Top 3 highest opening stands in ODIs
Partnerships are very important in cricket, irrespective of the format. Particularly, a lot of pressure falls on the back of the openers whenever they go out to bat. A large part of batting team's success depends on the kind of opening they get from the pair.
If the openers go for some early carnage, it will make the life easier for the batsmen about to come and bat later. It will also kill the morale of the opposing team if the openers play a big inning.
The game of cricket has seen some wonderful partnerships for the first wicket. We take a look at three of the highest opening stands in one-day internationals.
#3 David Warner and Travis Head (284 runs)
When Pakistan team visited Australia in 2017, the hosts were busy dominating the visitors and after four ODIs, the series was already theirs, 3-1. In the fifth ODI, Australia were on a mission to continue their dominance as the openers, Warner and Head dismantled the Pakistani bowlers.
Batting first, Warner and Head gave the exact start that the Aussies would have wanted and scored 284 runs for the first wicket before the former got dismissed. Warner scored 179 off just 128 balls, with 19 fours and 5 sixes. Head contributed 128 off 137, accompanied by 9 fours and 3 sixes.
In the end, the Aussies posted a high total of 369-7 in 50 overs. In return, Pakistan scored 312 before they were all-out and lost the game by 57 runs. Babar Azam scored a century but did not get the required support to take the team over the line.
Thus, the Aussies won the series 4-1.