Ranking Australia's Test record against all Test-playing nations

Australia is the second oldest team to step onto the international stage in the cricketing world. It produced a batsman of the class of Don Bradman, whose incredible legacy to the sport is unmatched even today.

The Kangaroos played their first ever Test match against England at Melbourne back in March 1877, and won it with their peerless aggression and attacking instinct. Since then, the island nation has played as many as 810 games in the longest format of the game and has achieved some astounding cricketing feats.

Here is Australia's individual track record against the Test-playing nations of the world:

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#1 Zimbabwe: 100% win record

Matthew Hayden's 380 remains the highest score by an Australian batsman in Tests

Matches played: 3

Matches Won: 3

First Test: October 1999

Last Test: October 2003

These two sides did not play a lot of Test cricket together, but the three times they came up against each other, Australia absolutely steamrolled past Zimbabwe. The first-ever meeting between them was when the Kangaroos visited the African country for a tour that comprised of one Test and three ODI games.

The Test was won comprehensively by Steve Waugh's men, as they defeated the hosts by 10 wickets by chasing a target of mere five runs in the final innings of the match. The Australian captain led the charge by scoring a mammoth 151 in their first innings. It was also Ian Healy's last and final Test for the island nation.

The next and final time these two sides came up against each other was when they swapped the visitation and hosting positions in 2003. Zimbabwe toured Australia and played two Test matches against the strong and formidable hosts. They were crushed in both the games.

Matthew Hayden plundered an incomparable 380 in the first innings of the first Test. It remains the highest individual total by an Australian to date.

#2 Bangladesh: 83.33% win record

Darren Lehmann is the highest run-getter in Australia Bangladesh Tests with a total of 287 runs scored

Matches played: 6

Matches won: 5

Matches lost: 1

First Test: July 2003

Last Test: September 2017

The Australia-Bangladesh rivalry saw one-way traffic in the first few years of its inception. If the stats are to be believed, Australia are still miles ahead of Bangladesh in the longest format of the game.

Bangladesh's drew blood against the Kangaroos for the first time in August 2017, when Mushfiqur Rahim and Co. pulled one over the Australians with a stirring 20-run victory against them on home soil. However, the touring team ensured that it levelled the series 1-1 in the very next game of the two-match series.

Other than that one competitive game, Australia have managed to assert their dominance over this tie through the years. Three out of the four games that they won against Bangladesh before 2017 were by a margin of an innings. That, in itself, is a testament to their supremacy against the Asian team.

#3 Sri Lanka: 58.62% win record

Australia and Sri Lanka have produced some exciting Test matches over the years

Matches played: 29

Matches won: 17

Matches drawn: 8

Matches lost: 4

First Test: April 1983

Last Test: August 2016

Since Australia and Sri Lanka played their first Test match against each other back in the early 80s, they have been involved in some stunning encounters over the years. The Warne v Muralitharan tussle probably is one of the biggest highlights of their exciting battle with each other.

The best chunk of this rivalry probably came in the 2000s, when extraordinary batsmen like Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Hayden, and Waugh came up against the brilliance of bowlers like Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, and Ajantha Mendis.

The other side of this battle was just as thrilling, with the immovable persistence of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Tilakratne Dilshan was tested by the deadly combination of Shane Warne, Glen McGrath, Brett Lee, and Jason Gillespie.

The Kangaroos have seen tons of success against Sri Lanka and have barely lost to them in the 29 times they have come up against each other. However, the island nation has slowly started to make a comeback into this rivalry, and have won the last three Tests they played against Australia on the trot.

#4 New Zealand: 54.38% win record

Australia have not lost a Test series to New Zealand for more than 27 years

Matches played: 57

Matches won: 31

Matches drawn: 18

Matches lost: 8

First Test: Match 1946

Last Test: November 2015

The Trans-Tasman Trophy breeds one of the most intense, passionate, and aggressive rivalries in world cricket. Australia and New Zealand have locked horns with each other for more than seven decades now and have entertained the cricketing audience with their high-octane encounters.

Australia have generally dominated their neighbours in the longest format of the game and have pocketed 14 out of the 23 Test series they have played against them. New Zealand, despite having won just 8 matches in totality, still managed to clinch three series victories against their Trans-Tasman rivals.

Allan Border, with 1500 runs, is the leading run-scorer of this rivalry. Australia's most successful bowler against New Zealand has been Warne, who has the second-highest wicket-taking record in the rivalry with 103 dismissals to his name.

