Last wicket partnership in Tests: List of highest 10th wicket partnership in Test cricket

Last wicket partnership in Tests: A 94-run partnership for the 10th wicket has handed a substantial advantage to the hosts.

During the second day of the first Test of the ongoing South Africa’s tour of New Zealand in Christchurch, New Zealand wicket-keeper batter Tom Blundell and fast bowler Matt Henry put together a 94-run partnership for the 10th wicket to up the agony for the visitors.

It was in the 102nd over that Henry walked in to bat at No. 11 at the Hagley Oval. A 101-ball partnership witnessed Blundell and Henry hitting a combined 12 boundaries to power New Zealand to 482 in 117.5 overs.

No slouch with the bat in hand, Henry scored his second Test half-century whilst dominating the last-wicket partnership. Henry, who scored 58* (68) in the third session today, continued his personal best Test after having registered bowling figures of 15-7-23-7 (maiden Test five-wicket haul) on Day 1.

Blundell, last Kiwi wicket to fall, missed out on a third Test century returning to the pavilion after scoring 96 (138). Fourth-highest 10th-wicket partnership in New Zealand, Blundell and Henry’s partnership is the second-highest at this venue. Sixth-highest among New Zealand batters, it is the 34th-highest overall.

A 387-run first innings lead has all but batted South Africa out of the match. With the Proteas already losing their top-order for a combined total of two runs in the second innings, only a miraculous performance will save the match for them from hereon.

Last wicket partnership in Tests

Batters	Runs	Team	Opposition	Ground	Year
Joe Root & James Anderson	198	England	India	Nottingham	2014
Phil Hughes & Ashton Agar	163	Australia	England	Nottingham	2013
Brian Hastings & Richard Collinge	151	New Zealand	Pakistan	Aucland	1973
Azhar Mahmood & Mushtaq Ahmed	151	Pakistan	South Africa	Rawalpindi	1997
Denesh Ramdin & Tino Best	143	West Indies	England	Birmingham	2012
Wasim Raja & Wasim Bari	133	Pakistan	West Indies	Bridgetown	1977
Sachin Tendulkar & Zaheer Khan	133	India	Bangladesh	Dhaka	2004
Tip Foster & Wilfred Rhodes	130	England	Australia	Sydney	1903
Kenn Higgs & John Snow	128	England	West Indies	The Oval	1966
Johnny Taylor & Arthur Mailey	127	Australia	England	Sydney	1924

Before Blundell and Henry’s partnership, New Zealand thrived on the back of Henry Nicholls’ eighth Test century scoring 105 (163) with the help of 11 fours.