Top 10 Test matches of all time

Test cricket, as you can judge by the name, is the most testing format of the game. We often see upsets being pulled off in the shorter formats of the game, but it seldom happens in Test cricket because the longevity of the game ensures that the higher skilled side eventually comes out on top.In recent years though, there has been a valid concern regarding the future of Test cricket due to the rise in popularity of T20 cricket in particular. At a time like this, Test cricket desperately needs some enthralling contests in order for younger audiences to retain interested in Test cricket. There have been plenty of great Test matches in Test cricket’s 137-year old history, and a few more of such Tests in the years to come would do the game no harm whatsoever.Here are the best 10 Test matches ever:

#10 West Indies vs Australia at St. Johns, Antigua (9-13 May 2003)

West Indies, time and again, seem to be able to raise their games when it comes to Australia. Needing an improbable 418 for victory, West Indies’ Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored centuries each and helped pull off a massive upset by making the highest successful run chase in Test history, beating India’s earlier record of successfully chasing down 406 – coincidentally against West Indies - in 1976.

This was after both Australia and West Indies had been bowled out for the same score of 240 in their 1st innings, effectively making it a one innings Test match. In Australia’s 2nd innings with the bat, Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden had scored 111 and 177 respectively and helped set West Indies a target of 418, but their efforts went in vain.

#9 England vs Australia at Kennington Oval, London, England (28-29 August 1882)

The Oval Test match between England and Australia way back in 1882 is arguably the most significant Test match ever as it gave birth to the furious Ashes rivalry between the two countries.

Australia, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, made just 63 in their first innings. England, in their reply, couldn’t fare much better as they were, in turn, bowled out for 101, thereby giving them a lead of 38 runs over Australia.

Given England’s considerable lead in the circumstances, they would have expected to beat the Australians comfortably, especially after they needed just 85 runs for victory due to Australia being bundled out for 122 in their 2nd innings. But they inexplicably collapsed, once again, for 77 and gave the Australians a narrow 7-run win.

A British newspaper, The Sporting Times, wrote a satirical obituary after the match, stating that English cricket had died and their body will be cremated and the ashes will be taken to Australia. This led to England captain Ivo Bligh vowing to regain the Ashes prior to their tour of Australia that year and led to the start of the Ashes Test matches between England and Australia.

#8 Pakistan vs Sri Lanka at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (16-20 January 2014)

Azhar Alis and Misbah-ul-Haqs sparkling innings, of 103 from 137 balls and 68 from 72 balls respectively, on the final day of the Test helped Pakistan pull off a remarkable 5-wicket victory over the visitors as they successfully chased a target of 302 in just 57.3 overs at a run-rate of 5.25 per over.

Pakistan seemed like they had no chance of squaring the series earlier in the match when they managed just 341 in reply to Sri Lankas 1st innings total of 428. But the collective effort of the Pakistan bowling attack in the 2nd innings ensured that the Lankans were bowled out for 214 and brought them right back into the match. Whether Pakistan could chase 302 from the 59 overs left in the Test match was still touch-and-go, but the contributions of the Pakistani top order at a rate of knots meant that they did so with just1.3 overs to spare in the day.

#7 Australia vs West Indies at Adelaide Oval, Australia (23-26 January 1993)

Merv Hughes’ 5/64 in the 1st innings of the Adelaide Test meant that West Indies were dismissed for 252. Australia, in reply, conceded a lead of 39 runs as they bowled out for 213, with Curtly Ambrose running through the middle-order and finishing with figures of 6/74.

This was one of those rare Test matches where the bowlers ruled the roost as there was not a single century scored in the entire Test match. West Indies being bowled out for 146 in their 2nd dig gave Australia a target of 186 for victory. Despite Justin Langer’s 50 and Tim May’s contribution lower down the order, Australia were cleaned up for 184 and, thereby, lost the Test by 1 run, which remains the only occasion when a team has won a Test match by a solitary run.

#6 West Indies vs Australia in Bridgetown, Barbados (26-30 March 1999)

With the series tied at 1-1 going into the 3rd Test in Barbados, the series was nicely poised with two contrasting sides going head-to-head. While West Indies were a depleting force at the time, Australia were almost irrepressible and rightly considered the No.1 Test side in the world.

But reputations mattered little to Brian Lara, the Trinidadian, as he slaughtered an imposing Australian attack to all parts of the Kensington Oval and gave West Indies a 2-1 series lead with one Test to play.

Needing 308 for victory, Lara showed everybody why he was rated as the No.1 batsman in the world with a stunning exhibition of strokeplay against two of the greatest bowlers of the last two decades: Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. The fact that he didn’t get able support from any of his team-mates in the final innings made his match-winning innings of 153* all the more special and helped West Indies sneak to a one-wicket victory.

#5 England vs Australia at Headingley, Leeds, England (16-21 July 1981)

The Test match between England and Australia at Headingley, Leeds, in 1981 is undoubtedly one of the best Ashes Tests to have ever been witnessed, and the credit for that goes almost single-handedly to the magnificent all-round ability of England’s Ian Botham.

England were bowled out for a modest score of 174 in the 1st innings in reply to Australia’s total of 401 in their 1st innings, thereby giving Australia a mammoth lead of 227 runs.

Following on, England were in an equally bad rut as the 1st innings at 135/7 when fast bowler Graham Dilley joined Botham at the crease and put on a remarkable partnership of 117 for the 8th wicket. Botham, given the state of the match, had free license to swing at just about every delivery, and he took full advantage as he made a breathtaking 149 from 148 balls at just over a run a ball.

