THE TOP 10 BETWAY SA20 OPENING STANDS

There are many fundamentals of cricket which remain the same no matter which format of the game is being played, and few could argue that opening batters laying a solid platform ranks high among them.

A look at the top 10 highest opening stands in Betway SA20 history reveals that nine of them belong to the winning team of the match.

There are some other interesting takeouts from the top 10 too:

• Seven occurred in Season 2
• Six are right-left combinations
• Five have been achieved by Joburg Super Kings, with Faf du Plessis being part of all five
• Durban’s Super Giants and Pretoria Capitals don’t feature among the top 10

Of course, the highest opening stand of 200 by Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton, for MI Cape Town against Joburg Super Kings at the ground – Wanderers – which they call home domestically is also the overall highest partnership in the League.

That eclipsed the 157 set by Reeza Hendricks and Faf du Plessis for JSK against Durban’s Super Giants during the inaugural season. They racked up another hundred-run stand, 119, during Season 1 which currently sits in fourth place of the overall standings. During the back-end of Season 2, when JSK needed a change in fortunes, their partnership was broken up with Leus du Plooy promoted to partner his captain, Du Plessis. It bore fruit… in three matches in a row ‘The Doops’ racked up top 10 opening stands.

It started with an unbeaten 98 to win the rain-reduced fixture against MI Cape Town at Newlands, before a 102-run stand against DSG set the tone for a record match-winning chase which secured them a playoffs place. In the Eliminator against Paarl Royals which followed, Du Plooy and Du Plessis then combined for 105 runs as JSK cruised to victory.

Apart from the JSK trio’s multiple entries, Van der Dussen and Rickelton also find themselves at sixth on the list, courtesy of a 108-run stand against Sunrisers Eastern Cape. It’s the only top 10 opening partnership which came in a losing cause as Dawid Malan and Jordan Hermann’s 138 later in the day guided the Orange Army to a fine win at Newlands. Hermann, who went on to score a century in that match, also features further down the list in ninth place thanks to his 101-run partnership in Season 1 with Adam Rossington against Durban’s Super Giants.

Intriguingly, the 116 Jason Roy and Jos Buttler notched up in partnership for Paarl Royals in the Cape Derby at Boland Park is the only time the long-standing England openers have totted up a century together in 20-over cricket. The best they managed in 32 innings as a pair for their national team in T20 internationals was 95, against Australia, all the way back in 2018.

THE BEST OPENING PARTNERSHIPS IN SA20 HISTORY

200 – Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton (MI Cape Town vs Joburg Super Kings, 13/1/2024)

157 – Reeza Hendricks and Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings vs Durban’s Super Giants, 24/1/2023)

138 – Dawid Malan and Jordan Hermann (Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs MI Cape Town, 16/1/2024)

119 – Reeza Hendricks and Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape, 5/2/2023)

116 – Jason Roy and Jos Buttler (Paarl Royals vs MI Cape Town, 22/1/2024)

108 – Rassie van der Dussen and Ryan Rickelton (MI Cape Town vs Sunrisers Eastern Cape, 16/1/2024)

105 – Leus du Plooy and Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings vs Paarl Royals, 7/2/2024)

102 – Leus du Plooy and Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings vs Durban’s Super Giants, 3/2/2024)

101 – Adam Rossington and Jordan Hermann (Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Durban’s Super Giants, 22/1/2023)

98* – Leus du Plooy and Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings vs MI Cape Town, 29/1/2024)