10 biggest innings defeats in Test cricket

Test cricket is the pinnacle of the Gentleman’s Game and the one format that every player and team aspire to be successful at more than any other. Only the elite teams get to compete against each other and getting that elusive Test status is what the upcoming associations strive for most.

With such a high level of competition, one would expect the matches to be closely fought affairs but there have been many contests where one team has completely outplayed the opposition to register victories of mammoth proportions. Even more surprising is the fact that such cases have been witnessed even in contests between evenly matched teams who were expected to go toe to toe with each other.

Let us take a look at the Top 10 list for the biggest margin of victory (by an innings) achieved in Test cricket.

#10 England vs India at Lord’s (20-24 June 1974)

Margin: Innings and 285 runs

India’s tour of England in 1974 proved to be a big disaster as the visitors lost all three matches by huge margins

A match which features India’s lowest ever innings total in Test cricket is sure to invite other unwanted records as well and that is the case here as hosts England won the 2nd Test of the three-match series against England in the summer of 1974 by an innings and 285 runs.

After centuries by three of its batsmen allowed the hosts to put on a massive total of 629 in their first innings, India, led by Farook Engineer’s knock of 86, posted a respectable 302 in reply. The total was still well short of the follow-on mark and with the match seemingly heading for a draw on the final day of play, England skipper Mike Denness opted to give his bowlers another crack at the Indian batsmen.

Much to the home crowd's delight, England’s new-ball pair of Geoff Arnold and Chris Old ran through the Indian batting order dismissing the visitors for just 42 in 17 overs. Eknath Solkar was the only Indian batsmen to reach double figures, remaining unbeaten on 18 as B Chandrasekar failed to make it to the crease after picking up an injury earlier in the match.

#9 New Zealand vs Zimbabwe at Harare (7-8 August 2005)

Margin: Innings & 294 runs

Vettori impressed with both bat and ball as New Zealand secured a massive victory

Zimbabwe cricket has suffered a lot over the past decade or so due to the worsening political situation in the country as many talented players have decide to pursue their careers elsewhere. The team unity had suffered a lot during the early years of the political interference and under the captaincy of the young Tatenda Taibu, when New Zealand came visiting for a two-match Test series, the home crowd was expecting the worst.

The first Test itself proved to be a sign of things to come as the match ended in less than two days with Zimbabwe failing to reach the three-figure mark in either of its two innings. Batting first, the Black Caps scored 452 at more than five runs an over with Daniel Vettori smashing 127 off 98 balls to outperform the usually more aggressive Brendon McCullum, who also scored a century.

In reply, the hosts were skittled out for 59 in the first innings before faring marginally better, second time around, scoring 99. Only 4 batsmen managed to reach double figures in the entire match and the Kiwis went on to win the second Test as well, also by an innings margin.

#8 New Zealand vs Zimbabwe at Napier (26-28 January 2012)

Margin: Innings & 301 runs

Skipper Ross Taylor led from the front for New Zealand with a brilliant hundred

The same two sets of teams feature again with the setting shifting to Napier and the one-off Test in the summer of 2012, the latest entrant in this list. Yet again, it was the Black Caps who batted first and as in the previous case, two centuries, this time from Ross Taylor and BJ Watling, saw the hosts pile up 495 in the first innings.

Zimbabwe posted their lowest ever innings total of 51 in Test cricket history in the first innings of this Test match and could only add a further 143 runs in the second innings giving the home side a comfortable victory by an innings and 301 runs.

#7 West Indies vs Bangladesh at Dhaka (8-10 January 2002)

Margin: Innings & 310 runs

Lawson picked up six wickets giving away only three runs during the Bangladesh second innings

Bangladesh were still relatively new to Test cricket in 2002 and was still awaiting their first victory in the longer format of the game when the West Indies side led by Ridley Jacobs came visiting for a two-match Test series.

Featuring an all-pace bowling attack, the visitors ran through the Bangladeshi batting line-up dismissing them for a lowly score of 139 in the first innings. The batsmen too enjoyed a good time with as many as five batsmen scoring 50+ as the visitors responded with a mammoth total of 536.

Jermaine Lawson’s devastating spell of bowling which saw him pick up six wickets conceding only three runs meant the home crowd were left embarrassed with their team getting bundled out for just 87, thus giving the visitors a victory by an innings and 310 runs.

#6 West Indies vs New Zealand at Wellington (13-15 February 1995)

Margin: Innings and 322 runs

Lara was one of the three West Indian centurions in this match

West Indies feature once again and like in the previous scenario shamed the home team into an embarrassing defeat in front of their own fans. The match in question happened in 1995 with the visitors the undoubted favourites going into the series.

After the first match of the Two-Test series ended in a draw, the West Indies were determined to force a result in the match and thereby the series and had no hesitation in batting first after winning the toss. Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams and Junior Murray all scored centuries as the visitors piled on 660 runs in the first innings for the loss of just five wickets.

