IND vs ENG: Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell Script History With Highest-Ever Opening Stand at Lord’s in ODIs

England’s new opening pairing of Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell produced a record-breaking opening partnership to put England in complete control against India in the third ODI at Lord’s on Sunday.

The left-handed duo stitched together a 192-run stand, registering England’s highest-ever opening partnership against India in ODI cricket. Their effort eclipsed the previous record of 160 set by Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow during the 2019 ODI World Cup at Edgbaston.

The stand was also significant for another reason. It marked only the second instance since the 2023 ODI World Cup that both England openers have scored half-centuries in the same ODI innings. The previous occurrence came when Duckett and Jamie Smith achieved the feat against the West Indies at The Oval last year.

At Lord’s, the achievement ended a 28-year wait. The last England opening pair to score fifty-plus each in an ODI at the iconic venue was Nick Knight and Mike Atherton against Sri Lanka in 1998.

Duckett, meanwhile, reached his half-century in an uncharacteristically patient fashion. The left-hander brought up the milestone off 64 deliveries, making it the second-slowest fifty among his 13 ODI scores of fifty or more. His slowest ODI half-century remains the 67-ball effort against Sri Lanka in Colombo earlier this year.

England’s Highest Opening Partnerships Against India:

• 164* – Ben Duckett & Jacob Bethell, Lord’s (2026)
• 160 – Jason Roy & Jonny Bairstow, Edgbaston (2019)
• 158 – Alastair Cook & Ian Bell, Rajkot (2013)
• 135 – Jason Roy & Jonny Bairstow, Pune (2021)

The record-breaking partnership laid the perfect foundation for England in the series decider, with Duckett and Bethell combining patience and strokeplay to leave India’s bowlers searching for answers.