Highest Team Scores in Test Cricket: 952/6, 903/7, and the Great Batting Collapses
The highest team totals in Test cricket history, the context behind them, and also the lowest totals — what circumstances produce these extreme results.
Test cricket's highest team scores reflect the format's capacity for extreme outcomes. Sri Lanka's 952/6 (declared) against India at Colombo in 1997 is the highest Test innings total in history. At the other extreme, New Zealand's 26 all out against England in 1955 remains the lowest. These extremes are possible because Tests have no overs limit — a team can bat as long as conditions allow, and a collapse on a misbehaving pitch can end an innings in under 25 runs.
The All-Time Highest Team Totals
- 952/6 — Sri Lanka vs India, Colombo 1997: The highest Test total ever. Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340. Sri Lanka batted for 282.3 overs and declared.
- 903/7d — England vs Australia, The Oval 1938: England's innings included Len Hutton's then-record 364. Australia followed on and narrowly avoided defeat.
- 849 — England vs West Indies, Kingston 1930: England made 849 in a single innings — the only time a team has topped 800 and declared at an exact declared total.
- 790/3d — West Indies vs Pakistan, Kingston 1958: Gary Sobers' 365* (then the record) was part of this total.
- 760/7d — Sri Lanka vs India, Ahmedabad 2009: The second-highest Sri Lanka total, featuring Tillakaratne Dilshan's 168.
- 758/6d — Australia vs England, The Oval 2013: Michael Clarke scored 187 as Australia set England an impossible target on the final day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest score in Test cricket by a team?
The highest team score in Test cricket is 952/6 declared, scored by Sri Lanka against India at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo in 1997. Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 and Roshan Mahanama made 225. Sri Lanka batted for 282.3 overs before declaring. India replied with 537/8 declared (match drawn). The second-highest team score is 903/7 declared, scored by England against Australia at The Oval in 1938 — an innings featuring Len Hutton's then-world-record 364.
What is the lowest score in Test cricket by a team?
The lowest score in Test cricket is 26 all out, scored by New Zealand against England at Auckland on 28 March 1955. England bowled New Zealand out in 27 overs; Bob Appleyard took 4 wickets. Previously, South Africa had made 30 all out against England in 1895 and 35 all out in 1899. In modern Test cricket (post-2000), the lowest score is 47 by Zimbabwe against New Zealand in 2005. All these low totals resulted from a combination of poor batting conditions, hostile bowling, and batting collapses — rarely is one cause sufficient alone.
Can a cricket team be all out for 0?
Theoretically yes — a cricket team could be all out for 0 if every batter were dismissed without scoring. In practice, this has never happened in international cricket (or at first-class level) — the lowest first-class score is 6 all out (by The B team against Maharaja of Vizianagram's XI in India in 1934-35). In international cricket (Tests), the record is 26 (New Zealand, 1955). Zero-run innings are more common in amateur or recreational cricket at lower levels, but even there are considered extraordinary. The probability of every batter scoring 0 decreases rapidly as quality levels rise.