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List of Test cricket records
None
Summary
None
the men's records
[[Donald Bradman]], holder of several Test batting records, including highest batting average
[[Sachin Tendulkar]], the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test cricket
[[Muttiah Muralitharan]], the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket
[[George Lohmann]], 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.
, the most successful team in Test cricket, in terms of both wins and win percentage, is Australia, having won 419 of their 874 Tests (47.94%). Excluding teams who have only played a small number of Tests, the least successful team is Zimbabwe.
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 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 playing more Test matches in the modern era 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 Joe Root.
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
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.
Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
2002–03
4th
(v )
WACA Ground, Perth, Australia
2008–09
1st
(v )
Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
1975–76
3rd
(v )
Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds, England
1948
4th
(v )
Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong, Bangladesh
2020–21
1st
Last updated: 16 August 2023
Aggregate scoring records
Highest match aggregate
1,981–35
1,815–34
1,768–37
1,764–39
1,753–40
(530 & 481) v (316 & 654–5)
Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban, South Africa
1938–39
5th
(849 & 272–9 d) v (286 & 408–5)
Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
1929–30
4th
(579 & 268) v (657 & 264–7 d)
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
2022–23
1st
(533 & 339–9) v (276 & 616)
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia
1968–69
4th
(354 & 582) v (447 & 370)
1920–21
3rd
Last updated: 29 December 2022
Individual records: Batting
Career
Most career runs
15,921
13,943
13,378
13,289
13,288
Sachin Tendulkar
329
1989–2013
Joe Root
298
2012–present
Ricky Ponting
287
1995–2012
Jacques Kallis
280
1995–2013
Rahul Dravid
286
1996–2012
Last updated: 8 January 2026
Most career runs – progression of record
RunProgression
239
676
860
1,277
1,293
1,366
1,531
3,412
5,410
7,249
7,459
8,032
8,114
10,122
11,174
11,953
15,921
Charles Bannerman
4 January 1882
4 years, 295 days
George Ulyett
13 August 1884
2 years, 222 days
Billy Murdoch
14 August 1886
2 years, 1 day
Arthur Shrewsbury
23 January 1902
15 years, 162 days
Joe Darling
18 February 1902
26 days
Syd Gregory
14 June 1902
116 days
Archie MacLaren
13 August 1902
60 days
Clem Hill
27 December 1924
22 years, 136 days
Jack Hobbs
29 June 1937
12 years, 184 days
Wally Hammond
27 November 1970
33 years, 151 days
Colin Cowdrey
23 March 1972
1 year, 117 days
Garfield Sobers
23 December 1981
9 years, 275 days
Geoffrey Boycott
12 November 1983
1 year, 324 days
Sunil Gavaskar
25 February 1993
9 years, 105 days
Allan Border
25 November 2005
12 years, 273 days
Brian Lara
17 October 2008
2 years, 327 days
Sachin Tendulkar
current
Last updated: 15 June 2016
{{notelist
refs=
Most career runs at each batting position
Opener
Number 3
Number 4
Number 5
Number 6
Number 7
Number 8
Number 9
Number 10
Number 11
ENG Alastair Cook
11,845
44.87
SRI Kumar Sangakkara
11,679
60.83
IND Sachin Tendulkar
13,492
54.40
WIN Shivnarine Chanderpaul
6,883
56.42
ENG Ben Stokes
4,406
34.42
AUS Adam Gilchrist
3,948
46.45
NZL Daniel Vettori
2,227
39.77
AUS Mitchell Starc
1,470
22.62
AUS Nathan Lyon
938
12.68
ENG James Anderson
687
7.72
Last updated: 29 December 2025
Highest career batting average
99.94
62.66
61.87
60.97
60.83
80
Donald Bradman
6,996
1928–1948
24
Kamindu Mendis
1,316
2022–2025
31
Adam Voges
1,485
2015–2016
41
Graeme Pollock
2,256
1963–1970
40
George Headley
2,190
1930–1954
Last updated: 28 June 2025
Qualification: At least 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).
