Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman of Pakistan have broken the record for the highest opening partnership in one-day internationals. The record was earlier held by Sri Lanka's Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya, who had added 286 against England at Leeds in July 2006.
Pakistan had opted to bat against Zimbabwe in the fourth ODI of the five-match series in Bulawayo on Friday. The visitors already lead the series 3-0.
Up against a weak Zimbabwe team, Imam and Fakhar made the most of the opportunity and posted the first 300-run opening stand in one-day internationals. The pair was eventually separated after adding 304 off 42 overs when Iman fell to Wellington Masakadza for a 122-ball 113. Fakhar Zaman carried the bat with 210* as Pakistan smashed its highest ever ODI score of 399-1.
Fakhar meanwhile went on to become the first Pakistani batsman and sixth overall after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle and Martin Guptill to score a double hundred in ODIs. The record for the highest individual score was earlier held by Saeed Anwar, who had made 194 against India back in 1997.
| Player | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR | Ground | Start Date | Opposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fakhar Zaman | 210* | 156 | 24 | 5 | 134.62 | Bulawayo | 20-Jul-2018 | Zimbabwe |
| Saeed Anwar | 194 | 146 | 22 | 5 | 132.87 | Chennai | 21-May-1997 | India |
| Imran Nazir | 160 | 124 | 14 | 8 | 132.23 | Kingston | 21-Mar-2007 | Zimbabwe |
| Sharjeel Khan | 152 | 86 | 16 | 9 | 176.74 | Dublin (Malahide) | 18-Aug-2016 | Ireland |
| Younis Khan | 144 | 122 | 8 | 3 | 118.03 | Colombo (SSC) | 18-Jul-2004 | Hong Kong |
Nine months later, South Africa's opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla added an unbroken 282 against Bangladesh in Kimberley.In recent years, two other pairs had come close to breaking the record for the highest opening stand in ODIs. David Warner and Travis Head of Australia had added 284 against Pakistan in Adelaide in January last year.
Pakistan is on Zimbabwe tour and is playing a five ODI series against them. The green shirts have already won their first three ODIs against Zimbabwe.
Comments
Post a Comment