List of Test cricket records (Redirected from Test cricket bowling records)

Donald Bradman wearing a black shirt and a dark cap
Donald Bradman, holder of several Test batting records including highest batting average
Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test cricket
Muttiah Muralitharan is the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket
George Lohmann is the holder of best bowling average in Test cricket

Test cricket is played between international cricket teams who are Full Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Unlike One Day Internationals, Test matches consist of two innings per team, with no limit in the number of overs. Test cricket is first-class cricket, so statistics and records set in Test matches are also counted toward first-class records. The duration of Tests, currently limited to five days, has varied through Test history, ranging from three days to timeless matches. The earliest match now recognised as a Test was played between England and Australia in March 1877; since then there have been over 2,000 Tests played by 13 teams. The frequency of Tests has steadily increased partly because of the increase in the number of Test-playing countries, and partly as cricket boards seek to maximise their revenue.

Cricket is, by its nature, capable of generating large numbers of records and statistics. This list details the most significant team and individual records in Test cricket.

As of March 2021, the most successful team in Test cricket, in terms of both wins and win percentage, is Australia, having won 393 of their 830 Tests (47.24%). Excluding teams who have only played a single Test (the ICC World XI and a rest of world team who played a single Test against Australia in 2005) the least successful team are Bangladesh who have struggled since their introduction to Test cricket in 2000, leading to questioning of their Test status.

Australian Donald Bradman, widely considered the greatest batsman of all time, holds several personal and partnership records. He scored the most runs in a series, has the most double centuries and was a part of the record 5th wicket partnership. His most significant record is his batting average of 99.94. One of cricket's most famous statistics, it still stands almost 40 runs higher than any other batsman's career average. Don Bradman is the only player in the world to have scored 5000 runs against a single opposition: 5028 runs against England.

In the Manchester Test of 1956, England spin bowler Jim Laker took 19 wickets for 90 runs (19–90) which set not only the Test record for best match figures but also the first-class one. In taking 10–53 in the second innings he became the first bowler to capture all ten wickets in a Test match innings, and his analysis remains the best innings figures. Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble was the second bowler to take 10 wickets in an innings, claiming 10–74 against Pakistan in 1999. In December 2021, New Zealand spinner, Ajaz Patel became the third bowler to take 10 wickets in an innings. West Indies batsman Brian Lara has the highest individual score in Test cricket: he scored 400 not out against England in 2004 to surpass the innings of 380 by Matthew Hayden six months earlier. Lara had held the record before Hayden, with a score of 375 against England 10 years earlier. Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq holds the record of the fastest Test half century, scoring 50 runs from 21 balls. The record for the fastest Test century is held by New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, who scored 100 runs from 54 balls in his final Test match.

The trend of countries to increase the number of Test matches they play means that the aggregate lists are dominated by modern players. Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan became the highest Test wicket-taker in December 2007, when he passed Shane Warne's total of 708 wickets. Within a year, the equivalent batting record of highest run-scorer had also changed hands: Sachin Tendulkar surpassed the tally of 11,953 runs by Brian Lara. The record for most dismissals by a wicket-keeper is held by Mark Boucher of South Africa while the record for most catches by a fielder is held by Rahul Dravid.

Listing criteria

In general the top five are listed in each category (except when there is a tie for the last place among the five, when all the tied record holders are noted).

Listing notation

Team notation
  • (300–3) indicates that a team scored 300 runs for three wickets and the innings was closed, either due to a successful run chase or if no playing time remained
  • (300–3 d) indicates that a team scored 300 runs for three wickets, and declared its innings closed
  • (300) indicates that a team scored 300 runs and was all out
Batting notation
  • (100) indicates that a batsman scored 100 runs and was out
  • (100*) indicates that a batsman scored 100 runs and was not out
Bowling notation
  • (5–100) indicates that a bowler has captured 5 wickets while conceding 100 runs
Currently playing
  • dagger indicates a current Test cricketer
Seasons
  • Domestic cricket seasons in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and the West Indies may span two calendar years, and are by convention said to be played in (e.g.) "2008–09". A cricket season in England is described as a single year. e.g. "2009". An international Test series may be for a much shorter duration, and Cricinfo treats this issue by stating "any series or matches which began between May and September of any given year will appear in the relevant single year season and any that began between October and April will appear in the relevant cross-year season". In the record tables, a two-year span generally indicates that the record was set within a domestic season in one of the above named countries.

Team records

Team wins, losses and draws

Team First Test match Matches Won Lost Tied Drawn % Won
 Afghanistan 14 June 2018 6 3 3 0 0 50.00
 Australia 15 March 1877 844 400 227 2 215 47.39
 Bangladesh 10 November 2000 134 16 100 0 18 11.94
 England 15 March 1877 1052 382 316 0 354 36.31
 India 25 June 1932 563 168 174 1 220 29.84
 Ireland 11 May 2018 3 0 3 0 0 0.00
 New Zealand 10 January 1930 458 109 181 0 168 23.79
 Pakistan 16 October 1952 444 145 135 0 164 32.65
 South Africa 12 March 1889 452 174 154 0 124 38.49
 Sri Lanka 17 February 1982 305 97 116 0 92 31.80
 West Indies 23 June 1928 565 181 204 1 179 32.03
 Zimbabwe 18 October 1992 115 13 74 0 28 11.30
ICC World XI 14 October 2005 1 0 1 0 0 0.00