Highest scores in a single innings at each batting position
Last updated: 18 November 2017
Over
Most runs in an over
35
28
27
4–5W–7NB–4–4–4–6–1
Jasprit Bumrah
Stuart Broad
4–6–6–4–4–4
Brian Lara
Robin Peterson
4–6–2–4–6–6
George Bailey
James Anderson
4–4–4–6–6–b4
Keshav Maharaj
Joe Root
6–6–6–6–2–1
Shahid Afridi
Harbhajan Singh
6–4–4–4–6–3
Harry Brook
Zahid Mahmood
Last updated: 2 December 2022
Calendar year
Most runs in a calendar year
1788
1710
1708
1656
1595
Mohammad Yousuf
99.33
2006
Viv Richards
90.00
1976
Joe Root
61.00
2021
Graeme Smith
72.00
2008
Michael Clarke
106.33
2012
Last updated: 31 December 2021
Centuries
Most Test centuries
51
45
41
38
Sachin Tendulkar
200
329
Jacques Kallis
166
280
Ricky Ponting
168
287
Joe Root
163
298
Kumar Sangakkara
134
233
Last updated: 8 January 2026
Fastest Test centuries
54
56
57
67
Brendon McCullum
Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand
2015–16
Viv Richards
Antigua Recreation Ground, St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda
1985–86
Misbah-ul-Haq
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2014–15
Adam Gilchrist
WACA Ground, Perth, Australia
2006–07
Jack Gregory
Old Wanderers, Johannesburg, South Africa
1921–22
Last updated: 15 June 2016
Most Test double centuries
12
11
9
7
Donald Bradman
52
Kumar Sangakkara
130
Brian Lara
131
Wally Hammond
85
Virat Kohli
123
Mahela Jayawardene
149
Last updated: 11 October 2024
Fastest Test double centuries
153
163
168
182
186
Nathan Astle
Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand
2001–02
1st
Ben Stokes
Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa
2015–16
2nd
Virender Sehwag
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, India
2009–10
3rd
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan
2005–06
1st
Brendon McCullum
Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
2014–15
3rd
Last updated: 4 March 2019
Most Test triple centuries
2
1
Donald Bradman
52
Virender Sehwag
104
Chris Gayle
103
Brian Lara
131
(25 players)
Last updated: 14 July 2025
Most Test quadruple centuries
1
Brian Lara
Last updated: 15 June 2016
Half-centuries
Most Test 50+ scores
119
107
103
99
Sachin Tendulkar
200
329
Joe Root
163
298
Jacques Kallis
166
280
Ricky Ponting
168
287
Rahul Dravid
164
286
Last updated: 8 January 2026
Fastest Test half-centuries
21
23
24
25
Misbah-ul-Haq
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2014–15
David Warner
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia
2016–17
Jacques Kallis
Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa
2004–05
Ben Stokes
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, England
2024
Shane Shillingford
Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
2014
Last updated: 28 July 2024
Note: Misbah's is also the fastest in minutes, at 24 minutes. Some records credit Victor Trumper with a 22-minute half-century against South Africa at Johannesburg in 1902-03, but this only counted the time he was on strike: the total time for his fifty is recorded as 45 minutes.
Individual records: Bowling
Career
Most wickets in a career
800
708
704
619
604
Muttiah Muralitharan
133
22.72
Shane Warne
145
25.41
James Anderson
188
26.45
Anil Kumble
132
29.65
Stuart Broad
167
27.68
Last updated: 12 July 2024
Most wickets in a career – Progression of record
8
14
94
100
101
103
112
118
141
189
216
236
242
307
309
355
373
431
434
519
532
708
800
Alfred Shaw
1
10.75
31 March 1877
16 days
Tom Kendall
2
15.35
4 January 1879
1 year, 279 days
Fred Spofforth
18
18.41
12 January 1895
16 years, 8 days
Johnny Briggs
25
13.51
4 February 1895
33 days
Charles Turner
17
16.53
2 March 1895
26 days
Johnny Briggs
26
13.92
21 March 1896
1 year, 19 days
George Lohmann
18
10.75
14 January 1898
1 year, 299 days
Johnny Briggs
33
17.75
2 January 1904
5 years, 353 days
Hugh Trumble
32
21.78
13 December 1913
9 years, 345 days
Sydney Barnes
27
16.43
4 January 1936
22 years, 22 days
Clarrie Grimmett
37
24.21
24 July 1953
17 years, 201 days
Alec Bedser
51
24.89
26 January 1963
9 years, 186 days
Brian Statham
67
24.27
15 March 1963
48 days
Fred Trueman
67
21.57
1 February 1976
12 years, 323 days
Lance Gibbs
79
29.09
27 December 1981
5 years, 329 days
Dennis Lillee
70
23.92
21 August 1986
4 years, 237 days
Ian Botham
94
27.86
12 November 1988
2 years, 83 days
Richard Hadlee
86
22.29
8 February 1994
5 years, 88 days
Kapil Dev
131
29.64
27 March 2000
6 years, 48 days
Courtney Walsh
132
24.44
8 May 2004
4 years, 42 days
Muttiah Muralitharan
91
22.87
15 October 2004
160 days
Shane Warne
145
25.41
3 December 2007
3 years, 49 days
Muttiah Muralitharan
133
22.72
Current
Fastest to multiples of 50 wickets
[[Ravichandran Ashwin]] holds world record for quickest to reach 250, 300 and 350 Test wickets.
