The continental cricket tournament, Asia Cup, hosted by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), has been a showpiece event in the history of the sporting world for more than four decades. Since its inception in the year 1984, Asia Cup has seen a fair share of glorious performances from players in the continent, whether it’s with the bat, ball, or in the field.
Talking about the batting side of things, some of the best in the world to have played the Asia Cup are Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Younis Khan, Babar Azam, and Habibul Bashar, among others. These players have made their mark on the tournament with the bat, scoring big runs in the process.
But, as much as individual scores are heralded in the cricketing world, the partnerships among batters is just as important in determining the eventual outcome of a match. With that, SportsTiger looks at three of the highest partnerships in the history of the Asia Cup.
Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli: 213 vs Bangladesh in 2014
In the second match of the Asia Cup 2014 at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah, the Indian pairing of Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli put together the third-highest partnership of 213 runs in the tournament. After getting put into bat first, Bangladesh scored 279/7 in their allotted 50 overs, thanks to the incredible century from Mushfiqur Rahim, finishing up with 117 off 113 deliveries.
During the run chase, Team India lost two quick wickets of the openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, which brought Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane to the crease one after another. The 34-year-old, who was the stand-in captain at that time, took charge of the scoring against the Bangladeshi bowlers, scoring a plethora of boundaries in quick succession early in his innings.
He kept the momentum going, before Ajinkya Rahane joined in on the boundary hitting, to demoralise the opposition further. Virat Kohli ended up 136 off 122 deliveries with 16 fours and two maximums, while his partner got a half-century, to help Team India win the contest with an over to spare.
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Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik: 223 runs vs Hong Kong in 2004
At the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo, when Pakistan faced Hong Kong in the fifth match of the Asia Cup 2004, little did anyone know that the contest would be too one-sided for comfort. After the captain Inzamam-ul-Haq chose to bat first upon winning the toss, Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan took charge of the innings in the first ten overs itself.
Both these batters matched each other stroke for stroke during their unforgettable partnership, scoring big hundreds for Men in Green in front of the hapless Hong Kong bowlers. Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan put together 223 runs for the third wicket, to help Pakistan reach a massive total of 343/5 in their allotted 50 overs.
Khan scored 144 off 122 deliveries, including eight fours and three maximums, while Malik got 118 off 110 balls with ten fours and two sixes. In the run chase, Hong Kong could only muster up 165 runs within 45 overs, to lose the match with a whopping margin of 173 runs on the D/L method.
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Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez: 224 runs vs India in 2012
The fifth match of the Asia Cup 2012 edition saw the opening pairing of Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez record the highest partnership of 224 in the history of the tournament. At the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, the captain of Pakistan, Misbah-ul-Haq chose to bat first against their arch-nemesis India.
Both Jamshed and Hafeez complemented each other wonderfully, with their left and right-hand batting styles, to add up to the difficulty of the Indian bowling attack. They batted together for 35.5 overs in the first innings, to send Men in Green well on their way to putting a big total on the board.
Mohammad Hafeez scored 105 off 113 deliveries with nine fours and one six, while Nasir Jamshed finished up with 112 runs off 104 balls, including 10 fours and one maximum. But, unfortunately for Pakistan, their bowlers weren’t able to defend the 329 run total against India, losing the match with a six-wicket margin, due to the incredible 183 from Virat Kohli.