#5 South Africa: 54.38% win record

This is Australia's second oldest rivalry in their all-time history

Matches played: 96

Matches won: 52

Matches drawn: 20

Matches lost: 24

First Test: October 1902

Last Test: March 2018

This is an intriguing tug-of-war where both the teams have done surprisingly well on each other's home turfs. Australia have not lost a series in the Rainbow Nation even once after SA's readmission. Their overall rivalry is rich and extensive and has lasted for more than a century now.

This record might be under threat in the ongoing four-match Test series against the Proteas, which is tied at 1-1 after the first two games.

The Kangaroos are firmly in front in the overall head-to-head though and have as many as 16 series victories against the South African cricket team. Ponting is the highest of this rivalry and has 2132 against the Proteas with an average of 47.37 and the highest score of 143*.

#6 West Indies: 50% win record

The 1960 Union: A tied Test match continues to be one of the most exciting stories told in world cricket

Matches played: 116

Matches won: 58

Matches drawn: 25

Matches tied: 1

Matches lost: 32

First Test: December 1930

Last Test: January 2016

This is one of the oldest rivalries in the history of cricket. Both these nations have had strong cricketing sides that have dominated the game in their eras. The West Indian unit of the late 70s and the Australian side of the early 2000s probably are the most powerful teams of all time. They asserted their supremacy on the game unlike any other team ever has.

Predictably, the tussle between the two sides has seen incredible cricket over the years. The ascendency has swung from one side to the other depending on the era of their match-ups.

The incredible tie in the first match of the 1960-61 series between Australia and West Indies probably is one of the most thrilling finishes in the history of Test cricket.

West Indies have degenerated over the years and have now lost the powerful hold they had on the game. Australia, on the other hand, is still one of the most venerated cricketing nations in the world today. Consequently, the Kangaroos possess the higher number of wins in this tie and have now galloped ahead of their age-old rivals.

#7 Pakistan: 50% win record

Australia has won 12 of the 23 Test series they have played against Pakistan

Matches played: 62

Matches won: 31

Matches drawn: 17

Matches lost: 14

First Test: October 1956

Last Test: December 2016

When two aggressive sides come together, a dash of hostility is not uncommon in their encounters. The intensity of the fierceness between Australian Cricket and Pakistan goes back to 1981 when Javed Miandad and Denis Lilee got into an ugly spat on the field.

Lilee seamed to have obstructed the batsman while trying to run a single, which resulted in Miandad pushing the seamer and threatening to hit him with the willow. Lilee even kicked Miandad before the on-field umpires took control of the situation.

This is the kind of passion and belligerence that was rooted deep in this tie. Naturally, the malevolence decreased over time, but the quality of their matches continued to create waves in world cricket.

Australia have tasted more success than Pakistan and until they were hosted by the Asian team in 2014-15, they enjoyed almost 20 years of absolute monopoly in the rivalry. Allan Border has participated in the maximum number of Test matches against Pakistan and has a tremendous batting average of 59.50 in them.

#8 India: 43.61% win record

Vehement encounters, blazing tempers, riveting results - this matchup has it all!

Matches played: 94

Matches won: 41

Matches drawn: 26

Matches tied: 1

Matches lost: 26

First Test: November 1947

Last Test: March 2017

Undoubtedly, the passionate and breathtaking tussle that the Kangaroos have with India forms their second most powerful rivalry in their all-time cricketing history.

Australia's dominance in 1999, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid's persistence in 2001, Adam Gilchrist's triumph in 2006, on-field animosity between the two sides in 2008, India's 4-0 drubbing Down Under in 2012, Australia's similar fortune in the subcontinent 2013, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane's fight in Adelaide 2014, and the mindblowing tussle between the two sides in India in 2017: it has certainly been quite a ride for both the teams involved.

Australia still have the upper hand in the head-to-head between the two and India have a long way to go before they can go toe-to-toe with the Aussies in terms of statistics between the two.

#9 England: 41.61% win record

The legacy of this battle is timeless, boundless, and seamless!

Matches played: 346

Matches won: 144

Matches drawn: 94

Matches lost: 108

First Test: March 1877

Last Test: January 2018

The sheer longevity of this tie and the magnitude of its legacy undoubtedly makes it the biggest rivalry in the sport. Probably the biggest achievement of Australian cricket is that it has managed to get as many as 36 wins more than England in the history of the Ashes, despite competing against the country where cricket was brought to life.

New chapters are added to the golden pages of this encounter once in every two years. The lead characters change from time to time, but the appeal of the series continues to grow on the audience.