They don't think it's all over

We wish records existed for the greatest number of players injured in a series; Australia's ongoing tour of India might have found a place. But they don't, and so we've explored something from the first ODI in Vadodara - where Harbhajan Singh finally reached 1000 runs - that caught Travis' attention. India's eighth-wicket partnership between Harbhajan and Praveen Kumar was worth 84 runs, about 28% of the target of 293 that Australia had set. So we've looked at which other lower-order partnerships (after at least six wickets had fallen) formed the highest percentage of the target during a chase. The Harbhajan-Praveen effort didn't even make the top 30 in ODIs.

Doug Walters and Gary Gilmour v England, semi-final, 1975 World Cup
Australia's chase of 94 had gone horribly wrong and they were listing at 39 for 6 on a damp Headingley pitch. In walked Gary Gilmour, the wrecker of England's innings, at No. 8, to join Doug Walters, who had watched Chris Old bowl three batsmen in quick succession from the non-striker's end. Walters then proceeded to watch Gilmour throw his bat around. Gilmour was dropped by Tony Greig at slip with the score on 78, and went on to make an unbeaten run-a-ball 28 to lead Australia into the final. The Gilmour-Walters seventh-wicket stand had added 55, 58.5% of the target Australia needed. No lower-order partnership has scored a larger portion of the target since.

Michael Bevan and Paul Reiffel v West Indies, Sydney, 1996
Australia and West Indies contested one of the most memorable one-dayers on New Year's Day 1996, one that forged Michael Bevan's reputation as a finisher. Chasing 173 in 43 overs, Curtly Ambrose and Ottis Gibson had reduced Australia to 74 for 7 when Paul Reiffel joined Bevan. They added 83 for the eighth wicket, nearly 48% of the target, before Reiffel was dismissed for 34. Reiffel had been part of another rearguard with Shane Warne two years prior, against South Africa, but Australia had lost that match in Port Elizabeth. Bevan, however, ensured that result wasn't repeated. With four needed off the final ball, he successfully clubbed Roger Harper straight down the ground to finish unbeaten on 78. Bobby Simpson called it the best innings he had seen while chasing, but it was Reiffel who was Man of the Match for his 34 and 4 for 29.

Lower-order partnership contributing the highest % of the target in ODIs (6+ wickets lost)

