Cricket has been a game of batsmen. As new players come, new dimensions are added to the game. New shots have now taken the center stage, but the basics have not changed to a great extent. Batting is still very much about scoring runs and the best method to add runs to the board is to create partnerships. Partnerships are a joy to experience in one-day matches.
We shall recall one of the best partnerships in women’s one-day international cricket.
1. Deepti Sharma and Punam Raut: 320 Runs
The best batting partnership comes from batting powerhouse India. Indian openers Deepti Sharma and Punam Raut were all set to play one of the best opening partnerships in women’s ODI history. They added 320 to the score against Irish bowlers. It was 2017 in South Africa that the Indians openers batted their hearts out. Deepti scored 188 and Punam got 109 to her tally. Indian side got to a total of 328 in the first innings and clinched a victory with 249 runs.
2. Amelia Kerr and Leigh Kasperek: 295 Runs
Second, on the list we have batters from New Zealand. Interestingly, this was against Irish team too. In 2018, Dublin one of the best 2nd wicket partnerships in women’s ODI game. A. Kerr went on score a mind-blowing double century. She got 232 off 145 balls. Her inning had 31 fours and 2 maximums. L. Kasperek, on the other hand, smashed a stable century with a strike rate of more than 100. She got 113 off 105 balls. Both added 249 runs together. White Ferns posted a massive total of 440. Irish team had no reply to this brutal attack and were limited to 135.
3. Tammy Beaumont and Sarah Taylor: 275 Runs
Thirdly, we have English players against the South African bowling unit. It was in Bristol where the world got awestruck of Sarah Taylor and Beaumont. Both added 275 on the board. Sarah got 147 while her partner got 148. This helped the English side to get 373 on the scoreboard on a day when batters were on a roll. South African team batted for 305 runs.
4. Sarah Taylor and Caroline Atkins: 268 Runs
Sarah comes up to our list again. She has been part of another great partnership while opening the batting. It was the mecca of cricket, in 2008, that witnessed a classic opening from English openers. Sarah and C. Atkins were on fire against South African bowlers in 2017. Taylor got 129 and her partner added 145 to the total. South African team was chasing a mammoth 311 but only to find themselves losing by 225 runs.
5. Haidee Tiffen and Suzie Bates: 262 Runs
Fifth entry on the list is New Zealand batters against Pakistani bowlers. On the pitch of Sydney in 2009, Aussies witnessed a partnership of 262 for second wicket. Skipper Tiffen got a century and her partner S. Bates smashed 168 off 105 balls. English side got onto a 373 and grabbed the contest by 223 runs. These partnerships prove that women are no less with bat as compared to their male counterparts. They have more resilience and temperament to sustain and play as the best.
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