XtraTime Web Desk: Two West Indian openers Shai Hope and John Campbell shared a world record partnership of 365 runs for the first wicket against Ireland at Malahide on this day in 2019. Both Hope (170 off 152) and Campbell (179 off 139) took the Irish bowlers to the cleaners to register their personal best scores in ODI cricket. The two got past the previous highest opening partnership between Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman and Imam ul Haq. They shared an opening stand of 304 runs against Zimbabwe in 2018.
Campbell and Hope also got the previous best opening stand for West Indies of an unbroken 200 set 23 years ago by Stuart Williams and Shiv Chanderpaul. Campbell and Hope also became the only opening pair to score 150 runs each in the same innings of an ODI.
Campbell struck 15 fours and 6 sixes in his 139 ball knock at a strike rate of 130.66. Hope, on the other hand, scored 170 runs from 152 balls as he smashed 22 fours and 2 sixes and that too at a strike rate of 111.84.
The record-breaking partnership was broken by Barry McCarthy on the second ball of the 48th over.
Hope fell in the same over, as McCarthy bowled a short of a length delivery and again outside off. Hope unfortunately hit it straight into the hands of Lorcan Tucker at mid-wicket.
The 365-run partnership between Campbell and Hope is not the highest partnership ever, as that record belongs to Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels of West Indies again, who had put up a 372-run stand for the second wicket against Zimbabwe back in February 2015.
Shai Hope left a lasting impression during the series against India in 2019. He first came into limelight when he became the first batsmen to score two centuries in a first-class match at Headingley in August 2017. On a ground that had previously been home to the likes of Geoffrey Boycott, Michael Vaughan, Darren Lehmann et al., it was remarkable that Hope, a 23-year-old Barbadian playing in just his eleventh Test and with an average of 18.61 going into the match would be the first to achieve the feat. A compact, right-handed batsman, Hope made his debut as an opener for West Indies but has since looked more comfortable in the middle order; making the number four spot his own. A combination of solid defence and expressive strokeplay – particularly on the off-side is the hallmark of Hope.
Jamaican John Campbell had an impressive debut ODI season in 2019, scoring 248 runs from 6 ODIs at an average of 49.60. The 25 year old aggressive batsman was not selected for the ICC Cricket World Cup in May-June last year. Campbell’s 179 was the fourth highest score in West Indies history, getting past Chris Gayle’s 215 and Viv Richards’ 189* in 1984.
For people writing off West Indies cricket, Campbell and Hope are the bright stars for the future.