Top 10 Slowest partnerships in Test cricket

Top 10 Slowest partnerships in Test cricket: The 4th and final Test match between the home side India and South Africa witnessed slow cricket from the visitors who tried their best to draw the last Test. With batsmen determined to block everything bowled at them, they literally denied scoring opportunities in the second innings. Test cricket tests the patience of cricketers and at times where there is no possibility of achieving a result; one has to be content with a draw. Though, it takes great application and skills to bat for long periods of time with a cautious approach.

Here’s a look at Top 10 Slowest partnerships in Test cricket:

10. Stuart Carlisle & Grant Flower – 71 off 290:

The Zimbabwean pair added 71 runs off 290 balls against New Zealand at Harare in 2000. In reply to the visitors’ first innings total of 465, the home side could only manage 166 in their first innings and were asked to follow. In this same innings the Kiwis struggled to get the second wicket and Carlisle and Flower defended obdurately for 290 balls adding only 71 runs. Zimbabwe batted solidly in the second innings however a target of 72 runs was never going to be challenging and the Kiwis took the match by 8 wickets and won the 2-match series by 2-0.

Also Read – Highest Partnerships in Tests by Wicket

9. Herschelle Gibbs & Neil McKenzie – 78 off 320:

The 4th Test of the 5-match series between the home side West Indies and the South Africans at St John’s in Antigua in 2001 was an intriguing affair. Batting first the visitors scored 247 and in reply the home side was bundled out for just 140. West Indies bowling spearheaded by the legendary Courtney Walsh, who was playing his last international series, replied spiritedly and bowled out the Proteas for 215 however not before a 78-run partnership off 320 balls between Gibbs and McKenzie for the 2nd wicket. A target of 323 proved beyond the home side by 82 however Brian Lara’s sparkling 91 had kept the match in the balance and the Proteas nervous for a very long time. SA took an inaccessible lead of 2-0 in the series though Walsh signed off in style with a West Indian victory in the last Test at Kingston.

8. Mohammad Amir & Zulqarnain Haider – 52 off 218:

The 2nd Test between England and Pakistan at Birmingham in 2010 was a one-sided match dominated by the home side. The visitors were bowled out on day 1 for a paltry 72 and in reply England scored 251. The wicket-keeper, Zulqarnain Haider, scored a brilliant 88 and kept the English bowlers at bay in a gutsy 2nd innings knock. During the course of this knock he shared a 52-run partnership with the left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Amir who defended solidly. England, eventually set a target of 118 runs, won the match by 9 wickets taking a 2-0 lead in the 4-match series. Pakistan won a trilling 3rd Test however lost the last one by a huge margin thereby loosing the series. This was a series that was marred by the spot-fixing revelations.

7. AB de Villiers & Graeme Smith – 46 off 210:

In this hard fought Test match at Guyana in 2005, West Indies dominated the visiting South African side who managed to salvage a draw showing fierce determination. Double hundreds from Wavell Hinds and skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul took the home team to 543/5 before they declared the first innings. SA in reply was bowled out for just 188 and was asked to follow-on. Skipper Smith and de Villiers opened the innings and added 46 off 210 balls defending everything bowled at them. The visitors everntually batted out 161 overs for the loss of 4 wickets to ensure a draw. A monumental knock of 109* off 346 balls from Jacques Kallis did the rescue act for the Proteas. South Africa, who won the next 2 Tests which was followed by a draw, thereby secured the 4-match series by 2-0.

6. AB de Villiers & Faf du Plessis – 89 off 408:

One of the most extraordinary efforts ever witnessed, South Africa pulled off a draw from a seemingly hopeless position largely due to a marathon effort from de Villiers and du Plessis who batted 408 balls in a partnership of 89 runs against Australia at Adelaide in 2012. What makes this effort even more remarkable is the fact that du Plessis was on a Test debut and scored an unbeaten 110 off 376 balls to guide his team to safety. Batting first the home side scored 550 and in reply the visitors could manage 388 runs. The Aussies declared on 267/8 in the second innings and had the visitors on the mat at 45-4 when du Plessis joined de Villiers. The debutant had also scored 78 in the first innings and was righty given the man-of-the-match award for his incredible effort. South Africa won the 3rd and final Test at Perth thereby securing the series 1-0 as the previous 2 Tests were drawn.