Partners	Runs	Target	%		In	Out	Result	Opposition	Start Date	Scorecard
GJ Gilmour, KD Walters (Aust)	55	94	58.5		39/6	94/6	won	v Eng	Jun 18, 1975	ODI 31
UDU Chandana, DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	126	221	57.0		95/6	221/6	won	v India	Aug 3, 2005	ODI 2265
IK Pathan, Jai P Yadav (India)	118	216	54.6		44/8	162/9	lost	v NZ	Aug 26, 2005	ODI 2273
PR Reiffel, SK Warne (Aust)	119	228	52.1		77/7	196/8	lost	v SA	Apr 4, 1994	ODI 901
IP Butchart, DL Houghton (Zim)	117	243	48.1		104/7	221/8	lost	v NZ	Oct 10, 1987	ODI 454
MG Bevan, PR Reiffel (Aust)	83	173	47.9		74/7	157/8	won	v WI	Jan 1, 1996	ODI 1028
KM Dabengwa, P Utseya (Zim)	72	153	47.0		58/6	130/7	lost	v SL	Nov 30, 2008	ODI 2785
RS Bopara, SCJ Broad (Eng)	99	213	46.4		114/7	213/7	won	v India	Aug 30, 2007	ODI 2617
Javed Miandad, Saleem Yousuf (Pak)	80	173	46.2		75/6	155/6	lost	v WI	Nov 4, 1986	ODI 397
AF Giles, MP Vaughan (Eng)	92	205	44.8		62/6	154/7	lost	v India	Sep 5, 2004	ODI 2167
SM Ervine, T Taibu (Zim)	99	223	44.3		47/6	146/7	lost	v WI	Nov 29, 2003	ODI 2069
JC Adams, NAM McLean (WI)	60	139	43.1		31/8	91/9	lost	v Zim	Jan 23, 2001	ODI 1675
MV Boucher, HH Dippenaar (SA)	101	236	42.7		91/6	192/7	lost	v SL	Aug 21, 2002	ODI 1866
JDP Oram, DL Vettori (NZ)	103	241	42.7		35/6	138/7	lost	v Aust	Nov 1, 2006	ODI 2441
LOB Cann, DA Minors (Ber)	64	150	42.6		89/7	153/7	won	v Can	May 17, 2006	ODI 2375
JK Kamande, TM Odoyo (Kenya)	98	231	42.4		135/6	233/6	won	v Can	Oct 18, 2007	ODI 2634
MV Boucher, L Klusener (SA)	87	206	42.2		122/6	209/6	won	v Aust	Apr 16, 2000	ODI 1591
Enamul Haque, Khaled Mashud (Bang)	85	203	41.8		68/6	153/7	lost	v Pak	Jan 22, 2002	ODI 1790
CN Evans, PA Strang (Zim)	71	171	41.5		78/6	149/7	won	v India	Feb 7, 1997	ODI 1174
MF Maharoof, KC Sangakkara (SL)	63	153	41.1		51/6	114/7	won	v Bang	Jan 16, 2009	ODI 2794
A Flower, GJ Whittall (Zim)	91	223	40.8		107/6	198/7	won	v SA	Feb 2, 2000	ODI 1555
Anil Dalpat, Rameez Raja (Pak)	108	265	40.7		129/6	237/7	lost	v NZ	Feb 6, 1985	ODI 302
RD Jacobs, RR Sarwan (WI)	98	242	40.4		80/6	178/7	lost	v NZ	Feb 13, 2003	ODI 1949
PR Downton, MW Gatting (Eng)	86	215	40.0		129/6	215/6	won	v India	Dec 5, 1984	ODI 279
DJ Richardson, PL Symcox (SA)	88	221	39.8		96/7	184/8	lost	v India	Nov 6, 1996	ODI 1138
HS Baidwan, S Dhaniram (Can)	78	196	39.7		61/6	139/7	lost	v Ber	Jun 29, 2008	ODI 2725
Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal (Pak)	52	131	39.6		82/6	134/6	won	v SL	Mar 19, 2006	ODI 2352
SMH Kirmani, Yashpal Sharma (India)	89	225	39.5		121/6	210/6	lost	v Pak	Dec 3, 1982	ODI 162
AIC Dodemaide, MRJ Veletta (Aust)	73	189	38.6		100/6	173/7	won	v SL	Jan 19, 1988	ODI 496
CD Collymore, RL Powell (WI)	84	226	37.1		52/7	136/8	lost	v India	Sep 14, 1999	ODI 1499

Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson v West Indies, Brisbane, 1960
Only once in a Test match has a lower-order partnership contributed more than 50% of the target. Alan Davidson and Richie Benaud's effort came in the first-ever tied Test. West Indies had set Australia 233 to chase and Wes Hall had taken four wickets to reduce them to 92 for 6. Both Benaud and Davidson scored half-centuries and batted on until only 27 runs were needed in the last half an hour of the match. It was then that Benaud chanced a sharp single and Joe Solomon hit the stumps from midwicket to run out Davidson for 80. The pair had added 134 runs for the seventh wicket, 57.5% of the target. Australia needed six runs off the final over and Benaud became Hall's fifth wicket, off the second ball. Solomon scored another direct hit off the final ball, running out Ian Meckiff with the scores level.

Lance Cairns and Gary Troup v West Indies, Dunedin, 1980
This Test is best remembered for Michael Holding kicking down the stumps after an appeal for caught behind against John Parker was turned down during New Zealand's chase of 104. The hosts were soon left reeling at 73 for 8 by the pace trio of Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft, and pinned their hopes on Lance Cairns and Gary Troup, Nos. 9 and 10. The two slowly pushed the score to 95 for 8 at tea. After the addition of one run following the break, Holding grazed Cairns' stumps but didn't dislodge a bail. Cairns, however, was dismissed for 19, after a partnership of 27, which was 26% of the target, with the score on 100. Troup and Stephen Boock scrambled four off the final over, bowled by Garner, to give New Zealand a one-wicket victory. It led to West Indies' last Test-series defeat for 15 years.

Sachin Tendulkar and Manoj Prabhakar v England, Old Trafford, 1990
India were set 408 to win in a minimum of 88 overs on the final day in Manchester. However, Navjot Sidhu was out off the seventh ball off the innings, and though the batsmen maintained a steady run-rate, India were soon 183 for 6 and in danger of going 0-2 down in the series. Two-and-a-half hours of play remained when Manoj Prabhakar joined Sachin Tendulkar. England had a chance to dismiss Tendulkar on 10 but Eddie Hemmings dropped a return catch. Tendulkar went on to remain unbeaten on 119, the first of many centuries, and added 160 (39% of the target) for the seventh wicket with Prabhakar, who scored 67, to force a draw.