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
600
650
700
750
800
6
30 August 1888
16
2 March 1896
24
13 December 1913
33
3 December 2018
45
9 February 2017
54
24 November 2017
66
6 September 2001
2 October 2019
72
12 January 2002
80
3 May 2003
87
16 March 2004
94
12 September 2005
101
8 March 2006
108
4 August 2006
113
11 July 2007
122
31 July 2008
133
18 July 2010
Last updated: 19 January 2021
Best career bowling average
10.75
12.70
15.54
16.42
16.43
George Lohmann
1,205
112
/ J. J. Ferris
775
61
Billy Barnes
793
51
Billy Bates
821
50
Sydney Barnes
3106
189
Last updated: 19 February 2022
Qualification: At least 2,000 balls bowled.
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 each took one wicket without conceding a run
Best bowling figures in an innings – progression of record
7–55
7–44
7–28
8–35
8–11
8–7
9–28
10–53
Tom Kendall
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
1876–77
Fred Spofforth
The Oval, London, England
1882
Billy Bates
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
1882–83
George Lohmann
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia
1886–87
Johnny Briggs
Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa
1888–89
George Lohmann
St George's Park Cricket Ground, Gqeberha, South Africa
1895–96
George Lohmann
Old Wanderers, Johannesburg, South Africa
1895–96
Jim Laker
Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester, England
1956
Last updated: 15 June 2016
Note: Calculated at the conclusion of each Test.
Best bowling figures in an innings as captain
9–83
8–60
8–63
8–106
7–37
Kapil Dev
Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, India
1983–84
Imran Khan
National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan
1982–83
Rangana Herath
Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe
2016–17
Kapil Dev
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia
1985–86
Courtney Walsh
Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand
1994–95
Last updated: 16 March 2017
Individual records: Fielding
Career
Most catches in a career
216
215
210
205
200
Joe Root
163
311
0.69
Steve Smith
123
235
0.91
Rahul Dravid
164
301
0.70
Mahela Jayawardene
149
270
0.76
Jacques Kallis
166
315
0.63
Last updated: 8 January 2026
Note: This list excludes catches made as wicket-keeper.
Match
Most catches in a match
9
8
7
Aiden Markram
Assam Cricket Association Stadium, Guwahati, India
Ajinkya Rahane
Galle International Stadium, Galle, Sri Lanka
Greg Chappell
WACA Ground, Perth, Australia
Yajurvindra Singh
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India
Hashan Tillakaratne
Singhalese Sports Club, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Stephen Fleming
Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe
Matthew Hayden
Galle International Stadium, Galle, Sri Lanka
KL Rahul
Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England
Last updated: 22 November 2025
Individual records: Wicket-keeping
Career
Most dismissals in a career
555
416
395
355
294
532
23
Mark Boucher
147
379
37
Adam Gilchrist
96
366
29
Ian Healy
119
343
12
Rod Marsh
96
256
38
MS Dhoni
90
Last updated: 15 June 2016
Most catches in a career
532
379
366
343
265
Mark Boucher
147
Adam Gilchrist
96
Ian Healy
119
Rod Marsh
96
Jeff Dujon
81
Last updated: 15 June 2016
Most stumpings in a career
52
46
38
37
Bert Oldfield
54
Godfrey Evans
91
Syed Kirmani
88
MS Dhoni
90
Adam Gilchrist
96
Last updated: 15 June 2016
Innings
Most dismissals in an innings
7
Wasim Bari
Bob Taylor
Ian Smith
Ridley Jacobs
Joshua Da Silva
Last updated: 30 November 2024
Individual records: As an all-rounder
Career
Most occasions of taking 5 wickets in an innings and scoring a century in the same Test match
5
4
2
Ian Botham
1977–1992
Ravichandran Ashwin
2011–2024
Garfield Sobers
1954–1974
Mushtaq Mohammad
1959–1979
Jacques Kallis
1995–2013
Shakib Al Hasan
2007–2024
Ravindra Jadeja
2012–present
Last updated: 25 June 2025
Most occasions of taking 10 wickets and scoring a century in the same Test match
1
Ian Botham
Imran Khan
Shakib Al Hasan
Last updated: 16 September 2016
Notes:
Alan Davidson (Australia), in the tied 1st Test at Brisbane against the West Indies in 1960–61, was the first man 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).