5. Darren Gough & Mark Ramprakash – 53 off 248:

The one-off Test match between hosts England and Sri Lanka at The Oval in 1998 remains one of visitors’ greatest Test victories ever. Batting first the home side piled up 445 and in a strong reply the islanders piled on 591 with the help of a magnificent double hundred from Jayasuriya. The great Muttiah Muralitharan who had picked up 7 in England’s first innings, picked up 2 wickets as the home side ended day 4 on 54/2. England lost quick wickets on last day before Gough and Ramprakash defied the bowling for 248 deliveries scoring 53 runs. They gave a glimmer of hope of saving the match however it wasn’t to be. England battled for 129.2 overs and was eventually bowled out for 181 runs; Murli picked up 9 wickets in this innings in one of the legendary Test spells ever to be seen. Sri Lanka won its first ever Test match on English soil by easily chasing down a target of 36 runs without losing any wickets.

4. Jacques Kallis & Jacques Rudolph – 51 off 239:

The same match at Guyana in 2005 that witnessed AB de Villiers & Graeme Smith put on 46 off 210 also saw the two Jacques’ getting together and forming a match saving partnership of 51 off 239 balls. Both these batsmen were dismissed on 0 in the first innings and looked determined to making a telling contribution in the 2nd innings. The left-handed Rudolph scored 24 off 152 in his 3 hour vigil while the great man, Kallis, bated for almost 7 hours for an unbeaten 109. It was a flawless knock with unwavering concentration from the master batsman.

3. Hashim Amla & Temba Bavuma – 44 off 232:

The 3 slowest partnerships off all-time in Test cricket feature in one particular match. The recently concluded Test series between the home side India and South Africa witnessed a dramatic 4th final match with all the ebbs and flows that make Test cricket so special. The visitors decided to block everything and never bothered about the 4th innings target of 481 set by the home side. Temba Bavuma, playing his first match of the series and as a make-shift opener showed great composure in the company of his skipper Hashim Amla. Their 2nd wicket partnership battled for 232 balls and added 44 runs before Bavuma was finally dismissed for 34 off 117 balls.

2. AB de Villiers & Faf du Plessis – 35 off 211:

These two have shared many famous match-winning and match-saving partnerships. They tried to produce yet another marathon performance at Delhi and were well on their way to achieve it; however the Indian bowlers produced some unplayable deliveries which got them important wickets. AB and Faf defended solidly in a 4th wicket partnership of 35 off 211 balls before the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, in the middle of a brilliant spell, bowled one that came in with the angle and stuck Faf plumb in front as he looked to defend it. He made 10 off 97 balls.

1. Hashim Amla & AB de Villiers – 27 off 253:

The South African skipper had a forgettable Indian tour with a string of low scores however looked determined to avoid a defeat for his team in the final Test. He defended solidly in the company of AB who was also blocking every ball using precise foot-work. It seemed that this partnership may well be the defining one of this match however Jadeja produced of a peach of a delivery that drifted in, landed on middle and spun past Amla’s defence to rattle his off-stump. This partnership yielded 27 off 253 balls. Amla scored 25 off 244 while AB scored 43 off 297 before being dismissed by R Ashwin. India needed 5 wickets in the final session of the match and they got the desired result winning the match by 337 runs. It was a courageous effort by the South African top order as they tested the patience of all Indian bowlers for long periods of time.

Also Read – Top 10 Highest Partnerships In tests

(All Stats Updated Till 9th December, 2015)