5 great T20 opening partnerships that don't fade away
Haynes-Greenidge, Ganguly-Tendulkar, Langer-Hayden – big names that had one thing in common. Batting pairs that were terrific while opening the innings for their teams in different formats.
But, as the game has changed, it has thrown up newer names alongside the old ones that have lit up cricket’s newest format.
We take a look at five extraordinary opening pairs in T20Is whose performances won’t fade away from our memories, just like the Signature range of perfumes from Axe that never fade away.
1) Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden (Australia)
If you talk about modern era’s best opening pairs, you will seldom miss the names of these two. It’s almost exceptional how Australia’s dominance in all limited overs formats has heavily depended on Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden getting them off to a flying start.
While both are left-handers and have similar approaches to batting, Hayden often used his feet against the spinners and never allowed them to settle down. Gilchrist, on the other hand, liked to attack by staying inside the crease – and one of his favourite shots included the manic cut over point.
Although the opening pair played just nine T20 internationals, the performances refuse to fade out of memory for the sheer impact that it had, and the kind of numbers that it generated. In these nine innings, the duo put on 398 runs, at an average of nearly 50. The stands include a couple of hundred-run partnerships as well.
One of those hundred run opening stands came against Sri Lanka in the inaugural edition of the World T20, where Gilchrist and Hayden chased down Sri Lanka’s meagre target of 102 in just 10 overs, bludgeoning bowlers all around the park.