Though white-ball cricket is more glamorous and entertaining, test cricket is the game’s purest form. It presents a different level of challenge to players, bringing out their best. It tests your perseverance, temperament, patience, and skills. Batters can’t go away with lofty shots, and bowlers can’t benefit much with an average delivery. The competitiveness and class of this format always bring pleasant experiences to the audience.
A batter has to show solid defence with sheer class. Meanwhile, a bowler must repeatedly make the same perfect delivery to get a wicket. Consequently, there are several unbelievable records that you must know as a cricket lover. From the highest score in test cricket to the maximum wickets in an inning, everything will give your enthusiasm a boost. Let’s go through it.
Top 10 Highest Team Score in the Test
Cricket is undoubtedly a team sport. All the players contribute to making their team win. Let’s look at teams’ top 10 test scores of all time.
1. Sri Lanka vs. India
On August 2, 1997, in Colombo, Sri Lanka made history and is still unbeaten. The team scored a whopping 952 runs against India. Sanath Jayasuriya, with his giant 340, and Roshan Mahanama (225) took the match to the next level. The match was finally drawn, but even after 27 years, no team has touched this score.
2. England vs. Australia
Second on the list is England’s 903 against Australia. The English batters dominated the Aussies and gave a total that became impossible for Kangaroos to reach. This second-highest run in test cricket brought them victory. Sir Leonard Hutton scored the highest individual score- 364, making England win by an inning and 579 runs.
3. England vs. the West Indies
The English team again holds the third-highest total. On April 3, 1930, England scored 849 runs against the West Indies.
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4. West Indies vs. Pakistan
The West Indies came back in 1958 in Kingston, the same year England had given them tough competition. This time, the West Indies scored 790 against Pakistan, the fourth-highest score ever.
5. Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka
It was Pakistan’s turn for a comeback, and they did so. On their home ground in Karachi, the Pakistan team scored 765 runs.
6. Sri Lanka vs. India
Sri Lanka has dominated the highest scores in the Test format, this time also against India, with 760 runs on November 16 in Ahmedabad.
7. India vs. England
India revived themselves by scoring a grand total of 759 runs against England in 2016. This is said to be one of the most historic matches ever played.
8. Australia vs. the West Indies
This goes back to the 1990s. In Kingston, Australia, the West Indies were given a target of 758 runs, marking this score in the top 10.
9. Sri Lanka vs. South Africa
Again, Sri Lanka is on the list with a score of 756 runs, which was quite recent, in Colombo on July 27th, 2006.
10. The West Indies vs. England
Last but not least, in 2004, the West Indies team scored 751 runs against England, making it the 10th-highest test score ever.
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The Top 10 Highest-Scoring Batsmen
After examining the highest team scores, let’s examine the highest individual scores. From smashing openers to middle-order batters, the following players have displayed amazing performances over the years in test matches.
1. Brain Lara
Brain Lara, without a doubt, is the King of Test Format. With a whopping score of 400 runs against England. Lara stands tall on this list. He became the first batsman to do so.
2. Matthew Hayden
This Australian player against Zimbabwe made a score of 380 runs in 2003.
3. Brain Lara
Brain Lara again against England. He scored a total of 375 runs on April 16, 1994. This is his second-best against England.
4. Mahela Jayawardene
It is obvious to have a Sri Lankan player on the list, as Sri Lanka had great dominance in the test format.
Jayawardene, with 374 runs, remains the fourth-highest run scorer against the South African team.
5. Garfield Sobers
Sobers, a West Indies player against Pakistan in 1958, scored 365 not out, the fifth-highest score of all time.
6. Len Hutton
Len is an England batsman who, against the Australian team, scored 364 runs on August 20, 1938.
7. Sanath Jayasuriya
Another Sri Lankan player on the list, Jayasuriya, scored 340 runs against India in 1997.
8. Hanif Mohammad
Mohammad of the Pakistani team made 337 runs against the West Indies team.
9. Wally Hammond
This England player made the list by scoring 336 runs against the New Zealand team in 1933.
10. David Warner
This is the last on the list and the most recent amongst all. David Warner, an Australian player against Pakistan on November 29, made 335 runs.
Who Holds the Record for the Most Runs in Test Cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar is the best in this category. Tendulkar, known as the God of cricket, scored 15,921 runs during his 24-year-long career (from 1989 to 2013).
Ricky Ponting, an Australian cricket player who scored 13,378 runs from 1995 to 2015, is next. Other legendary names include Jacques Kallis, who scored 13,289 runs, and Rahul Dravid, who scored 13,288 runs.
Most Wicket-Taking Players of All Time
The Sri Lankan player Muttiah Muralidharan, with 800 wickets, remains at the top of this list.
Over the years, he displayed a consistent game with unmatched skills, making him the best amongst his contemporaries. Shane Warne is second on the list with 708 wickets.
James Anderson, with 700+ wickets, Anil Kumble, 619, and Stuart Broad, with 604 wickets, remain among the top 5 most wicket-taking players of all time on the test.
Who Scored the Most Sixes in the Test?
This is an interesting record; though the test is more of a long-play game than T20, sixes are rare here.
Ben Stokes tops this list with 128 sixes in test history. Followed by Brendon McCullum tops this list with 107 sixes under his name.
Adam Gilchrist follows him with 100 sixes; fourth on the list is Chris Gayle with 98; fifth is Jacques Kallis with 97.
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Famous Cricket Test Series
The test is known to be a popular format. Hence, several bilateral test series are remembered to date. A few of them are:
The Ashes: The historic relationship between Australia and England.
Indo-Pak Series: This always remains historic because of the political equation of both countries.
Border Gavaskar Trophy: Between India and Australia.
The World Test Championship is another on the list.
Conclusion
Cricket is one of the most prevalent games worldwide. With so many records and a rich history of rivalry and victory, the test is a very interesting format cricket fans love.
As we have seen, the Sri Lankan team has the highest score for a team, whereas the individual batsman score remains a mix of all the teams.
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