Unstoppable Innings: 5 Highest Team Scores In Test Cricket

5 highest team totals in Test history (Source: @Johns/X.com)

Test cricket is often seen as the ultimate test of a batter’s skill and patience. In some instances, the pitch, playing conditions, and the class of the batters align perfectly, turning a match into a run-fest. Celebrating England’s batting extravaganza against Pakistan in Multan in October 2024, here we take a look at five highest test team totals ever recorded in the format.

5. West Indies 790-3d vs Pakistan, 1958

West Indies amassed 790-3d against a visiting Pakistani attack at Kingston in February-March 1958. Opening batter Conrad Hunte and the legendary Garry Sobers, both pounded majestic centuries, with the latter cracking his career-best score of 365*. Hunte himself unleashed 260 runs at the top of the order, and forged 446 runs for the second wicket with Sobers. Clyde Walcott at number five also made a swift 88 during his unbroken 188-run partnership with the triple-centurion as West Indies mounted a huge 462-run lead over Pakistan.

West Indies ended up winning the match by an innings and 174 runs to go 2-0 up in their five-match series.

4. England 823-7d vs Pakistan, 2024

England 823-7d vs Pakistan, 2024 [Source: @TheRealPCB/x]

England faced just 150 overs to accrue 823-7d against Pakistan, thus maintaining an innings run-rate of 5.48 on the flatbed of Multan in October 2024. After conceding 556 runs to the hosts, the visiting English batting line-up and their colossal response was fueled with a Joe Root double century and a Harry Brook triple ton. Moreover, the two cricketers shared 454 runs together for the fourth wicket to storm England from 249-3 to over 700 runs in the space of a day.

Opening batter Zak Crawley and injury relegate Ben Duckett also whacked swift half-centuries to lay out a concrete foundation at the top of the order.

3. England 849 vs West Indies, 1930

In the fourth Test of the 1930 series in West Indies at Kingston, the visiting Englishmen batted first and amounted 849 runs by keeping the hosts on the field for more than 258 overs. Opening batter Andy Sandham smacked 325 of those runs from 640 balls to top-score in the innings, while wicketkeeper-batter Les Ames also unfurled a majestic 149 in the middle order.

Half-centuries from George Gunn, Bob Wyatt, Patsy Hendren and Jack O'Connor further dented West Indies prospects before a late fightback from the hosts enforced a high-scoring draw.

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2. England 903-7d vs Australia, 1938

In the fifth and final Test of the 1938 Ashes series in England, hosts cracked 903-7d by batting for 335.2 overs at The Oval. The total remained Test cricket’s highest team score for nearly six decades.

For England, opener Leonard Hutton made 364 runs and shared a 382-run partnership for the second wicket with fellow centurion Maurice Leyland (187). Joe Hardstaff also made an unbeaten 169 lower down the order to further pile on Australia’s misery, as England levelled the Ashes by clinching a huge innings victory by 579 runs.

1. Sri Lanka 952-6d vs India, 1997

In the first Test of the two-match series in 1997, hosts Sri Lanka leathered a visiting Indian attack at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. After Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin mounted alluring hundreds to take India to 537-8d, Sri Lankan heavyweight Sanath Jayasuriya one-upped the effort by charting 340 runs, his career-best score in Test cricket.

Jayasuriya faced 578 deliveries in the process and smacked 36 of them for boundaries and another two for thumping sixes. Middle-order batter Roshan Mahanama made a double hundred with 225 runs, while legendary Aravinda de Silva pumped out 126 runs from his end off 211 balls. Half-centuries from captain Arjuna Ranatunga and Mahela Jayawardene entertained prospects of a possible 1,000-run total for the hosts. However, the match resulted in a high-scoring draw after Sri Lanka declared at 952-6 from 271 overs.

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