Third wicket partnership is very crucial in test matches. This wicket holds the maximum propensity to put a big score on the scoreboard. The third wicket partnership of 624-run is the highest test partnership ever recorded. The legendary Sri Lankan duo of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara piled this gigantic stand for the third wicket against South Africa in Colombo in 2006, bettering the decade old world record partnership of 576 run stand for the 2nd wicket scored by their former colleagues; Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama against India.
Highest Third Wicket Partnership in Test Match
|
Batsmen (Team)
|
Runs
|
Against
|
Venue
|
Date
|
|
Kumar Sangakkara & Mahela Jayawardene
(Sri Lanka)
|
624
|
South Africa
|
Colombo
|
27/07/2006
|
|
A Jones & Martin Crowe
(New Zealand)
|
467
|
Sri Lanka
|
Wellington
|
31/01/1991
|
|
Mudassar Nazar & Javed Miandad
(Pakistan)
|
451
|
India
|
Hyderabad (Sind/ Pak)
|
14/06/1983
|
|
J Rudolph & H Dippenaar
(South Africa)
|
429*
|
Bangladesh
|
Chittagong
|
24/04/2003
|
|
Qasim Umar & Javed Miandad
(Pakistan)
|
397
|
Sri Lanka
|
Faisalabad
|
16/10/1985
|
|
Hashim Amla & Jacques Kallis
(South Africa)
|
377*
|
England
|
The Oval
|
19/07/2012
|
|
WJ Edrich & D Compton
(England)
|
370
|
South Africa
|
Lord’s
|
21/06/1947
|
|
Younis Khan & Mohammad Yousuf
(Pakistan)
|
363
|
England
|
Leeds
|
04/08/2006
|
|
Ijaz Ahmed & Inzamam-ul-Haq
(Pakistan)
|
352*
|
Sri Lanka
|
Dhaka
|
12/03/1999
|
|
Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen
(England)
|
350
|
India
|
The Oval
|
18/08/2011
|
Statistically speaking, a total of three four hundred run stands have been recorded for the 3rd wicket, but Indians didn’t forge any big 3rd wicket partnerships for 400 or more runs in test matches. However, Indian pairs have successfully added triple century partnership thrice for this wicket. The maiden three hundred run stand for the 3rd wicket for India came in the year 1982 when Gundappa Viswanath and Yashpal Sharma added 316 runs against England in Chennai.
India broke this record twenty two years later when Indian batting pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag forged a blistering 336-run stand against Pakistan in Multan in 2004. Until now, this is the highest third wicket partnership for India. Though, Sachin Tendulkar and Murali Vijay built 308-run partnership for 3rd wicket against Australia in Bangalore in 2010, but they couldn’t break India’s previous 336 runs stand for this wicket.
However, even after more than 6 years, that partnership between Sachin and Vijay is still unbroken, despite of having strong middle order and consistent Virat Kohli at number three. A total of 24 times, triple century partnerships have been recorded in test cricket but from Indian side, only thrice an Indian batting duo could accomplish this figure.
