5 players with the highest batting strike rate in Test cricket

Test match cricket is often seen as cricket's only format where patience is a key. Be it bowling or batting, the players need to be patient and keep on trying for the best result in the 5-day long battle. Normally, a batsman is considered to be optimal for Test cricket if he has a strike-rate between the range of 50 and 70 in his career. However, there have been some batsmen who have tried to play against the tradition and scored runs at a quicker rate.

Virender Sehwag scored big daddy hundreds at a strike rate of above 100 while Gilchrist too played vital innings for Australia at a quicker pace. Here are the top 5 batsmen with the highest strike rate in their Test careers-

(Note - Players who have batted in at least 45 Test innings have been considered for this list)

#5 Graeme Swann - 76.49

Graeme Swann featured in the England team as an off-spinner but has the fifth best strike rate in Test history

The English off-spinner Graeme Swann who was primarily included in the playing XI as an off-spinner often made crucial contributions with the bat for his side batting down the order. Featuring in the tail-end of the line-up, Swann scored 1,370 runs in the 76 test innings he batted in.

Not only did he score 5 half-centuries for England, but he also scored runs at a healthy strike rate of 76.49. Swann had the highest score of 85 in his test career. He also scalped 255 wickets for England and had a career best of 6/65. Nicknamed Chin, Swann also picked 3 10-wicket hauls in his career.

#4 Adam Gilchrist - 81.95

Third Test - Australia v England: Day Three

The Australian wicket-keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist made name for himself by playing several important innings for his country batting in the lower middle order. Gilly, as he was fondly known, was promoted to the top of the order in ODIs but in Tests, he predominantly played lower down the order.

Gilchrist smashed 100 sixes in his Test career for Australia and scored 5570 runs in the 96 test matches he played. Gilchrist had a strike-rate of 81.95 and hit runs at a blistering average of 47.60. He had a career-best score of 204* and had 17 centuries to his name. Donning the wicket-keeping gloves behind the stumps, the stalwart took 379 catches and did 37 stumpings. He was the last Australian wicket-keeper to have played with such consistency and dominance in the sport's longest format.

#3 Virender Sehwag - 82.23

Australia v India - First Test: Day 2

Virender Sehwag is one of the rarest cricketers to have scored multiple triple hundreds in international cricket. Not only did Sehwag score big for his team, he did this thing at a relatively quicker rate. Whenever Sehwag crossed the 200 mark, he batted with a strike rate above 100.

He had a strike-rate of 82.23 in his Test career for India. The Delhite played 104 test and batted in 180 innings out of which he remained not out in 6 of them. With a highest score of 319, Sehwag averaged nearly 50 in his Test career. Opening the innings, he used to set the tone of the innings with his boundaries.

Sehwag hit 1233 fours and 91 sixes in his Test career and aggregated over 8,500 runs which included 23 hundreds and 32 half-centuries and faced 10,441 balls in his career.

#2 Shahid Afridi - 86.97

Second Test: Pakistan v England - Day One

Known for his explosive batting, Shahid Afridi had a short Test career as he was picked for only 27 tests in his entire career. He scored 1,716 runs for Pakistan in the 27 Test matches he played. Afridi averaged 36.51 in his career and scored runs at a blistering strike rate of 86.97.

Nicknamed Boom Boom Afridi, he hit 220 fours and 52 sixes in his short Test career where he batted in 48 innings. He had the highest score of 156 and had smashed 5 centuries and 8 half-centuries playing for Pakistan.

With his spin, Afridi scalped 48 wickets and had a career best of 5/52. Afridi was included in the limited overs format more times due to his batting technique as the legend had played 398 ODIs and 99 T20Is in his cricket career.

#1 Tim Southee - 88.05

Tim Southee has a strike rate better than his aggressive teammate Brendon McCullum

Surpisingly, the New Zealand speedster Tim Southee holds the record for the best strike-rate in cricket history with a career strike rate of 88.05. Known for his quick bowling, the tall Kiwi cricketer has batted in 91 innings for the Kiwis.

He has scored 1,459 runs in his career and also has hit 4 fifties with the bat. The right-handed batsman has sent the red ball out of the boundary line 64 times while batting in the white jersey. Averaging just above 17, Southee has a highest score of 77*. Southee has picked up 220 wickets in the 60 matches he has played and has an economy of 3.05.

The NZ player has strike rates of 101.73 and 137.50 in ODIs and T20Is which shows that he is more of a bowling all-rounder now than being referred to as a bowler only.