Fourth wicket partnership provides cushion to a team’s middle order in both tests and ODIs. But in test matches it’s of utmost importance that the team is having good batsmen in the middle order. They should be able to play the turning deliveries well and are also able to play the new ball deftly. In the history of this format, only three times a batting partnership could forge quadruple stand for this wicket.
The first ever 400 run partnership for this wicket came around 6 decades back in the year 1957 when the English duo PBH May and MC Cowdrey added a huge 411-run stand for the 4th wicket against West Indies in Birmingham.
Highest 4th Wicket Partnership in Test Match
Batsmen (Team)
|
Runs
|
Against
|
Venue
|
Date
|
Adam Voges & Shaun Marsh
(Australia)
|
449
|
West Indies
|
Hobart
|
10/12/2015
|
Mahela Jayawardene &
TT Samaraweera
(Sri Lanka)
|
437
|
Pakistan
|
Karachi
|
21/02/2009
|
Peter May & Colin Cowdrey
(England)
|
411
|
West Indies
|
Birmingham
|
30/05/1957
|
Gary Sobers & Frank Worrell
(West Indies)
|
399
|
England
|
Bridgetown
|
06/01/1960
|
W Ponsord and Donald Bradman
(Australia)
|
388
|
England
|
Leeds
|
20/07/1934
|
Ricky Ponting & Michael Clarke
(Australia)
|
386
|
India
|
Adelaide
|
24/01/2012
|
Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls
(New Zealand) |
369 |
Pakistan |
Christchurch |
03/01/2021 |
Virat Kohli vs Ajinkya Rahane
(India)
|
365
|
New Zealand
|
Indore
|
08/10/2016
|
Sachin Tendulkar & VVS Laxman
(India)
|
353
|
Australia
|
Sydney
|
02/01/2004
|
Ricky Ponting & Michael Clarke
(Australia)
|
352
|
Pakistan
|
Hobart
|
14/01/2010
|
Mushtaq Mohammad & Asif Iqbal
(Pakistan)
|
350
|
New Zealand
|
Dunedin
|
07/02/1973
|
W Larry & K Walters
(Australia)
|
336
|
West Indies
|
Sydney
|
14/02/1969
|
It took more than the next five decades to break this record. The Sri Lankan pair of Mahela Jayawardene and TT Samaraweera successfully eclipsed the previous record on their way to 437-run stand for the 4th wicket against Pakistan in Karachi in 2009. Then again this record got broken last year when A Voges and Shaun Marsh added 449-run partnership for this wicket last year against West Indies at Hobart. Ever since this remains as a world record stand for this wicket.
Surprisingly from India’s side not too many good partnerships have been recorded for fourth wicket in test match. Out of 11 triple century stand for 4th wicket in test matches, Indian pair only featured once when the legendary batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman added 353-run for the 4th wicket against Australia in 2004 in Sydney. Over the last 12 years, no triple or quadruple century stand had ever been recorded by any Indian pair for this wicket.