Last updated: 11 July 2022

Result records

Greatest win margins (by innings)

Margin Teams Venue Season
Innings and 579 runs  England (903–7 d) beat  Australia (201 & 123) The Oval, London 1938
Innings and 360 runs  Australia (652–7 d) beat  South Africa (159 & 133) New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 2001–02
Innings and 336 runs  West Indies (614–5 d) beat  India (124 & 154) Eden Gardens, Kolkata 1958–59
Innings and 332 runs  Australia (645) beat  England (141 & 172) Brisbane Cricket Ground 1946–47
Innings and 324 runs  Pakistan (643) beat  New Zealand (73 & 246) Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 2002

Last updated: 25 November 2019

Greatest win margin (by runs)

Margin Teams Venue Season
675 runs  England (521 & 342–8 d) beat  Australia (122 & 66) Brisbane Exhibition Ground 1928–29
562 runs  Australia (701 & 327) beat  England (321 & 145) The Oval, London 1934
530 runs  Australia (328 & 578) beat  South Africa (205 & 171) Melbourne Cricket Ground 1910–11
492 runs  South Africa (488 & 344-6 d) beat  Australia (221 & 119) Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 2018
491 runs  Australia (381 & 361–5 d) beat  Pakistan (179 & 72) WACA Ground, Perth 2004–05

Last updated: 3 April 2018

Matches that finished with scores level

Result Teams Venue Season
Tie  Australia (505 & 232) vs  West Indies (453 & 284) The Gabba 1960–61
Tie  India (397 & 347) vs  Australia (574–7 d & 170–5 d) MA Chidambaram Stadium, Madras 1986–87
Draw  Zimbabwe (376 & 234) vs  England (406 & 204–5) Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo 1996–97
Draw  India (482 & 242–9) vs  West Indies (590 & 134) Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai 2011–12

Last updated: 8 January 2021

Narrowest win margin (by wickets)

Margin Teams Venue Season
1 wicket  England (183 & 263–9) beat  Australia (324 & 121) The Oval, London 1902
 South Africa (91 & 287–9) beat  England (184 & 190) Old Wanderers, Johannesburg 1905–06
 England (382 & 282–9) beat  Australia (266 & 397) Melbourne Cricket Ground 1907–08
 England (183 & 173–9) beat  South Africa (113 & 242) Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town 1922–23
 Australia (216 & 260–9) beat  West Indies (272 & 203) Melbourne Cricket Ground 1951–52
 New Zealand (249 & 104–9) beat  West Indies (140 & 212) Carisbrook, Dunedin 1979–80
 Pakistan (256 & 315–9) beat  Australia (337 & 232) National Stadium, Karachi 1994–95
 West Indies (329 & 311–9) beat  Australia (490 & 146) Kensington Oval, Bridgetown 1998–99
 West Indies (273 & 216–9) beat  Pakistan (269 & 219) Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's 1999–00
 Pakistan (175 & 262–9) beat  Bangladesh (281 & 154) Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium, Multan 2003
 Sri Lanka (321 & 352–9) beat  South Africa (361 & 311) Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo 2006
 India (405 & 216–9) beat  Australia (428 & 192) Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali 2010–11
 Sri Lanka (191 & 304–9) beat  South Africa (235 & 259) Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban 2018–19
 England (67 & 362–9) beat  Australia (179 & 246) Headingley, Leeds 2019
 West Indies (253 & 168–9) beat  Pakistan (217 & 203) Sabina Park, Kingston 2021

Last updated: 15 August 2021

Narrowest win margin (by runs)

Margin Teams Venue Season
1 run  West Indies (252 & 146) beat  Australia (213 & 184) Adelaide Oval 1992–93
2 runs  England (407 & 182) beat  Australia (308 & 279) Edgbaston, Birmingham 2005
3 runs  Australia (299 & 86) beat  England (262 & 120) Old Trafford, Manchester 1902
 England (284 & 294) beat  Australia (287 & 288) Melbourne Cricket Ground 1982–83
4 runs  New Zealand (153 & 249) beat  Pakistan (227 & 171) Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2018–19

Last updated: 19 November 2018

Victory after following-on

Margin Teams Venue Season
10 runs  England (325 & 437) beat  Australia (586 & 166) Sydney Cricket Ground 1894–95
18 runs  England (174 & 356) beat  Australia (401–9 d & 111) Headingley, Leeds 1981
171 runs  India (171 & 657–7 d) beat  Australia (445 & 212) Eden Gardens, Kolkata 2000–01

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Most consecutive wins

Wins Team First win Last win
16  Australia  Zimbabwe at Harare, 14 October 1999  India at Mumbai, 27 February 2001
 South Africa at Melbourne, 26 December 2005  India at Sydney, 2 January 2008
11  West Indies  Australia at Bridgetown, 30 March 1984  Australia at Adelaide, 7 December 1984
9  Sri Lanka  India at Colombo, 29 August 2001  Pakistan at Lahore, 6 March 2002
 South Africa  Australia at Durban, 15 March 2002  Bangladesh at Dhaka, 1 May 2003

