Test Records: Large partnerships in cricket often result in both batsmen reaching three figures. However, on occasions, one player went on to a big hundred, or even a double, while their partner fell just short. Here are the highest partnerships in which one of the batsmen failed to reach 100, together with some interesting related records from Test and first-class cricket.
Test Records: Highest Partnership in Which One of the Batters Failed to Reach 100 (First-Class Cricket)
Bert Sutcliffe and Les Watt hold the record for the highest partnership, in which one of the batters failed to reach 100, for Otago in New Zealand’s domestic first-class cricket.
Bert Sutcliffe (275) & Les Watt (96) – 373
Team: Otago
Wicket: First
Opponent: Auckland
Venue: Auckland
Date: December 1950
This record 373-run opening stand remains unparalleled for its magnitude where one of the batsmen did not reach his century. Sutcliffe dominated with an dazzling 275* while Watt fell agonizingly short of his ton at 96.
Darren Lehmann (339) & Michael Lumb (98) – Partnership of 358
Team: Yorkshire
Wicket: Fourth
Opponent: Durham
Venue: Headingley, Leeds
Read More
Date: September 2006
The two put on 358 for Yorkshire, with Lehmann belting a marathon 339 and Lumb falling just short at 98. It remains one of the highest partnerships in English county cricket where one partner didn’t reach a century.
Colin Milburn (243) & Derek Chadwick (91) – Partnership of 328
Team: Western Australia
Wicket: First
Opponent: Queensland
Venue: Brisbane
Date: November 1968
In another standout example, Colin Milburn launched a blistering attack with 243 and his opening partner, the late Derek Chadwick, made 91. The partnership of 328 runs included an astonishing 181 runs by Milburn between lunch and tea, reflecting his attacking ability.
Test Cricket Record: Highest Partnership in Which One Batter Missed a Century
This partnership record in Test cricket, where one of the batters did not reach 100, is held by Brian Lara and Jimmy Adams of the West Indies.
Brian Lara, 213 & Jimmy Adams, 94 – Partnership 322
Team: West Indies
Wicket: Fifth
Opponent: Australia
Venue: Kingston, Jamaica
Date: March 1999
Lara and Adams shared a magnificent 322-run partnership in which Lara scored 213 runs and Adams scored 94. He just missed his hundred, but he and Lara’s stand is still one of the best remembered for West Indies cricket.
Interesting Stats: Team Totals Never Scored in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is
Apart from the record partnerships, the statistical landscape of cricket contains some curious “missing” scores — totals that no team has ever finished on.
In Test Cricket:
Lowest total not yet recorded: 18
Highest total not yet recorded: 597 (There have been innings of 596 and two of 598)
Other missing score: 525 though South Africa once made 525/8 declared against New Zealand at Port Elizabeth, Gqeberha, in January 2013.
Fun fact: The highest Test team total ever is 952/6 declared, Sri Lanka vs India, 1997, while the lowest is 0, various innings forfeited or incomplete.
In One-Day Internationals (ODIs):
Highest team total not yet made: 379
In T20 Internationals:
Highest score not yet made: 249 (no innings has yet finished on 249, 250, or 251)
Lowest unrecorded scores: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 20, 22
Overview of Important Records
| Format | Partnership | Players | Scores | Year | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-Class | 373 | Bert Sutcliffe (275) & Les Watt (96) | 1950 | Record highest partnership where one batter missed a ton | |
| First-Class | 358 | Darren Lehmann (339) & Michael Lumb (98) | 2006 | Second-highest partnership of this kind | |
| First-Class | 328 | Colin Milburn (243) & Derek Chadwick (91) | 1968 | Milburn’s 181 runs between lunch and tea | |
| Test | 322 | Brian Lara (213) & Jimmy Adams (94) | 1999 | Test record partnership where one failed to reach 100 |
Test record partnership where one failed to reach 100 The highest partnership in which one of the batters failed to reach 100 remains a fascinating anomaly in cricket history.
From Bert Sutcliffe’s 275 in 1950 to Brian Lara’s 213 in Tests, these partnerships amply illustrate that one major effort may carry an innings-even when a partner narrowly misses a century. These records remind the fans that beauty in cricket lies not only in the centuries, but in the partnerships that build them.
ALSO READ: Top 5 Highest Run Scorers In India vs South Africa Test Series
