South Africa has a longer history than many current cricketing superpowers as a Test nation. Starting from the 1889-90 season, when they hosted Australia for the first time, they developed into a strong competitor to the Australians and West Indies in the 1960s. Unfortunately, the international ban imposed on them ensured they were nowhere in the scene until 1991, when ICC released the ban. Since then, they have been super successful in all three formats.
Especially in Test cricket, they have produced legendary names like Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Gary Kirsten, Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, and AB de Villiers. By comprising one of the powerful batting units over the last two decades, Proteas could produce huge totals on board, making them a superpower in the longer format.
This article will list the top ten highest team totals, South African team have scored in Test cricket.
Highest Test Team Totals for South Africa
| TOTALS | AGAINST | INNINGS | MATCH RESULT | VENUE | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 682/6d | England | 2 | SA WON | Lord's | 2003 |
| 658/9d | West Indies | 2 | SA WON | Durban | 2003 |
| 651 | Australia | 2 | SA WON | Cape Town | 2009 |
| 637/2d | England | 2 | SA WON | The Oval | 2012 |
| 627/7d | England | 2 | DRAW | Cape Town | 2016 |
| 622/9d | Australia | 1 | SA WON | Durban | 1970 |
| 621 | Sri Lanka | 2 | SA WON | Centurion | 2020 |
| 621/5d | New Zealand | 1 | DRAW | Auckland | 1999 |
| 620/4d | India | 2 | SA WON | Centurion | 2010 |
| 620/7d | Pakistan | 1 | SA WON | Cape Town | 2003 |
Stats Highlights
The highest in the list, the declared score of 682/6 against England in the reputed Lord’s stadium, included one of Graeme Smith’s famous double century scores of 259 and a century score from Kirsten. Smith’s 259 is one of the top 10 individual scores made by the Proteas in Tests.
Their second-highest score of 658/9d in Durban is the highest they have ever scored at home venues. Interestingly both these scores came in the year 2003. They have also made a 620 against Pakistan in the same year.
Similarly, all the top 10 scores of South Africa have come in the first innings of Tests. Their highest in a second innings of a Test came against Australia in Johannesburg in 1966. They made 620 in the 3rd innings of the Test, which they eventually ended up winning by 233 runs.
Including the 10 above, SA has made 13 600+ scores in Tests so far, thereby ranking 7th in the list of Test teams with the most 600+ scores.