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Team scoring records

Most runs in an innings
Score Teams Venue Season
952–6 d  Sri Lanka (v  India) Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 1997
903–7 d  England (v  Australia) The Oval, London 1938
849  England (v  West Indies) Sabina Park, Kingston 1929–30
790–3 d  West Indies (v  Pakistan) Sabina Park, Kingston 1957–58
765–6 d  Pakistan (v  Sri Lanka) National Stadium, Karachi 2008–09

Last updated: 14 September 2017

Fewest runs in a completed innings
Runs Teams Venue Date
26  New Zealand (v  England) Eden Park, Auckland 25 March 1955
30  South Africa (v  England) St George's Park, Port Elizabeth 13 February 1896
 South Africa (v  England) Edgbaston, Birmingham 14 June 1924
35  South Africa (v  England) Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town 1 April 1899
36  South Africa (v  Australia) Melbourne Cricket Ground 12 February 1932
 Australia (v  England) Edgbaston, Birmingham 29 May 1902
 India (v  Australia) Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 17 December 2020

Last updated: 19 December 2020

Highest fourth-innings totals to win
Score Teams Venue Season
418–7  West Indies (v  Australia) Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's 2002–03
414–4  South Africa (v  Australia) WACA Ground, Perth 2008–09
406–4  India (v  West Indies) Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain 1975–76
404–3  Australia (v  England) Headingley, Leeds 1948
395–7  West Indies (v  Bangladesh) Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong 2020–21

Last updated: 14 September 2017

Individual records

Individual records (batting)

Career runs

Most career runs
Runs Innings Player Period
15,921 329 India Sachin Tendulkar 1989–2013
13,378 287 Australia Ricky Ponting 1995–2012
13,289 280 South Africa Jacques Kallis 1995–2013
13,288 286 India Rahul Dravid 1996–2012
12,472 291 England Alastair Cook 2006–2018

Last updated: 11 September 2018

Most career runs – progression of record
Runs Player Record held until Duration of record
239 Australia Charles Bannerman 4 January 1882 4 years, 295 days
676 England George Ulyett[a] 13 August 1884 2 years, 222 days
860 Australia Billy Murdoch[b] 14 August 1886 2 years, 1 day
1,277 England Arthur Shrewsbury 23 January 1902 15 years, 162 days
1,293 Australia Joe Darling[c] 18 February 1902 26 days
1,366 Australia Syd Gregory[d] 14 June 1902 116 days
1,531 England Archie MacLaren[e] 13 August 1902 60 days
3,412 Australia Clem Hill 27 December 1924 22 years, 136 days
5,410 England Jack Hobbs 29 June 1937 12 years, 184 days
7,249 England Wally Hammond 27 November 1970 33 years, 151 days
7,459 England Colin Cowdrey[f] 23 March 1972 1 year, 117 days
8,032 Cricket West Indies Garfield Sobers 23 December 1981 9 years, 275 days
8,114 England Geoffrey Boycott 12 November 1983 1 year, 324 days
10,122 India Sunil Gavaskar 25 February 1993 9 years, 105 days
11,174 Australia Allan Border 25 November 2005 12 years, 273 days
11,953 Cricket West Indies Brian Lara 17 October 2008 2 years, 327 days
15,921 India Sachin Tendulkar current 13 years, 272 days

Last updated: 15 June 2016


Notes:

  • ^[a] Ulyett finished his career with 949 runs
  • ^[b] Murdoch finished his career with 908 runs
  • ^[c] Darling finished his career with 1,657 runs
  • ^[d] Gregory finished his career with 2,282 runs
  • ^[e] MacLaren finished his career with 1,931 runs
  • ^[f] Cowdrey finished his career with 7,624 runs

Most runs at each batting position

Batting position Player Runs Average at the position
Opener England Alastair Cook 11,845 44.87
Number 3 Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara 11,679 60.83
Number 4 India Sachin Tendulkar 13,492 54.40
Number 5 Cricket West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul 6,883 56.42
Number 6 Australia Steve Waugh 3,165 51.05
Number 7 Australia Adam Gilchrist 3,948 46.45
Number 8 New Zealand Daniel Vettori 2,227 39.77
Number 9 England Stuart Broad dagger 1,362 20.03
Number 10 England Stuart Broad dagger 786 12.68
Number 11 New Zealand Trent Boult dagger 644 16.10

Last updated: 6 July 2022

Highest career batting average

Average Innings Player Period
99.94 80 Australia Donald Bradman 1928–1948
61.87 31 Australia Adam Voges 2015–2016
60.97 41 South Africa Graeme Pollock 1963–1970
60.83 40 Cricket West Indies George Headley 1930–1954
60.73 84 England Herbert Sutcliffe 1924–1935
Qualification: 20 innings.

Note: If the qualification is removed, the record Test batting average is Australian Kurtis Patterson's 144.00; Patterson made scores of 30 and 114 not out in his only two Test innings. A very few one-Test wonders have never been dismissed, leaving them without a defined Test batting average. Notable players who played only a single Test innings without a dismissal are Stuart Law (54*, innings declared) and Andy Lloyd (10*, retired hurt).


