On this day in 2006, two Sri Lankan cricket stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara put on the highest-ever partnership for any wicket in Test or first-class cricket. Let's relive the duo's innings and also look at the top five partnerships ever forged in Test cricket
On this day in 2006, two Sri Lankan cricket stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara put on the highest-ever partnership for any wicket in Test or first-class cricket.
As ESPNcricinfo reported on that day, Jayawardene came within 26 runs of Brian Lara's record for the highest Test score and Kumar Sangakkara fell 13 short of a triple-hundred as the two put on a historic 624 runs against South Africa at Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo.
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#OnThisDay in 2006, @KumarSanga2 & @MahelaJay set the record for the highest Test partnership, compiling 624 pic.twitter.com/YyJa6koOsd
— ICC (@ICC) July 29, 2016
Having won the toss, the Proteas elected to bat first, but the visitors were bowled out for only 169 runs in 50.2 overs. The hosts too lost both their openers inside first four overs. But then Jayawardene and Sangakkara came together and then proceeded to bat two days -- day one and two -- and quite a bit of day 3 too.
HERE'S VIDEO OF SANGA'S INNINGS:
HERE'S VIDEO OF JAYA'S INNINGS:
The partnership was finally broken by pacer all-rounder Andrew Hall, who claimed Sangakkara's wicket. The scoreboard read 638/3 at the time. Sanga had scored 287 off 457 balls and the partnership had consumed 157 overs. Pacer Andre Nel then bowled Jayawardene with a delivery that kept low. At the time, Jayawardene's 374 off 572 balls was behind only Lara's two big innings of 400 and 375 and Matthew Hayden's 380.
Sri Lanka declared their first innings at 756/5 and eventually won the Test by an innings and 153 runs.
The duo broke the world record set by their own countrymen for the highest partnership in Test -- Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama. Jayasuriya and Mahanama had set the record for their 576 in that famous 1997 Test against India where Sri Lanka put on a mammoth 952 for 6 declared in response to India's first-innings total of 537.
Meanwhile, the previous best in first-class cricket had been set way back in 1946-47 when Indian cricket legends Vijay Hazare and Gul Mohammad had added 577 for the fourth wicket in the Ranji Trophy final to help Baroda beat Holkar.
Here are the top 5 partnerships in Test cricket:
Will anyone ever catch @KumarSanga2 & @MahelaJay's record partnership? pic.twitter.com/2bI5qQOTBJ
— ICC (@ICC) July 29, 2016
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