 2018
4Dylan Steyn, S Davizi2201stCzech Rep.v BulgariaMarsaMay 12, 2022
5BA Pai, L Bruce213*1stGibraltarv BulgariaMarsaMay 13, 2022
6Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam203*1stPakistanv EnglandKarachiSeptember 22, 2022
7HG Munsey, KJ Coetzer2001stScotlandv NetherlandsDublin (Malahide)September 16, 2019
8Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam1971stPakistanv South AfricaCenturionApril 14, 2021
9RK Paudel, Kushal Malla1933rdNepalv MongoliaHangzhouSeptember 27, 2023
10M Levitt, SA Engelbrecht1932ndNetherlandsv NamibiaKirtipurFebruary 29, 2024
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L Yamamoto-Lake & K Kadowaki-Fleming - 258* | Japan vs China


Chinese bowlers had one of the worst outings in the history of cricket on February 15, 2024, during the East Asia Cup hosted in their backyard. Batting first, Japanese openers Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake and Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming stitched an unbelievable 258-run stand for the first wicket.

Skipper Kadowaki-Fleming.jpg

Image for Skipper Kadowaki-Fleming

While Japanese skipper Fleming remained unbeaten scoring 109 runs in 53 balls, Yamamoto-Lake amped up the heat hitting a 68-ball-134-runs knock while remaining unbeaten. The duo divided their task through boundaries. The duo jointly hit 11 boundaries and a whopping 23 sixes in the process.

Interestingly, the mammoth total of 258 runs was scored despite one of the Chinese bowlers (Luo Shilin) conceding just 28 runs in four overs. Barring Shilin, none of the bowlers could maintain an economy rate of less than 10 with the most runs conceded by Tian Sen Qun (42 runs in four overs). China was all-out for 78 runs losing by a huge margin of 180 runs.

Usman Ghani & Hazratullah Zazai - 236 | Afghanistan vs Ireland


Afghanistan’s giant killing spree and a semi-final finish in the 2024 T20 World Cup was no fluke as the recently formed cricketing nation has kept ticking all the right boxes over the last few years. One instance that proved their steep progress vividly was Afghanistan's second T20I against Ireland in Dehradun on February 23, 2019.

afghanistan v ireland cricket.jpg

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Batting first on a batting paradise, Afghan opener Hazraullah Zazai unleashed a barrage of sixes upon the Irish bowlers while Usman Ghani played the anchor’s role. While Ghani, Shafiqullah and Mohammad Nabi all departed at the later stages of the game, Zazai stayed unbeaten until the end scoring an unbeaten 162 runs in 62 balls. The Paktia-born lad had hammered 11 boundaries and 16 sixes to help Afghanistan post a target of 279 runs.

Interestingly, Ireland had an opening stand of 126 runs as well and had captain Paul Stirling not gotten out early, the visitors could have made the match interesting. Ireland eventually fell short by 84 runs.

D’Arcy Short & Aaron Finch - 223 runs | Australia vs Zimbabwe 


Zimbabwe had faced the good old Australian treatment at Harare during the 2018 T20I Tri Series between Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Australia. Coming off a solid 9-wicket win over Pakistan in the previous match, the Aussies were high in confidence and captain Aaron Finch personified that with a thunderous knock of 172 runs.

Australia vs Zimbabwe.jpg

Image for Australia vs Zimbabwe

Australia’s other opener D’Arcy Short played the anchor’s role as Finch went about things in a brutal manner, hitting 16 boundaries and 10 sixes to end the match in the first innings itself. Short was dismissed in the 20th over but not before the duo had forged an opening partnership of 223 runs, which is the third highest T20I partnership.

Chris Mpofu was the most expensive bowler for the hosts as he conceded 53 runs in his four overs. Chasing a target of 230 runs saw Zimbabwe crumble at 129 runs as they lost the match by 100 runs.


Dylan Steyn & S Davizi - 220 runs | Czech Republic vs Bulgaria


Czech openers Dylan Steyn and Sabawoon Davizi achieved this feat during the eighth T20I of the 2022 Valletta Cup in Malta’s Marsa Sports Club. Batting first, the duo forged a formidable partnership of 220 runs in 18 overs, when Steyn was dismissed after scoring 106 runs in 55 balls.

While Davizi dealt in sixes, Steyn did his job through boundaries scoring 17 of them apart from two sixes. Davizi stayed unbeaten till the end with a knock of 115 runs in just 59 balls. He hit eight sixes and seven boundaries in the process.

Bulgaria's Asad Alo Rehemtulla and Jacib Albin sconceded 52 and 51 runs respectively in their quota of four overs, leaving Bulgaria to chase a target of 259 runs in 20 overs. The Czech Republic eventually won by 88 runs.

BA Pai, L Bruce - 213 | Gibraltar vs Bulgaria 


The Marsa Sports Club was lucky to witness history being created on consecutive days during the 2022 Valletta Cup. After May 12, 2022 saw the Czech Republic hammering Bulgaria, May 13 saw Gibraltor taking that role.

Batting first, Gibraltar skipper Avinash Pai and Louis Bruce remained unbeaten till the very end, scoring 86 and 99 runs, respectively. Coincidentally, both the batsmen scored an identical number of boundaries (11) in the process. Jacob Albin was again the most expensive bowler for the Bulgarian side as he conceded 48 runs in his four overs.

The Bulgarian batsman, however, put up a fight while chasing the target of 214 runs with wicketkeeper Saim Hussain (64) and Kevun D’Souza (46), pulling back the match in the middle overs, However, they eventually fell short by 21 runs.

While the top five list is mostly populated by batters of the associated nations, the list interestingly features the Pakistan batting duo Babar Azam and Muhammaz Rizwan twice, who had forged partnerships of 203* and 197 against England and South Africa.

What is the highest T20 partnership in history?

The highest T20 partnership in history is between Lucia Taylor and Albertina Galan of Argentina Women’s side. Playing against Chile Women’s team, the duo put on a 350-run opening wicket stand. While Taylor scored 169 runs off 84 balls, Galan stayed unbeaten on 145 runs.

Who has the highest T20 partnership in IPL history?

The highest T20 partnership in IPL history was forged by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, during Royal Challengers Bangalore’s match against Gujarat Lions in IPL 2016. Kohli and ABB stitched a mind boggling 229-run stand for the second wicket.

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers IPL RCB Batting.jpeg

Image for Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers

What is the highest partnership in cricket history?

The highest-ever partnership in cricket history belongs to former Sri Lankan legends Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who formed an unbelievable 624-run stand against South Africa during the 2006 Colombo Test match.

What is the highest partnership in the T20 World Cup?

The highest partnership in the T20 World Cup is an unbeaten 170-run stand between England’s Jos Buttler and Alex Hales, which the duo forged against India during the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Subhayan Dutta
Subhayan DuttaSports Writer

An M.A. in English Literature, Subhayan is an experienced journalist and sports writer. Having worked as a journalist at Hindustan Times, Subhayan covered diverse beats including sports, education, and health, showcasing his versatility and in-depth understanding of various subjects.