Last updated: 9 January 2022

Innings or series

Brian Lara was the first to score 400 in International Cricket
Highest individual score
Score Player Opponent Venue Season
400* Cricket West Indies Brian Lara  England Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's 2003–04
380 Australia Matthew Hayden  Zimbabwe WACA Ground, Perth 2003–04
375 Cricket West Indies Brian Lara  England Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's 1993–94
374 Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawardene  South Africa Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo 2006
365* Cricket West Indies Garfield Sobers  Pakistan Sabina Park, Kingston 1957–58

Last updated: 15 June 2015

Highest individual score – progression of record
Score Player Opponent Venue Season Test match Number
165* Australia Charles Bannerman  England Melbourne Cricket Ground 1876–77 Test No. 1
211 Australia Billy Murdoch  England The Oval, London 1884 Test No. 16
287 England R. E. Foster  Australia Sydney Cricket Ground 1903–04 Test No. 78
325 England Andy Sandham  West Indies Sabina Park, Kingston 1929–30 Test No. 193
334 Australia Don Bradman  England Headingley, Leeds 1930 Test No. 196
336* England Wally Hammond  New Zealand Eden Park, Auckland 1932–33 Test No. 226
364 England Len Hutton  Australia The Oval, London 1938 Test No. 266
365* Cricket West Indies Garfield Sobers  Pakistan Sabina Park, Kingston 1957–58 Test No. 452
375 Cricket West Indies Brian Lara  England Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's 1993–94 Test No. 1259
380 Australia Matthew Hayden  Zimbabwe WACA Ground, Perth 2003–04 Test No. 1661
400* Cricket West Indies Brian Lara  England Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's 2003–04 Test No. 1696

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Most runs in a match
Runs Scores Player Opponent Venue Season
456 333 and 123 England Graham Gooch  India Lord's 1990
426 334* and 92 Australia Mark Taylor  Pakistan Peshawar 1998–99
424 319 and 105 Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara  Bangladesh Chittagong 2013–14
400 400* Cricket West Indies Brian Lara  England St John's, Antigua 2003–04
380 247* and 133 Australia Greg Chappell  New Zealand Wellington 1973–74
380 Australia Matthew Hayden  Zimbabwe Perth 2003–04

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Most runs in a series
Runs Player Series
974 (7 innings) Australia Don Bradman v  England, 1930
905 (9 innings) England Wally Hammond v  Australia, 1928–29
839 (11 innings) Australia Mark Taylor v  England, 1989
834 (9 innings) Australia Neil Harvey v  South Africa, 1952–53
829 (7 innings) Cricket West Indies Viv Richards v  England, 1976

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Calendar year and between dismissals

Most runs in a calendar year
Runs Player Average Year
1788 Pakistan Mohammad Yousuf 99.33 2006
1710 Cricket West Indies Vivian Richards 90.00 1976
1708 England Joe Root 61.00 2021
1656 South Africa Graeme Smith 72.00 2008
1595 Australia Michael Clarke 106.33 2012

Last updated: 31 December 2021

Most runs between successive dismissals
Runs Player Innings Scores Season
614 Australia Adam Voges 3 269*, 106*, 239 2015–16
497 India Sachin Tendulkar 4 241*, 60*, 194*, 2 2003–04
490 Cricket West Indies Garfield Sobers 2 365*, 125 1957–58
489 Australia Michael Clarke 2 259*, 230 2012–13
473 India Rahul Dravid 4 41*, 200*, 70*, 162 2000–01

Last updated: 21 December 2017

Highest scores at each batting position

Batting position Player Score Opponent Venue Date
Opener Australia Matthew Hayden 380  Zimbabwe WACA Ground 9 October 2003
Number 3 Cricket West Indies Brian Lara 400*  England Antigua Recreation Ground 10 April 2004
Number 4 Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawardene 374  South Africa Sinhalese Sports Club Ground 27 July 2006
Number 5 Australia Michael Clarke 329*  India Sydney Cricket Ground 3 January 2012
Number 6 England Ben Stokes 258  South Africa Newlands Cricket Ground 2 January 2016
Number 7 Australia Don Bradman 270  England Melbourne Cricket Ground 1 January 1937
Number 8 Pakistan Wasim Akram 257*  Zimbabwe Sheikhupura Stadium 17 October 1996
Number 9 New Zealand Ian Smith 173  India Eden Park 22 February 1990
Number 10 England Walter Read 117  Australia Kennington Oval 11 August 1884
Number 11 Australia Ashton Agar 98  England Trent Bridge 10 July 2013

Last updated: 18 November 2017

Innings as captain

Highest individual score as captain
Score Player Opponent Venue Season
400* Cricket West Indies Brian Lara  England Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's 2003–04
374 Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawardene  South Africa Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo 2006
334* Australia Mark Taylor  Pakistan Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar 1998
333 England Graham Gooch  India Lord's, London 1990
329* Australia Michael Clarke  India Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 2012

Last updated: 15 June 2015

Innings carrying the bat

Highest individual score (see also List of cricketers who have carried the bat in international cricket)
Score Player Opponent Venue Season
264* New Zealand Tom Latham  Sri Lanka Basin Reserve, Wellington 2018–19
244* England Alastair Cook  Australia Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne 2017–18
223* New Zealand Glenn Turner  West Indies Sabina Park, Kingston 1972
216* Sri Lanka Marvan Atapattu  Zimbabwe Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo 1999–00
206* Australia Bill Brown  England Lord's, London 1931

