The opening duo of a team’s batting order is very important for every team. If the team gets a good start then the excitement of the match increases. Along with this, it is easy for the team to win matches or set big targets.
Openers are basically who controls the pace of the game. Each team has their own specialist openers. There have been many great opening batsmen in the history of cricket so far. Openers have a very important role in all the three formats of cricket.
There have been some such occasions in the history of cricket, when the openers have won matches for the team on their own. At the same time, there have been some such matches, when both the openers of a team got out for zero. We are going to talk about those 5 opening pairs who got out without scoring any runs in a T20 International match.
Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma opened for India in the Asia Cup 2015-16. Both of them got out for Zero when India played the match against Pakistan in the tournament. Batting first, Pakistan scored just 83 runs. The target was easy but India did not get off to a good start as Mohammad Amir dismissed both the opening batsmen for zero with his scintillating bowling. Well, due to the tremendous performance of Virat Kohli, the team still managed the victory against Pakistan.
Chris Gayle, Chadwick Walton
Many big things happened in the T20 series between West Indies and New Zealand in 2017-18. At that time Chadwick Walton and Gayle were opening for Caribbean team. The performance of the openers in the third match of the series was not upto the mark.
West Indies needed 243 runs to win. In reply, Walton was out on zero in the first over itself. 4 balls later, Gayle was also dismissed without scoring any run.
Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal
In 2018, in the T20 series played between West Indies and Bangladesh, both Bangladesh openers, Soumya Sarkar and Tamim Iqbal were dismissed for Zero individual score in the first over itself by Ashley Nurse. Bangladesh had to face defeat in that match.
Ahmed Shahzad and Kamran Akmal
The 2014 T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and West Indies saw both Pakistan openers suffer with bad luck as both were dismissed for the score of Zero. Chasing a target of 167 runs, first Ahmed Shahzad and then Kamran Akmal had to return to pavilion without opening their account.
Jesse Rider and Martin Guptil
While chasing a target of 183 runs, New Zealand lost their opening duo for Zero in the 2010 T20 World Cup. In New Zealand’s T20 World Cup 2010 match against Pakistan, Tanvir Ahmed and Abdul Razzaq got the better of the New Zealand openers Jesse Rider and Martin Guptil.
