Published: Aug 01, 2015, 04:40 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 01, 2015, 04:48 PM (IST)
South African batsmen Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince shared a partnership of 501 runs for Lancashire against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay recently in the County Championship in England. On the occasion, Bharath Seervi lists the highest partnerships between players from same as well as different countries in First-Class cricket.
The partnership of 501 runs shared between Alviro Peterson and Ashwell Prince is the highest between two South Africans in First-Class cricket history. It is also a record for any wicket by two non-Englishmen in County Championship. Before this, 12 partnerships of over 500 runs were scored in First-Class cricket, of which 7 were between players from Asia in Asia. England and West Indies were the only non-Asian countries for which batsmen made 500-run stands. ALSO READ: Petersen, Prince and other instances of two batsmen scoring between 250-300 in same FC innings
In fact, there has been at least one 500-run partnership between players of all four Asian Test-playing nations — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. But there are none for countries like Australia (which is surprising, given Don Bradman and Bill Ponsford) and New Zealand. Before Peterson and Prince’s stand there was none for South Africa as well.
Let’s list the highest partnerships by players from same country for each country in First-Class cricket.
Highest partnership between two players from same country from each country in First-Class cricket
| Country | Runs | Partners | Wkt | For | Against | Venue | Season |
| Australia | 464* | Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh | 5 | NSW | Western Australia | WACA | 1990-91 |
| Bangladesh | 580 | Rafatullah Mohmand, Aamer Sajjad | 2 | Water and Power Development Authority | Sui Southern Gas Corporation | Sheikhupura | 2009-10 |
| England | 555 | Percy Holmes, Herbert Sutcliffe | 1 | Yorkshire | Essex | Leyton | 1932 |
| India | 577 | Vijay Hazare, Gul Mohammad | 4 | Baroda | Holkar | Baroda | 1946-47 |
| New Zealand | 467 | Andrew Jones, Martin Crowe | 3 | New Zealand | Sri Lanka | Wellington | 1990-91 |
| Pakistan | 561 | Waheed Mirza, Mansoor Akhtar | 1 | Karachi Whites | Quetta | Karachi | 1976-77 |
| South Africa | 501 | Alviro Petersen, Ashwell Prince | 3 | Lancashire | Glamorgan | Colwyn Bay | 2015 |
| Sri Lanka | 624 | Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene | 3 | Sri Lanka | South Africa | SSC | 2006 |
| West Indies | 574* | Clyde Walcott, Frank Worrell | 4 | Barbados | Trinidad | Queen’s Park Oval | 1945-46 |
| Zimbabwe | 330 | Dirk Viljoen, Craig Evans | 2 | Mashonaland | Matabeleland | Bulawayo | 2010-11 |
– For New Zealand and Sri Lanka, the highest partnership in First-Class cricket came in Tests.
– The partnership between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene of 624 runs is the highest partnership in the history of First-Class cricket and the only one in excess of 600.
– The highest partnership involving a South African is 523 between Neil McKenzie and Michael Carberry for Hampshire against Yorkshire at Southampton in 2011.
– The highest partnership involving a Zimbabwean is 385* between Michael Yardy and Murray Goodwin for Sussex against Warwickshire at Hove in 2006.
The County Championship is probably the largest domestic First-Class cricket competition where players from different countries play for the participating teams. Many high individual scores, bowling figures and partnership in County involve players from different countries. The table below lists the highest partnerships between two players from different countries in First-Class cricket.
Highest partnership between two players from different countries in First-Class cricket
| Runs | Partners | Wkt | For | Against | Venue | Season |
| 523 | Michael Carberry (Eng), Neil McKenzie (SA) | 3 | Hampshire | Yorkshire | Southampton | 2011 |
| 470 | Alvin Kallicharran (WI), Geoff Humpage (Eng) | 4 | Warwickshire | Lancashire | Southport | 1982 |
| 465* | John Jameson (Eng), Rohan Kanhai (WI) | 2 | Warwickshire | Gloucestershire | Edgbaston | 1974 |
| 438* | Graeme Hick (Eng), Tom Moody (Aus) | 3 | Worcestershire | Hampshire | Southampton | 1997 |
| 436* | Darren Maddy (Eng), Brad Hodge (Aus) | 3 | Leicestershire | Loughborough University Centre of Cricketing Excellence | Grace Road | 2003 |
| 433 | Arthur Sims (NZ), Victor Trumper (Aus) | 8 | Australians | Canterbury | Christchurch | 1913-14 |
| 425* | Adrian Dale (Eng), Viv Richards (WI) | 4 | Glamorgan | Middlesex | Cardiff | 1993 |
| 411 | Robert Poore (SA), Teddy Wynyard (Eng) | 6 | Hampshire | Somerset | Taunton | 1899 |
| 408 | Salil Oberoi (Ind), Dan Fox (Eng) | 3 | Oxford University | Cambridge University | Fenner’s | 2005 |
| 402 | Rohan Kanhai (WI), Billy Ibadulla (Pak) | 4 | Warwickshire | Nottinghamshire | Trent Bridge | 1968 |
– Of the 10 400-run partnerships between players from different countries, nine have come in England.
– There are only three 400-run partnerships between two Non-Englishmen in England: 501 between Peterson and Prince, mentioned in the first table; 451 between Bradman and Ponsford for Australia against England at The Oval in 1934 in a Test; and 402 between Rohan Kanhai and Billy Ibadulla, mentioned in the second table.
– As evident from the above table, the only 400-run partnerships between players from different countries outside England is 433 between Arthur Sims and Victor Trumper.
Footnote Trivia
Since World War II, there are four partnerships of more than 450 runs in England but in none of those two Englishmen have been involved. The highest is 450 between Nick Compton and James Hildreth for Somerset against Cardiff Marylebone Cricket Club University at Taunton in 2012.
(Bharath Seervi is a cricket statistician who is obsessed with digging numbers, facts and records related to the game. An active member of Society of Cricket Statisticians of India, he blogs at www.cricketseervistats.blogspot.com. He can be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SeerviBharath and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SeerviCricket)