Individual records: Other
Career
Most matches played
200
188
168
167
Sachin Tendulkar
1989–2013
James Anderson
2003–2024
Steve Waugh
1985–2004
Ricky Ponting
1995–2012
Stuart Broad
2007–2023
Last updated: 11 March 2024
Most matches played as captain
109
93
80
77
74
Graeme Smith
53
29
27
0
Allan Border
32
22
38
1
Stephen Fleming
28
27
25
0
Ricky Ponting
48
16
13
0
Clive Lloyd
36
12
26
0
Last updated: 15 June 2016
Most matches won as captain
53
48
41
40
36
Graeme Smith
26
26
0
109
Ricky Ponting
16
13
0
77
Steve Waugh
9
7
0
57
Virat Kohli
17
11
0
68
Clive Lloyd
12
26
0
74
Last updated: 14 January 2022
Most Player-of-the-Match awards
23
19
17
16
Jacques Kallis
166
1995–2013
Muttiah Muralitharan
133
1992–2010
Wasim Akram
104
1985–2002
Shane Warne
145
1992–2007
Kumar Sangakkara
134
2000–2015
Ricky Ponting
168
1995–2012
Last updated: 29 December 2019
Most Player-of-the-series awards
11
9
8
Ravichandran Ashwin
106
44
Muttiah Muralitharan
133
61
Jacques Kallis
166
61
Imran Khan
88
28
Richard Hadlee
86
33
Shane Warne
145
46
Last updated: 18 December 2024
Partnership records
Career
Most overall partnership runs by a pair
Runs
Partnership
Innings
Highest
Average
100s/50s
Career span
scope-"row"
6,920
6,554
6,482
6,081
5,253
Rahul Dravid & Sachin Tendulkar
143
249
50.51
20/29
1996–2012
Mahela Jayawardene & Kumar Sangakkara
120
624
56.5
19/27
2000–2015
Gordon Greenidge & Desmond Haynes
148
298
47.31
16/26
1978–1991
Matthew Hayden & Justin Langer
122
255
51.53
14/28
1997–2007
Alastair Cook & Andrew Strauss
132
229
40.4
14/21
2006–2012
Last updated: 11 October 2022
Innings
Highest partnerships
624
576
467
454
451
Kumar Sangakkara (287)
Mahela Jayawardene (374)
Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2006
Sanath Jayasuriya (340)
Roshan Mahanama (225)
R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
1997
Andrew Jones (186)
Martin Crowe (299)
Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand
1990–91
Joe Root (262)
Harry Brook (317)
Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan, Pakistan
2024–25
Bill Ponsford (266)
Donald Bradman (244)
The Oval, London, England
1934
Mudassar Nazar (231)
Javed Miandad (280*)
Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad, Pakistan
1982–83
Last updated: 10 October 2024
Highest partnership (for each wicket)
1st wicket
2nd wicket
3rd wicket
4th wicket
5th wicket
6th wicket
7th wicket
8th wicket
9th wicket
10th wicket
415
Graeme Smith (232)
Neil McKenzie (226)
Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong, Bangladesh
2008
576
Sanath Jayasuriya (340)
Roshan Mahanama (225)
R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
1997–98
624
Kumar Sangakkara (287)
Mahela Jayawardene (374)
Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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