5 batsmen who became famous thanks to their opening partners

1. Romesh Kaluwitharana (Sri Lanka)

Romesh Kaluwitharana played a key role in Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup success

Opening Partner: Sanath Jayasuriya

A World Cup winner with Sri Lanka in 1996, wicket-keeper batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana had quite an extended international career for his country. He played 189 ODI matches in which he scored 3711 runs at an average of just over 22 with 2 centuries. The diminutive cricketer’s biggest claim to fame is his swashbuckling opening pair with the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya.

Kaluwitharana and Jayasuriya started to open the innings for Sri Lanka just a couple of months before the 1996 World Cup and their early success prompted skipper Arjuna Ranatunga to use their combination in the tournament. The move clicked as the two of them provided some blistering starts to the Sri Lankans which helped them use the fielding restrictions to the fullest.

The pair of Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana scored 3230 runs in 105 innings and shared 6 partnerships of over 100 in ODI cricket. The former went on to become an iconic figure in Sri Lankan cricket whereas Kaluwitharana’s career was unable to live up to its initial promise.