Last updated: 8 January 2019

Most runs in an over

Runs Sequence Batsman Bowler Venue Season
35 4–5W–7NB–4–4–4–6–1 India Jasprit Bumrah England Stuart Broad Edgbaston, Birmingham 2022
28 4–6–6–4–4–4 Cricket West Indies Brian Lara South Africa Robin Peterson Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 2003–04
4–6–2–4–6–6 Australia George Bailey England James Anderson WACA, Perth 2013–14
4–4–4–6–6–b4 South Africa Keshav Maharaj England Joe Root St George's Park, Port Elizabeth 2019–20
27 6–6–6–6–2–1 Pakistan Shahid Afridi India Harbhajan Singh Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 2005–06

Last updated: 2 July 2022

Centuries

Most Test centuries
Centuries Player Matches Innings Inns/Century
51 India Sachin Tendulkar 200 329 6.4
45 South Africa Jacques Kallis 166 280 6.2
41 Australia Ricky Ponting 168 287 7.0
38 Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara 134 233 6.1
36 India Rahul Dravid 164 286 7.9

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Fastest Test centuries
No. of balls Player Opponent Venue Season
54 New Zealand Brendon McCullum  Australia Hagley Oval, Christchurch 2015–16
56 Cricket West Indies Viv Richards  England Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's 1985–86
Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq  Australia Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2014
57 Australia Adam Gilchrist  England WACA Ground, Perth 2006–07
67 Australia Jack Gregory  South Africa Old Wanderers, Johannesburg 1921–22

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Most Test double centuries
Double centuries Player Matches
12 Australia Donald Bradman 52
11 Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara 130
9 Cricket West Indies Brian Lara 131
7 England Wally Hammond 85
India Virat Kohli 100
Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawardene 149

Last updated: 30 December 2021

Fastest Test double centuries
No. of balls Player Opponent Venue Season
153 New Zealand Nathan Astle  England Jade Stadium, Christchurch 2001–02
163 England Ben Stokes  South Africa Newlands, Cape Town 2016
168 India Virender Sehwag  Sri Lanka Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai 2009
182 India Virender Sehwag  Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 2006
186 New Zealand Brendon McCullum  Pakistan Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 2014

Last updated: 4 March 2019

Most Test triple centuries
Triple centuries Player Matches
2 Australia Donald Bradman 52
India Virender Sehwag 104
Cricket West Indies Chris Gayle 103
Cricket West Indies Brian Lara 131
1

22 players: see List of Test cricket triple centuries for more details.

Last updated: 8 January 2019

Most Test quadruple centuries
Quadruple centuries Player Matches
1 Cricket West Indies Brian Lara 131

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Half-centuries

Most Test 50+
50+ Player Matches Innings
119 India Sachin Tendulkar 200 329
103 South Africa Jacques Kallis 166 280
103 Australia Ricky Ponting 168 287
99 India Rahul Dravid 164 286
96 Cricket West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul 164 280

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Fastest Test half-centuries
No. of balls Player Opponent Venue Season
21 Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq  Australia Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi 2014–15
23 Australia David Warner  Pakistan Sydney Cricket Ground 2016–17
24 South Africa Jacques Kallis  Zimbabwe Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town 2004–05
25 Cricket West Indies Shane Shillingford  New Zealand Sabina Park, Kingston 2014
26 Pakistan Shahid Afridi  India M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore 2004–05
Bangladesh Mohammad Ashraful  India Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, Mirpur 2007
South Africa Dale Steyn Cricket West Indies West Indies St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth 2014–15

Note: Misbah's is also the fastest in minutes, at 24 minutes, with Ashraful in second place on 27. Some records credit Victor Trumper with a 22-minute half-century against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1902-3, but this only counted the time he was on strike: the total time for his fifty is recorded as 45 minutes.
Some sources also credit Ian Botham with a 26-ball half-century against India at Delhi in 1981-2, but this is a printing error: the scorecard records 28 balls.
Last updated: 16 September 2019

Most fours in career

Fours Player Innings
2058+ India Sachin Tendulkar 329
1654 India Rahul Dravid 286
1559 Cricket West Indies Brian Lara 232
1509 Australia Ricky Ponting 287
1491 Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara 233

Key: + : complete career records aren't known

Last updated: 8 January 2019

Most sixes in career

Sixes Player Innings
107 New Zealand Brendon McCullum 176
100 Australia Adam Gilchrist 137
100 England Ben Stokes 151
98 Cricket West Indies Chris Gayle 182
97 South Africa Jacques Kallis 280

Last updated: 27 June 2022

Ducks

Ducks Innings Player Period
43 185 Cricket West Indies Courtney Walsh 1984–2001
39 228 England Stuart Broad dagger 2007–2022
36 104 New Zealand Chris Martin 2000–2013
35 138 Australia Glenn McGrath 1993–2007
34 199 Australia Shane Warne 1992–2007
142 India Ishant Sharma dagger 2007–2021

Last updated: 6 July 2022

Individual records (bowling)

Most wickets in a career

Wickets Player Matches Average
800 Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitharan 133 22.72
708 Australia Shane Warne 145 25.41
657 England James Anderson dagger 172 26.36
619 India Anil Kumble 132 29.65
563 Australia Glenn McGrath 124 21.64
Last updated: 6 July 2022

