After the fall of the 3rd wicket, the score added by the batting team before the fall of the next wicket is referred to as the 4th wicket partnership. It is typically an extremely important phase in the game, particularly in the longest format.
It’s never simple to form a dominant 4th wicket partnership, whether it’s to save the side after losing the first three wickets in quick succession or to build on the foundation laid by the top order.
Revisiting some of those exceptional partnerships, here are the top 10 highest partnerships in Test cricket for the 4th wicket:
| SN | Batters | Runs | Match | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Voges & Shaun Marsh | 449 | Aus vs WI | 2015 Dec 10 |
| 2 | Mahela Jayawardene & Thilan Samaraweera | 437 | SL vs Pak | 2009 Feb 21 |
| 3 | Peter May & Colin Cowdrey | 411 | Eng vs WI | 1957 May 30 |
| 4 | Sir Garfield Sobers & Frank Worrell | 399 | WI vs Eng | 1960 Jan 6 |
| 5 | Bill Ponsford & Sir Donald Bradman | 388 | Aus vs Eng | 1934 Jul 20 |
| 6 | Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke | 386 | Aus vs Ind | 2012 Jan 24 |
| 7 | Kane Williamson & Henry Nicholls | 369 | NZ vs Pak | 2021 Jan 3 |
| 8 | Virat Kohli & Ajinkya Rahane | 365 | Ind vs NZ | 2016 Oct 8 |
| 9 | Sachin Tendulkar & VVS Laxman | 353 | Ind vs Aus | 2004 Jan 2 |
| 10 | Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke | 352 | Aus vs Pak | 2010 Jan 14 |
Stas Insights:
India’s Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja hold the record for the highest 4th wicket partnership in ODIs (275* vs Zimbabwe in 1998). Likewise, 166* by Bikram Arora and Varun Thamotharam of Malta is the highest 4th wicket partnership in T20Is which they achieved against Gibraltar in 2021.
The highest 4th wicket partnership in Test Cricket of 449 runs by Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh is also the 6th highest partnership for 4th wicket in overall First Class Cricket. The highest (577) is by Vijay Hazare and Gul Mohammad for Baroda against Holkar during the 1947 season of Ranji Trophy.
449 by Voges and Marsh is also the 6th highest partnership in Test cricket for any wickets. Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene’s partnership of 624 runs against South Africa in 2006, which they scored for the 3rd wicket, is the highest partnership in Test cricket for any wickets.
In Test cricket, there have been 19 4th wicket partnerships of 300 runs or more. Only Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have achieved this feat twice.