Despite Botham’s pyrotechnics, Australia were still very much the favourites as they had to chase down a mere 130 in the 4th innings for victory. Just when Australia seemed to be cruising to the target at 1/56, England’s premier quick Bob Willis exhibited his brilliance with career-best figures of 15.1-3-43-8 and gave England an inconceivable 19-run victory. In fact, England’s victory was so inconceivable that they themselves had packed their bags and were ready to check out of their hotel on the 4th day of the Test.

#4 India vs Australia in Chennai, India (18-22 September 1986)

A double hundred from Dean Jones, along with centuries from David Boon and skipper Allan Border, saw Australia amass an imposing total of 574 in the 1st innings after choosing to bat in hot, sultry conditions.

India, despite Kapil Dev’s sparkling innings of 119 from 138 balls, were disappointing in their reply as they were bundled out for 397, giving Australia a massive lead of 177 runs.

Australia were eager to push on for a victory after dominating the first 3 days of the Test and decided to declare on the score of just 170/5 after batting for 49 overs, thereby giving India a total of 348 to chase in the 4th innings of the Test.

Sunil Gavaskar’s innings of 90 from 168 deliveries in India’s run chase, along with handy contributions from the rest of India’s top order at a healthy rate, gave a feeling that Australia had committed a huge blunder by declaring as early as they did. But the Australian spin duo of Greg Matthews and Ray Bright saved Border from humiliation as the pair accounted for 5 wickets each in the final innings of the match, thereby bowling India out for 347 and gave us just the 2nd tied match in Test history.

#3 England vs Australia in Birmingham, England (4-7 August 2005)

The drama in this Test started even before play had begun on day one, as Australia’s star bowler Glenn McGrath injured himself in practice just a few minutes before the toss and was subsequently ruled out of the Test. England took full advantage of McGrath’s omission as they posted 407 in the 1st innings. Australia conceded a lead of 99 runs after the 1st innings which put England in pole position in the Test match, but the Three Lions failed to make proper use of that significant lead.

They were bowled out for a paltry 182 courtesy of brilliance from Shane Warne, who took 6 for 46 from 23 odd overs. The English bowlers, though, made up for the failure of the batsmen, leaving Australia tottering at 175/8 and on the verge of defeat before another twist followed in the form of an unlikely resistance from Warne, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz.

While the rearguard efforts of the Australian lower-order wasn’t enough in giving Australia the victory as they fell agonisingly short of the target by just 2 runs. What their efforts did do was ensure that the Test match would be remembered as one of the most iconic Tests ever in the years to come.

#2 India vs Australia in Kolkata, India (11-15 March 2001)

The now famous Eden Gardens Test in 2001, it would be fair to say, played an instrumental role in turning around the fortunes of Indian cricket. Still reeling in the wake of the match-fixing saga a year earlier, Sourav Ganguly and his men made an astounding comeback against the Aussies in Kolkata to square the series 1-1 after a humiliating defeat in the 1st Test in Mumbai and eventually went on to win the 3-match Test series 2-1.

Australia’s win in the 1st Test meant that they had won 16 Tests on the trot and were looking well on course to make that 17 as they bowled India out for 171 in the 1st innings after making 445 themselves. Steve Waugh, Australia’s captain, decided to ask India to follow-on, and he probably regrets that decision to this day as what followed was absolutely remarkable. Rahul Dravid joined VVS Laxman at the crease when the score was 232/4, and they put on a historic partnership of 376 for the 5th wicket, with Laxman and Dravid making 281 and 180 respectively.

India, riding high on the momentum of setting Australia a target of 384 for victory after having had their backs to the wall, put the Australians under tremendous pressure on the 5th and final day of the Test, and the men from Down Under wilted as they were bowled out for 212 and gave India a memorable victory by a comprehensive margin of 171 runs.

#1 Australia vs West Indies in Brisbane, Australia (9-14 December 1960)

The Test match between Australia and West Indies in the 1960/61 Australian season, in my opinion, is the greatest match to have ever been played in the history of Test cricket. It gave us the first tied Test ever, an occurrence so rare that it has happened only once more in 54 years since.

West Indies won the toss and chose to bat on a placid pitch for batting and did justice to skipper Frank Worrell’s decision by posting 453 on the board, courtesy largely of Garry Sobers’ 132 made while batting at no.4.

Australia, in their reply, bettered West Indies’ 1st innings effort. Norman O’Neill and Bob Simpson made 181 and 92 respectively, while the likes of Colin McDonald and Les Favell chipped in with useful contributions to help Australia rack up a total of 505 on the board and secure a 52-run 1st innings lead.

Frank Worrell scored 65 in West Indies’ 2nd innings to go with his 65 in the 1st innings, but it looked like Worrell’s efforts wouldn’t be enough as West Indies were bowled out for 284, giving Australia a moderate target of 233 for victory.

West Indies knew they needed a strong start to have any chance of winning, and that is exactly what they got as Wes Hall’s initial burst had Australia on the ropes at 6/92. Australian captain Richie Benaud staged a recovery along with Alan Davidson as they put on a 134 run partnership for the 7th wicket, but a late flurry of wickets meant that the Test was tied with Australia being bowled out for 232, which was probably the right result given the constant shift in momentum during the Test.