Most wickets in a career – Progression of record

Wickets Player Matches Average Record held until Duration of record
8[a] England Alfred Shaw 1 10.75 31 March 1877 16 days
14 Australia Tom Kendall 2 15.35 4 January 1879 1 year, 279 days
94[b] Australia Fred Spofforth 18 18.41 12 January 1895 16 years, 8 days
100 England Johnny Briggs 25 13.51 4 February 1895 33 days
101 Australia Charles Turner 17 16.53 2 March 1895 26 days
103 England Johnny Briggs 26 13.92 21 March 1896 1 year, 19 days
112[c] England George Lohmann 18 10.75 14 January 1898 1 year, 299 days
118 England Johnny Briggs 33 17.75 2 January 1904 5 years, 353 days
141 Australia Hugh Trumble 32 21.78 13 December 1913 9 years, 345 days
189 England Sydney Barnes 27 16.43 4 January 1936 22 years, 22 days
216 Australia Clarrie Grimmett 37 24.21 24 July 1953 17 years, 201 days
236 England Alec Bedser 51 24.89 26 January 1963 9 years, 186 days
242[d] England Brian Statham 67 24.27 15 March 1963 48 days
307 England Fred Trueman 67 21.57 1 February 1976 12 years, 323 days
309 Cricket West Indies Lance Gibbs 79 29.09 27 December 1981 5 years, 329 days
355 Australia Dennis Lillee 70 23.92 21 August 1986 4 years, 237 days
373[e] England Ian Botham 94 27.86 12 November 1988 2 years, 83 days
431 New Zealand Richard Hadlee 86 22.29 8 February 1994 5 years, 88 days
434 India Kapil Dev 131 29.64 27 March 2000 6 years, 48 days
519 Cricket West Indies Courtney Walsh 132 24.44 8 May 2004 4 years, 42 days
532[f] Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitharan 91 22.87 15 October 2004 160 days
708 Australia Shane Warne 145 25.41 3 December 2007 3 years, 49 days
800 Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitharan 133 22.72 Current 14 years, 225 days

Notes
^[a] Allen Hill took the first Test wicket, but only two in the First Test match. Alfred Shaw (3/51 & 5/35) and Tom Kendall (1/54 & 7/55) both took eight wickets, but as Australia batted first Shaw was the first to take five wickets in an innings and the first to take eight Test wickets. Kendall overtook him in the Second Test and Shaw subsequently increased his total to 12 wickets (15.35) in seven Tests
^[b] Johnny Briggs equalled Fred Spofforth's record of 94 Test wickets on 29 December 1894 in the Second Test at Melbourne, as did Charles Turner two days later. Briggs overtook Turner and Spofforth in the Third Test at Adelaide, which Turner missed, and became the first man to claim 100 Test wickets on 1 February 1895 in the Fourth Test at Sydney. Turner became the second three days later and ended with a total of 101 wickets (16.53) in 17 Tests
^[c] Johnny Briggs equalled George Lohmann's record of 112 Test wickets on 3 January 1898 in the Second Test at Melbourne and overtook him in the next match at Adelaide.
^[d] Fred Trueman overtook Brian Statham's then record of 242 Test wickets and Statham subsequently increased his total to 252 wickets (24.84) in 70 Tests
^[e] Richard Hadlee overtook Ian Botham's then record of 373 Test wickets and Botham subsequently increased his total to 383 wickets (28.40) in 102 Tests
^[f] Shane Warne overtook Muttiah Muralitharan's then record of 532 Test wickets and Muralitharan subsequently increased his total to 800 wickets (22.72) in 133 Tests

Fastest to multiples of 50 wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin holds world record for quickest to reach 250, 300 and 350 Test wickets.
Wickets Bowler Match Record Date Reference
50 Australia Charlie Turner 6 30 August 1888
100 England George Lohmann 16 2 March 1896
150 England Syd Barnes 24 13 December 1913
200 Pakistan Yasir Shah 33 3 December 2018
250 India Ravichandran Ashwin 45 9 February 2017
300 54 24 November 2017
350 Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitharan 66 6 September 2001
India Ravichandran Ashwin 2 October 2019
400 Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitharan 72 12 January 2002
450 80 3 May 2003
500 87 16 March 2004
550 94 12 September 2005
600 101 8 March 2006
650 108 4 August 2006
700 113 11 July 2007
750 122 31 July 2008
800 133 18 July 2010
Last updated: 19 January 2021

Best career bowling average

Average Player Runs conceded Wickets
10.75 England George Lohmann 1,205 112
12.70 England/Australia J. J. Ferris[a] 775 61
15.54 England Billy Barnes 793 51
16.42 England Billy Bates 821 50
16.43 England Syd Barnes 3106 189
Qualification: 2000 balls bowled Last updated: 19 February 2022

Note: If the qualification is removed, the best career average record is at 0.00 runs per wicket (i.e. no runs were conceded). This record is shared by Englishmen A N Hornby, Wilf Barber and New Zealander, Bruce Murray who took one wicket without conceding a run


  • ^[a] John Ferris was one of a few cricketers to play Test cricket for more than one country. He played in eight Tests for Australia from 1886–87 and a single Test for England in South Africa in 1891–92.

