5 most successful South African batting pairs of all time 

#2 Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith

South Africa's dominance in Test cricket was heavily influenced by a superb fast bowling arsenal and a top-order that could put up big totals.

Much of the credit for that should go to the former captain and opening batsman Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla.

When the first-wicket partnerships are substantial, then the rest of the batting order can almost always cash in and that is what made South Africa such a hard team to beat.

Between 2006 and 2014, Smith and Amla were involved in 65 partnerships and amassed 3,658 runs for their efforts, which also included 10 century-plus stands and 12 stands in excess of 50 runs.

Both the players were capable of grafting and at the same time, had the ability to dominate bowling attacks at will. Their average of 57.15 is a proof of how prolific they were and it is not a surprise that Smith and Amla make up the 2nd most successful batting pair in South African cricket.