Tied Tests in Cricket: The Two Times a Test Match Ended in a Tie
The only two tied Tests in cricket history — Australia vs West Indies in 1960 and India vs Australia in 1986 — how a tie differs from a draw, and why the tied Test remains one of cricket's rarest and most dramatic outcomes.
In over 2,600 Tests played since 1877, only two have ended in a tie — the rarest result in Test cricket. A tied Test occurs when both teams have scored exactly the same number of runs and the side batting last has been bowled out, with the scores level. This distinguishes it from a draw, which occurs when a match ends with a result not yet reached (the side batting last has not been dismissed). The two tied Tests — Brisbane 1960 and Madras 1986 — remain among the most celebrated matches in cricket history.
The First Tied Test: Brisbane 1960
The first tied Test was played between Australia and West Indies at the Gabba, Brisbane, from 9 to 14 December 1960. Australia needed six runs off the final over to win, with West Indies needing wickets. The final over, bowled by Wes Hall, produced extraordinary drama: Richie Benaud was caught behind, Ian Meckiff hit a single to make the scores level, and then attempted a second run that would win the match, but was run out — the last wicket. The final ball was not bowled; the scores were tied at 737 (West Indies 453 and 284, Australia 505 and 232) with Australia all out. The match is regarded as one of the greatest Tests ever played, featuring centuries from Garry Sobers (132), Frank Worrell (65), Neil Harvey (15 on a difficult pitch), and a stunning display of attacking Test cricket from both sides. The tied result led to an outpouring of public enthusiasm for the West Indies tour, and the series became known for reigniting interest in Test cricket.
The Second Tied Test: Madras 1986
The second tied Test came 26 years later at Chepauk, Madras (now Chennai), during Australia's 1986 tour of India. Australia, chasing 348 to win, had recovered through a famous innings by Dean Jones — who scored 210 in extreme heat and humidity, reportedly becoming severely dehydrated during his knock in one of the most physically gruelling Test innings in history. Australia needed 347 to win the match. In the final over, Australia needed 4 runs with their last pair at the wicket. The tension was extraordinary; Dean Jones was run out off the final ball of the match by Maninder Singh's delivery, leaving the scores exactly tied at India 397 & 347 all out / Australia 574 & 170 all out. The Madras tie is particularly celebrated for Dean Jones's heroic innings and for the fact that, like the 1960 Brisbane game, it came down to the very last delivery.
Tie vs Draw: The Critical Distinction
The distinction between a tie and a draw is fundamental to understanding these two matches. A draw in Test cricket occurs when a match ends without a decisive result — typically because time runs out before a team is bowled out, or because the fielding team cannot take all remaining wickets. The side batting last does not have to be all out in a draw. A tie, by contrast, requires that the batting team's last wicket falls with the scores exactly level — the bowling side has completed all 10 dismissals, and the runs match precisely. This is why tied Tests are so rare: two conditions must coincide exactly (equal scores and last wicket falling at that precise moment), and the mathematical probability of this occurring naturally, without deliberate management, is extremely low.
Frequently asked questions
Is there any statistical reason why ties occur so rarely in Test cricket, and what would the theoretical probability of a tied Test be?
The rarity of tied Tests has a clear statistical explanation rooted in the discrete nature of cricket scoring and the multiple conditions that must simultaneously be true. The mathematical structure: A tied Test requires two conditions to hold simultaneously: (1) the second batting team is dismissed (all 10 wickets fall), meaning the match ends decisively rather than as a draw; and (2) the scores are exactly equal at the moment of dismissal. Condition 1 already eliminates a large fraction of Tests — roughly 30-40% of Tests end as draws (the side batting last is not dismissed). Among the decisive results, a tie then requires scores to match exactly, which given that total runs in a Test often reach 1,000-1,500 is a very precise coincidence. The base rate: if we take roughly 65% of Tests as decisive results (the batting side dismissed) and assume the scores are equally likely to differ by any small amount, a rough back-of-envelope suggests a tie might be expected roughly once in every few hundred decisive Tests. In reality, about 800 decisive Tests (with a result) were played between 1877 and 1986 when the second tie occurred — making two ties not far from what a naïve random model would predict. Why it hasn't happened since 1986: this is partially genuine low probability and partially the modern dynamics of Test cricket. In the current era, more Tests end with larger winning margins (result-oriented pitches, dominant teams), and Test declarations have become more conservative (captains are less willing to set targets that risk a tie). A captain who sets a target 3 runs more or 3 runs less than the batting team scores has avoided a tie — so active captaincy decisions implicitly reduce tie probability. The near misses: there have been several Tests in the past 30 years that ended with margins of one or two wickets or a handful of runs, where a single delivery going differently would have produced a tie. The rarity is real but not extraordinary given the statistical structure.