Best career strike rate

Strike rate Player Balls Wickets
34.1 England George Lohmann 3,830 112
35.3 South Africa Duanne Olivier dagger 2,008 59
37.7 Australia / England J. J. Ferris 2,302 61
38.7 New Zealand Shane Bond 3,372 87
40.7 South Africa Kagiso Rabada dagger 9,908 243

Qualification: 2000 balls bowled
Last updated: 6 July 2022

Most 5 wickets in an innings

5 wickets in an innings Player Matches
67 Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitharan 133
37 Australia Shane Warne 145
36 New Zealand Richard Hadlee 86
35 India Anil Kumble 132
34 Sri Lanka Rangana Herath 93

Last updated: 9 November 2018

Most 10 wickets in a match

10 wickets in a match Player Matches
22 Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitharan 133
10 Australia Shane Warne 145
9 New Zealand Richard Hadlee 86
Sri Lanka Rangana Herath 93
8 India Anil Kumble 132

Last updated: 9 November 2018

Series

Most wickets in a series
Wickets Player Series
49 (4 Tests) England Sydney Barnes v  South Africa 1913–14
46 (5 Tests) England Jim Laker v  Australia, 1956
44 (5 Tests) Australia Clarrie Grimmett v  South Africa 1935–36
42 (6 Tests) Australia Terry Alderman v  England, 1981
41 (6 Tests) Australia Terry Alderman v  England, 1989
Australia Rodney Hogg v  England, 1978–79

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Innings

Best figures in an innings
Bowling figures Player Opponent Venue Season
10–53 England Jim Laker  Australia (2nd innings) Old Trafford, Manchester 1956
10–74 India Anil Kumble  Pakistan Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi 1998–99
10–119 New Zealand Ajaz Patel  India Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai 2021–22
9–28 England George Lohmann  South Africa Old Wanderers, Johannesburg 1895–96
9–37 England Jim Laker  Australia (1st innings) Old Trafford, Manchester 1956

Last updated: 4 December 2021

Best figures in an innings – progression of record
Bowling figures Player Opponent Venue Season
7–55 Australia Tom Kendall
(in the inaugural Test match)
 England Melbourne Cricket Ground 1876–77
7–44 Australia Fred Spofforth  England The Oval, London 1882
7–28 England Billy Bates  Australia Melbourne Cricket Ground 1882–83
8–35 England George Lohmann  Australia Sydney Cricket Ground 1886–87
8–11 England Johnny Briggs  South Africa Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town 1888–89
8–7 England George Lohmann  South Africa St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth 1895–96
9–28 England George Lohmann  South Africa Old Wanderers, Johannesburg 1895–96
10–53 England Jim Laker  Australia Old Trafford, Manchester 1956

Calculated at the conclusion of each Test
Last updated: 15 June 2016

Match records

Best figures in a match
Bowling Player Opponent Venue Season
19–90 England Jim Laker  Australia Old Trafford, Manchester 1956
17–159 England Sydney Barnes  South Africa Old Wanderers, Johannesburg 1913–14
16–136 India Narendra Hirwani  West Indies M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai 1987–88
16–137 Australia Bob Massie  England Lord's, London 1972
16–220 Sri Lanka Muttiah Muralitharan  England The Oval, London 1998

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Innings as captain

Best figures in an innings as captain
Bowling figures Player Opponent Venue Season
9–83 India Kapil Dev  West Indies Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad 1983
8–60 Pakistan Imran Khan  India National Stadium, Karachi, Karachi 1982
8–63 Sri Lanka Rangana Herath  Zimbabwe Harare Sports Club, Harare 2016
8–106 India Kapil Dev  Australia Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 1985
7–37 Cricket West Indies Courtney Walsh  New Zealand Basin Reserve, Wellington 1995

Last updated: 16 March 2017

Match records as captain

Best figures in a match as captain
Bowling Player Opponent Venue Season
13–55 Cricket West Indies Courtney Walsh  New Zealand Basin Reserve, Wellington 1995
13–135 Pakistan Waqar Younis  Zimbabwe Southend Club Cricket Stadium, Karachi 1993
13–152 Sri Lanka Rangana Herath  Zimbabwe Harare Sports Club, Harare 2016
12–100 Pakistan Fazal Mahmood  West Indies Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka 1959
11–79 Pakistan Imran Khan  India National Stadium, Karachi 1982

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Individual records (fielding)

Most catches in Test career

Catches Player Matches
210 India Rahul Dravid 164
205 Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawardene 149
200 South Africa Jacques Kallis 166
196 Australia Ricky Ponting 168
181 Australia Mark Waugh 128
Note: This list excludes catches made as wicket-keeper
Last updated: 15 June 2016

Individual records (wicket-keeping)

Most dismissals
Dismissals Player Matches
555 (532 catches + 23 stumpings) South Africa Mark Boucher 147
416 (379 catches + 37 stumpings) Australia Adam Gilchrist 96
395 (366 catches + 29 stumpings) Australia Ian Healy 119
355 (343 catches + 12 stumpings) Australia Rod Marsh 96
294 (256 catches + 38 stumpings) India MS Dhoni 90

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Most catches
Catches Player Matches
532 South Africa Mark Boucher 147
379 Australia Adam Gilchrist 96
366 Australia Ian Healy 119
343 Australia Rod Marsh 96
265 Cricket West Indies Jeff Dujon 81

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Most stumpings
Stumpings Player Matches
52 Australia Bert Oldfield 54
46 England Godfrey Evans 91
38 India Syed Kirmani 88
India MS Dhoni 90
37 Australia Adam Gilchrist 96

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Individual records (as an all-rounder)