The New Zealand side had no answers to the fearsome bowling attack led by Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose as their first innings folded up for 216 and they could only muster 122 runs in the second innings after being asked to follow-on.

#5 Pakistan vs New Zealand at Lahore (1-3 May 2002)

Margin: Innings and 324 runs

Akhtar ripped through the opposition top order with five of six wickets cleaning up the stumps

The match is best remembered for Shoaib Akhtar’s devastating spell of fast bowling which saw him pick up six wickets conceding just 11 runs as well as Inzamam-ul-Haq’s knock of 329 which remained his highest Test score ever.

Batting first, Pakistan were given a breezy start by opener Imran Nazir who made 127 before Inzamam took the stage and defied the New Zealand bowlers into submission. His marathon knock lasted nearly 10 hours and he was the last man to be dismissed as the Pakistan innings was finally brought to a close at 643.

Akhtar then ripped through the opposition top order with five of six wickets cleaning up the stumps. Only two batsmen reached double figures as the New Zealand first innings closed out at just 73 and not surprisingly, skipper Waqar Younis asked the visiting side to bat again.

Despite the Rawalpindi Express not bowling a single delivery in the second innings, the Black Caps were not able to avoid an innings defeat – a big one at that – as the rest of the Pakistani bowlers shared the spoils as New Zealand’s second innings produced 246 runs.

#4 Australia vs England at Brisbane (November 29 – December 4, 1946)

Margin: Innings and 332 runs

Bradman played a captain's knock to lead his side to a famous victory

The Australian side captained by the legendary Sir Donald Bradman won the 1946-47 Ashes series against England quite comfortably and the tone was set in the first Test itself which was held in Brisbane. Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Bradman led from the front with a brilliant knock of 187 as the home side piled on 645 runs in the first innings.

The Australian pace attack led by express speedster Keith Miller, who picked up seven wickets in the first innings and Ernie Toshack, who picked up six in the second, made light work of the English batsmen as they could muster only 141 and 172 in their two innings.

Australia went on to win the five-match series 3-0.

#3 West Indies vs India at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata (December 31, 1958 – January 4, 1959)

Margin: Innings & 336 runs

Rohan Kanhai was the main architect of West Indies victory with his knock of 256

Coming to Kolkata on the back of a 203-run loss against the visitors, India suffered yet another embarrassing loss at Eden Gardens as Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher and Gary sobers scored big centuries for the West Indies who decided to bat first after winning the toss.

Not a single Indian player stood out with either bat or ball as the hosts could only put up 124 runs in their first innings – a massive 490 runs short of the West Indian total. Asked to bat again, the home side didn’t fare much better this time around either as the second innings also closed out with just 154 runs on the board.

The visitors won the five-match series 3-0 against the Indian side which was still trying to find its feet in the game of cricket at the time.

#2 Australia vs South Africa at Johannesburg (22-24 February 2002)

Margin: Innings & 360 runs

Gilchrist earned the Man-of-the-Match award for a blistering double century

Playing in front of their home fans at perhaps the most famous cricket venue in the country, South Africa were in for a huge shock as Australia completely decimated them within three days to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.

Mathew Hayden and Damien Martyn scored centuries while Adam Gilchrist piled on the misery for the hosts with a double century as Australia posted a huge first innings total of 652. The runs came at a brisk pace of nearly four and a half runs per over which meant there was ample time left for the visitors to force a result but the bowling unit ensured that Australia had the match wrapped up within three days.

Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne led the way with eight and six wickets respectively as the Proteas could only score 159 in the first innings and 133 in the second. Steve Waugh’s men won the second match as well before the hosts came back with a consolation victory in the third and final Test match.

#1 England vs Australia at the Oval, London (20-24 August 1938)

Margin: Innings & 579 runs

England’s Len Hutton who scored 364 in the first innings to set the hosts on their way

Australia are accustomed to the No 1 ranking but this is one instance that they were on the receiving end for a change. The fifth and final Test of the 1938 Ashes series turned out to be a historic one as it brought an end to the timeless Tests that were played out those days and forced the cricket authorities to have a big rethink on the way pitches were being made.

Billed as the battle between the two skippers – England’s Wally Hammond and Australia’s Don Bradman – the legendary Australian cricketer was left helpless in this match as he couldn’t bat in either innings with an ankle injury. The Don would have had to bat out of his skin to prevent a defeat but a more respectable defeat could have been secured.

Batting first, England scored a mammoth 903 runs in 335 overs with opener Len Hutton scoring the then highest Test score of 364. Maurice Leyland and J Hardstaff also scored big as the Australians were simply made to toil on the field of play.

In the absence of Bradman as well as Jack Fingleton, another injury casualty, a demoralised Australian side could only muster 201 and 123 in the first and second innings respectively to give England what is, till date, the biggest ever victory margin, in the history of Test cricket.