The main motive for the teams in Test cricket is to bat long & once, score big and make the opposition bowlers sweat it out. The morale victory as a batting team comes when they get a first innings lead and this would significantly impact their side’s chances of winning the Test match.
However, there are times when a team after having a lot in the first innings, completely bettered their opposition by bowling them out rather cheaply and gaining a monumental first innings leads. We will list down those here in this article.
Highest First Innings Leads in Test Cricket
| Team | 1st Inns Lead | Opponent | Match Result | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England (903/7d) | 702 | Australia (201) | ENG won by an innings & 579 runs | The Oval | 1938 |
| Sri Lanka (756/5d) | 587 | South Africa (169) | SL won by an innings & 153 runs | Colombo | 2006 |
| Pakistan (643) | 570 | New Zealand (73) | PAK won by an innings & 324 runs | Lahore | 2002 |
| England (849) | 563 | West Indies (286) | Match Drawn | Kingston | 1929 |
| Sri Lanka (602/5d) | 514 | New Zealand (88) | SL won by an innings & 154 runs | Galle | 2024 |
| South Africa (682/6d) | 509 | England (173) | SA won by an innings & 92 runs | Lord’s | 2003 |
| Australia (645) | 504 | England (141) | AUS won by an innings & 332 runs | Brisbane | 1946 |
| Sri Lanka (730/6d) | 498 | Bangladesh (232) | SL won by an innings & 248 runs | Mirpur | 2014 |
| Australia (735/6d) | 496 | Zimbabwe (239) | AUS won by an innings & 175 runs | Perth | 2003 |
| Australia (652/7d) | 493 | South Africa (159) | AUS won by an innings & 360 runs | Johannesburg | 2002 |
Key Stats:
67 – Aside from the 10 mentioned here, there have been another 57 instances of a team taking a first innings lead of 400 runs or more in Test cricket.
702 – The largest first innings lead ever taken in history of Test cricket and it was achieved by England back in 1938 at the Oval against Australia. England managed to post a whopping 903 on the board, the second highest Test total ever and bundled out Australia for a mere 201.
Innings and 579 runs – England’s win over Australia in the Oval Test still remains largest margin of win by an innings in Test cricket.
Innings and 360 runs – Similarly, Australia’s win over South Africa at Johannesburg in 2002 is the second largest win by an innings in Test cricket history. Their win over England by an innings & 332 runs at the Gabba in 1946 makes as the fourth largest innings win in Test cricket.
To round off, Pakistan’s win against New Zealand by an innings & 324 runs at Lahore back 2002 is the fifth largest win in terms of innings margin. It was also the game where Inzamam-ul-Haq registered his highest Test score of 329.
1 – Only one Test in the above list resulted in a draw and it was the Timeless Test match in the 1930 series at Kingston where England amassed the third highest Test total of 849 and bowling out West Indies for 286. The hosts, however managed to play out a draw.
