The fourth Test between India and South Africa in 2015 witnessed slow batting from the visitors in order to achieve a draw but the fate had something else in store for them. The slow batting by the Proteas batsmen was responsible for setting up several records as far as partnerships are concerned in Test cricket. With batsmen determined to block everything bowled at them, they literally dried up the flow of runs in the second innings. Here is the list of 5 slowest partnerships in Test cricket.
Hashim Amla & AB de Villiers – 27 runs off 253 balls
Hashim Amla, the Proteas skipper, had a miserable time in all formats of the game against India. He was filling to end his tour on a high note by achieving an unthinkable draw in the fourth Test in the company of AB de Villiers. These two blocked everything which was bowled at them by the Indian bowlers. This partnership yielded 27 off 253 balls, which is the slowest in the history of the game. Hashim Amla managed 25 off 244 balls before being dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja while AB de Villiers accumulated 43 off 297 balls before R Ashwin got better of him. The visitors eventually lost the match by 337 runs.
AB de Villiers & Faf du Plessis – 35 runs off 211 balls
These two have saved South Africa on many occasions in Test cricket and was on the verge of achieving the same in the fourth Test match of the series against India at Feroz Shah Kotla. AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis added 35 runs for the fourth wicket but took 211 balls to reach this score line. However, Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Faf du Plessis which set back the chances of a draw. The right hand batsman scored 10 runs off 97 balls, which is one of the slowest innings in this version of the game. Despite all this efforts, South Africa ended on the losing side.
Hashim Amla & Temba Bavuma – 44 runs off 232 balls
The 3 slowest partnerships off all-time in Test cricket featured in the fourth Test match between India and South Africa. The visitors decided to block everything in pursuit of a draw chasing 481 runs to win. Temba Bavuma, who was playing as an opener in his first Test match showed great skills in the company of his skipper Hashim Amla. The two made sure that Indian bowlers were kept at bay for a long duration of time. Amla and Bavuma added 44 runs off 232 balls before Bavuma was undone by R Ashwin in the second innings. He scored 34 runs off 117 balls.
Jacques Kallis & Jacques Rudolph – 51 runs off 239 balls
South Africa was in trouble in the first Test of the fourth-match series against home team West Indies in 2005. Following on, the visitors would have ended on the losing note had Jacques Kallis & Jacques Rudolph not played the waiting and patient game. The duo formed a match saving partnership of 51 off 239 balls despite being dismissed on zero in the first innings. Jacques Rudolph scored 24 off 152 in his 3 hours stay at the crease while the great man Jacques Kallis managed an unbeaten 109 during his 7 hours knock. Their partnership was flawless if we take the context of the game into account.
Darren Gough & Mark Ramprakash – 53 runs off 248 balls
The one-off Test match between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval in 1998 is still one of the most famous victories of Lankan Lions on a foreign shore. The home team scored 445 runs in the first innings while the visitors managed 591 runs with the help of a double hundred from Jayasuriya. The English team was unable to play Muttiah Muralitharan properly and kept on losing wickets regularly before Gough and Ramprakash added 53 runs off 248 deliveries. However, they couldn’t carry on with the momentum and the team was dismissed for 181 runs. Sri Lanka easily chased down the target of 36 runs without losing any wickets.