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Mitchell Santner stuns WI with the tail; List of highest 10th-wicket stands in T20Is

Aakash Saini

Top 5 highest 10th-wicket partnerships in T20I history [Source: AFP Photos]Top 5 highest 10th-wicket partnerships in T20I history [Source: AFP Photos]

Mitchell Santner pulled up some late fireworks for New Zealand during his tenth-wicket partnership with number 11 Jacob Duffy in a stiff chase against West Indies. Santner stuck a belligerent half-century to entertain thoughts of a New Zealand win after the hosts were reduced to 107-9 at one stage, still finding themselves 58 runs short of their target.

Nonetheless, the fighting stand between Mitchell Santner and Jacob Duffy has now rewritten an elite partnership record for the tenth wicket in the history of T20I cricket, at least among players from Test-playing nations. Celebrating their spirited fightback, here is a look at five of the highest tenth-wicket stands in T20Is from full-member nations.

5. 38* runs – Obed McCoy & Hayden Walsh (West Indies) vs New Zealand, Kingston, 2022

Back in August 2022 in Kingston, leg-spinner Hayden Walsh and fast bowler Obed McCoy saved West Indies from a certain embarrassment against New Zealand in the second T20I of their three-match series. 

The two tailenders, batting at 10 and 11, joined each other at the crease following the dismissal of Odean Smith at 87-9 in 16.1 overs. Both Walsh (10* off 8) and McCoy (23* off 15) subsequently crafted 38* runs for the tenth wicket from the remaining 23 balls to take West Indies to 125-9 in 20 overs. The hosts, however, still lost the match by 90 runs.

4. 40* runs – Haris Rauf & Sufiyan Muqeem (Pakistan) vs Afghanistan, Sharjah, 2025

Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf launched four huge sixes in his blistering 16-ball 34* against Afghanistan in the fourth match of the UAE T20I tri-series 2025 in Sharjah. Chasing 170, Pakistan slipped to 111-9 in 17 overs, before number 11 Sufiyan Muqeem joined Rauf at the crease. 

The two cricketers compounded 40 runs in an unbroken partnership from just 18 balls, with Muqeem chipping in with 7* from six deliveries. While Haris Rauf did the heavy lifting, Pakistan still lost the match by 18 runs.


3. 42 runs – Josh Little & Barry McCarthy (Ireland) vs South Africa, Bristol, 2022

Ireland fast bowlers and tailenders Barry McCarthy and Josh Little composed 42 runs from 25 balls for the tenth wicket against South Africa during the series-deciding second T20I match in Bristol. 

Chasing a monumental 183, Little joined McCarthy at the crease at 96-9 in the 15th over before both cricketers extended the Irish total to 138 all out in 18.5 overs. McCarthy, after his counterattacking 32-run knock from 19 balls with three fours and two sixes, was dismissed by Dwaine Pretorius as South Africa secured the proceedings with a 44-run margin.

2. 44* runs – Josh Little & Barry McCarthy (Ireland) vs South Africa, Dublin, 2021

In Ireland’s first home T20I of the three-match series against South Africa in Dublin back in July 2021, tailenders Barry McCarthy and Josh Little themselves accounted for exactly a third of the hosts’ total of 132-9 in 20 overs. 

While McCarthy scored 30* from 25 balls, Little made 15* off 18 after the two Irish fast bowlers joined each other at the crease at a troublesome 88-9 in 13.4 overs. Nonetheless, their 44*-run partnership from 38 balls merely brought Ireland’s defeat margin down to 33 runs as South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the series.

1. 50* runs – Mitchell Santner & Jacob Duffy (New Zealand) vs West Indies, Auckland, 2025

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner and number 11 Jacob Duffy nearly pulled off a remarkable heist for their team in the series-opening first T20I against West Indies in November 2025 at the Eden Park in Auckland. 

Forming forces at 107-9 after a dramatic collapse while chasing 165, Santner bludgeoned eight fours and two huge sixes in his cracking 28-ball 55*. Duffy, meanwhile, faced just one delivery in their entire 50*-run partnership from 20 balls as Santner reserved most of the strike for himself. Despite the best of all-rounder’s belligerence, New Zealand fell seven runs short of the visitors.