10 wickets and a century in a Test match
Player Runs Wickets Date Opponent Venue
England Ian Botham 114 13/109 15 February 1980  India Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India
Pakistan Imran Khan 117 11/180 3 January 1983  India Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Bangladesh Shakib Al Hasan 137 10/124 3 November 2014  Zimbabwe Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, Khulna, Bangladesh

Alan Davidson (Australia), in the tied 1st Test at Brisbane against the West Indies in 1960-61, was the first to score 100 runs and take 10 wickets in a match (and is the only other player to achieve this so far), but without a century: his two scores with the bat were 44 and 80, in addition to 11 wickets (5/135 and 6/87).
Shakib also batted twice in his match, but only scored 6 in the other innings. Botham and Imran only batted once in their matches.
Last updated: 16 September 2016

Most 5 wickets in an innings and a century in the same Test match
Matches Player Period
5 England Ian Botham 1977–1992
3 India Ravichandran Ashwin dagger 2011–Present
2 Cricket West Indies Garfield Sobers 1954–1974
Pakistan Mushtaq Mohammad 1959–1979
South Africa Jacques Kallis 1995–2013
Bangladesh Shakib Al Hasan dagger 2007–Present

Last updated: 15 February 2021

Individual records (other)

Most matches played
Matches Player Period
200 India Sachin Tendulkar 1989–2013
172 England James Anderson dagger 2003–2022
168 Australia Steve Waugh 1985–2004
Australia Ricky Ponting 1995–2012
166 South Africa Jacques Kallis 1995–2013
Last updated: 6 July 2022
Most matches played as captain
Matches Player Won Lost Drawn Tied
109 South Africa Graeme Smith 53 29 27 0
93 Australia Allan Border 32 22 38 1
80 New Zealand Stephen Fleming 28 27 25 0
77 Australia Ricky Ponting 48 16 13 0
74 Cricket West Indies Clive Lloyd 36 12 26 0

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Most matches won as captain
Won Player Lost Drawn Ties Matches
53 South Africa Graeme Smith 26 26 0 109
48 Australia Ricky Ponting 16 13 0 77
41 Australia Steve Waugh 9 7 0 57
40 India Virat Kohli 17 11 0 68
36 Cricket West Indies Clive Lloyd 12 26 0 74

Last updated: 14 January 2022

Most Player-of-the-Match awards
No. of Awards Player Team Matches Period
23 Jacques Kallis  South Africa 166 1995–2013
19 Muttiah Muralitharan  Sri Lanka 133 1992–2010
17 Wasim Akram  Pakistan 104 1985–2002
Shane Warne  Australia 145 1992–2007
16 Kumar Sangakkara  Sri Lanka 134 2000–2015
Ricky Ponting  Australia 168 1995–2012
Last updated: 29 December 2019
Most Player-of-the-series awards
No. of Award Player Team Matches Series Period
11 Muttiah Muralitharan  Sri Lanka 133 61 1992–2010
9 R Ashwindagger  India 81 33 2011–2021
Jacques Kallis  South Africa 166 61 1995–2013
8 Imran Khan  Pakistan 88 28 1971–1992
Richard Hadlee  New Zealand 86 33 1973–1990
Shane Warne  Australia 145 46 1992–2007
Last updated: 6 December 2021

Partnership records

Highest partnership for each wicket

Partnership Runs Team Players Opposition Venue Season
1st wicket 415  South Africa Graeme Smith (232) Neil McKenzie (226)  Bangladesh Chittagong Divisional Stadium 2008
2nd wicket 576  Sri Lanka Sanath Jayasuriya (340) Roshan Mahanama (225)  India Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 1997–98
3rd wicket 624  Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara (287) Mahela Jayawardene (374)  South Africa Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo 2006
4th wicket 449  Australia Adam Voges (269*) Shaun Marsh (182)  West Indies Bellerive Oval, Hobart 2015–16
5th wicket 405  Australia Sid Barnes (234) Donald Bradman (234)  England Sydney Cricket Ground 1946–47
6th wicket 399  England Ben Stokes (258) Jonny Bairstow (150*)  South Africa Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town 2015–16
7th wicket 347  West Indies Denis Atkinson (219) Clairmonte Depeiaza (122)  Australia Kensington Oval, Bridgetown 1954–55
8th wicket 332  England Jonathan Trott (184) Stuart Broad (169)  Pakistan Lord's, London 2010
9th wicket 195  South Africa Mark Boucher (78) Pat Symcox (108)  Pakistan New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 1997–98
10th wicket 198  England Joe Root (154*) James Anderson (81)  India Trent Bridge, Nottingham 2014

Last updated: 15 June 2016

Highest partnerships

Runs Team Players Opposition Venue Season
624 (3rd wicket)  Sri Lanka Kumar Sangakkara (287) Mahela Jayawardene (374)  South Africa Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo 2006
576 (2nd wicket)  Sri Lanka Sanath Jayasuriya (340) Roshan Mahanama (225)  India Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 1997–98
467 (3rd wicket)  New Zealand Andrew Jones (186) Martin Crowe (299)  Sri Lanka Basin Reserve, Wellington 1990–91
451 (2nd wicket)  Australia Bill Ponsford (266) Donald Bradman (244)  England The Oval, London 1934
451 (3rd wicket)  Pakistan Mudassar Nazar (231) Javed Miandad (280*)  India Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad 1982–83

Last updated: 15 June 2016

See also


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