Rating The 10 Best Opening Pairs In The History Of T20I Cricket
Published - 16 Jul 2021, 02:49 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:49 AM
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T20I is the shortest format of cricket and also the quickest one. With just 20 overs per side in a T20I match, the batsmen have to score runs at a quick speed. As a result, opening pairs have a huge responsibility while batting in T20Is. They have to settle on the crease as soon as possible and smash runs at a high run rate so as to pile up the maximum total on the scoreboard.
Many opening pairs have a decent record while playing as openers in T20 internationals. These batsmen have a great average while opening the innings together and have also scored a lot of runs for the opening wicket. In this article, we talk about the 10 best opening pairs in T20I cricket and rate them out of 10 on the basis of their performances as openers in the shortest of the game.
Rating The 10 Best Opening Pairs In The History Of T20I Cricket
10. Evin Lewis And Lendl Simmons (West Indies) – 6/10
West Indies’ current T20I opening pair Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons get the 10th spot in this list. The Caribbean duo gets a rating of 6 out of 10. The West Indies duo has batted together as openers in 13 T20Is since 2019. They have scored 487 runs at an average of 37.46.
They smashed hundred-plus runs once and fifty-plus opening stands on 3 occasions. Lewis and Simmons’ highest opening partnership in a T20I came against Ireland in January 2020, when both the players smashed an opening stand of 133 runs.
9. Hashim Amla And Quinton de Kock (South Africa) – 6.5/10
Former South African cricketer Hashim Amla and current wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock take the 9th spot in this list. The Proteas opening pair gets a rating of 6.5 out of 10. Right-handed batsman Amla and left-handed batter De Kock have played together as openers for South Africa in 19 T20Is from 2013 to 2018.
They mustered 585 runs at an average of 30.78. The Proteas opening duo also hit 4 fifty-plus knocks while batting as openers. Their highest opening stand in T20I is 96 runs, which they hit against England during ICC T20 World Cup 2016.
8. Jos Buttler And Jason Roy (England) – 7/10
England’s current opening pair Jos Buttler and Jason Roy take the 8th spot in this list with a rating of 7 out of 10. The England duo has batted as openers in 18 T20Is so far since 2016 and scored 588 runs at an average of 32.66.
They account for 5 fifty-plus opening stands in T20Is. Their top opening stand while batting as openers are 95 runs, which they smacked in a T20I encounter against Australia in June 2018.
7. Martin Guptill And Colin Munro (New Zealand) – 7/10
Martin Guptill and Colin Munro get the 7th spot in this list. The New Zealand opening pair get a rating of 7. Both the Kiwi cricketers have opened the innings in 25 T20Is from 2017 to 2020.
They have mustered 1012 runs at an average of 40.48. The Kiwi duo has also hit 3 hundred-plus and 4 fifty-plus opening partnerships. Their highest opening stand is 136 runs, which they smashed against West Indies in January 2018.
6. Kevin O’Brien And Paul Stirling (Ireland) – 7.5/10
Ireland cricketers Kevin O’ Brien and Paul Stirling grab the 6th spot in this list with a rating of 7.5 out of 10. The Irish opening pair has played as openers in 26 T20Is from 2019 to 2020.
They have piled up 1058 runs at an average of 4069. They also account for 3 hundred-plus partnerships and 5 fifty-plus partnerships while batting as openers in T20Is. Their highest opening stand is 154 runs, which they smashed in a match against West Indies in January 2020.
5. Aaron Finch And David Warner (Australia) – 8/10
Australian cricketers Aaron Finch and David Warner take the 5th spot in this list and get a rating of 8 out of 10. From 2012 to 2020, right-handed Finch and left-handed Warner have batted together as openers for Australia in 25 T20Is. They have mustered 944 runs at an average of 41.04.
The Aussie duo has also hit 3 hundred-plus and 3 fifty-plus opening stands in T20Is. Their highest opening partnership in T20Is is 122 runs, which they smacked in a clash against Sri Lanka in October 2019.
4. Shikhar Dhawan And Rohit Sharma (India) – 8/10
With a rating of 8 out of 10, the Indian opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma get the 4th spot in this list. The lefty-righty combo has played as openers for India in 52 T20Is. They have scored 1743 runs at an average of 33.5.
The Indian duo accounts for 4 hundred-plus opening stands and 7 fifty-plus opening partnerships. Their highest score as openers in 160 runs, which they hit in a T20I encounter against Ireland in June 2018.
3. David Warner And Shane Watson (Australia) – 8.5/10
Aussie opening pair of David Warner and Shane Watson grabs the 3rd spot in this list. The Australian duo gets a rating of 8.5 out of 10. Warner and Watson played together as openers in 32 T20I games for Australia from 2009 to 2015. They scored 1108 runs at an average of 34.62.
The Aussie duo also smashed 3 hundred-plus and 6 fifty-plus opening stands while playing as openers. Their highest opening partnership in T20Is is 133 runs, which they shattered against Indian in September 2012.
2. KL Rahul And Rohit Sharma (India) – 9/10
Indian opening pair of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma clinch the 2nd spot in this list. The right-handed batsmen get a rating of 9 out of 10. Since 2017, both the Indian players have batted as openers in 13 innings. They have scored 586 runs at an average of 45.07.
They also account for 2 hundred-plus knocks and 1 fifty-plus knocks for opening partnerships. Rahul and Sharma’s highest opening stand is 165 runs, which they scored in a T20I match against Sri Lanka in December 2017.
1. Martin Guptill And Kane Williamson (New Zealand)- 9.5/10
New Zealand’s opening pair of Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson bags the top spot in this list with a rating of 9.5 out of 10. From 2014 to 2018, the New Zealand duo played 18 T20I games as openers. They smashed 870 runs at an amazing average of 51.17.
They hit 2 hundred-plus partnerships and 7 fifty-plus partnerships as openers during the period. Guptill and Williamson’s highest opening partnership in T20Is was unbeaten 171 runs, which they smacked in a match against Pakistan in January 2016.
