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Matthew Hayden & Adam Gilchrist
And the award for the best opening stand in World Cup history goes to none other than Australia’s legends Matthew Hayden & Adam Gilchrist. The duo were a part of Australia’s rewarding run in the 2003 & 2007 World Cup which helped them to clinch both the World Cup editions without losing even a single fixture.
Together the duo scored 5372 runs at an average of just over 48 & went on to put a 16-century run stand & twenty hundred cnetury stands between 2001 to 2008. Hayden & Gilchrist together opened the innings for Australia in the 2003 & 2007 World Cup 20 times & scored a total of 1220 runs with an average of 64.21 amassing 5 tons & 7 fifty-plus run stands. They added a hundred runs stands against India twice in World Cups in 2003 & then against South Africa, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup.
Their most memorable & biggest opening stand came in the crucial 2007 edition of the World Cup. During that fixture, Australia won the toss & batted first. He smashed a record-breaking 149 runs in 104 balls & added a massive 172-run stand before Hayden fell for 38 runs. Their efforts yielded results as Australia won the match & lifted their third consecutive World Cup trophy. It remains the pair’s highest opening partnership in ODI Cricket.
These are the best opening pairs in the history of the ODI World Cup. Now with ODI World Cup 2023 in the picture, we can expect some new opening stands breaking records. With the marquee event happening on the grounds of India, we can expect some memorable performances & epic opening stands from India’s designated openers Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill. Both of them are known for smashing bowlers right from the first ball they faced, expect a crackling World Cup with two new opening pairs creating history in the World Cup arena.
Also read, KL Rahul To Captain Indian Team Against Australia in 2 ODIs
