Highest Individual Scores at No. 6 or Lower in Tests
| Player | Score (Balls) | 4s/6s | Batting Position | Against | Venue | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Bradman (AUS) | 270 (375) | 22/0 | 7 | England | Melbourne | 1 Jan 1937 |
| Ben Stokes (ENG) | 258 (198) | 30/11 | 6 | South Africa | Cape Town | 2 Jan 2016 |
| Wasim Akram (PAK) | 257* (363) | 22/12 | 8 | Zimbabwe | Sheikhupura | 17 Oct 1996 |
| Doug Walters (AUS) | 250 (342) | 30/2 | 6 | New Zealand | Christchurch | 18 Feb 1977 |
| Don Bradman (AUS) | 234 (396) | 24/0 | 6 | England | Sydney | 13 Dec 1946 |
| MS Dhoni (IND) | 224 (265) | 24/6 | 6 | Australia | Chennai | 22 Feb 2013 |
| Denis Atkinson (WI) | 219 (NA) | 29/1 | 7 | Australia | Bridgetown | 14 May 1955 |
| AB de Villiers (SA) | 217* (333) | 17/2 | 6 | India | Ahmedabad | 3 Apr 2008 |
| Greg Blewett (AUS) | 214 (421) | 33/0 | 6 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 28 Feb 1997 |
| Imtiaz Ahmed (PAK) | 209 (NA) | 28/0 | 8 | New Zealand | Lahore | 26 Oct 1955 |
Key Insights
Don Bradman has recorded the highest individual score by a No. 6 or lower batter in Test cricket. He scored 270 against England in the 1937 Melbourne Test. Bradman’s 270 is also the highest Test score at No. 7.
While Ben Stokes’s 258 is second on this list, it is the highest score by a No. 6 batter in the longer format. He reached the 200-run mark in 163 balls, the fastest double century for a No. 6 batter in Tests. And Stokes is overall the quickest to bring up 250 off 196 deliveries.
257 not out by Wasim Akram against Zimbabwe is the highest score at No. 8 in Tests. Pakistan’s Imtiaz Ahmed (209 vs NZ) and the West Indies’ Jason Holder (202* vs ENG) are the other two double centurions in that position.
Akram’s 257 included 12 sixes, the most for a No. 6 or lower batter in a Test innings. On the other hand, Hanif Mohammad (203* vs NZ) and Greg Blewett (214 vs SA) slammed 44 fours each, the joint-most at No. 6 or lower in an innings.
At No. 9, New Zealand’s Ian Smith sits in the pole position. He aggregated 173 against India in the 1990 Auckland Test.
Four batters have smashed Test hundreds at No. 10. Among them, England’s Walter Read has the highest score of 117 against Australia in the 1884 Oval Test. Abul Hasan (113 vs WI), Pat Symcox (108 vs PAK), and Reggie Duff (104 vs ENG) are the other centurions at No. 10.
No batter has yet brought up a Test ton at No. 11. Ashton Agar’s 98 against Australia in the 2013 Nottingham Test is the highest score by a No. 11 batter.
Seven captains have smashed double hundreds at No. 6 or lower, with Bradman’s 270 being the highest among them. Bradman is also the only batter and captain with two double centuries at No. 6 or lower positions. Here are the highest Test scores scored by captains regardless of the batting position.
Among wicketkeepers, MS Dhoni has the highest knock at No. 6 or lower. The former Indian keeper amassed 224 against Australia in 2013 while batting at No. 6. Imtiaz Ahmed, BJ Watling (205 vs ENG), Adam Gilchrist (204* vs SA), and Mushfiqur Rahim (200 vs SL) are the other wicketkeepers with double tons.
Gilchrist has smashed the most centuries among No. 6 or lower batters in Tests. The former Australian keeper scored 15 hundreds. England’s Ian Botham (11) is the other one with 10-plus Test hundreds. He is also the highest century-scorer in Tests while playing as the wicketkeeper.
Mark Boucher, meanwhile, leads the run chart, with 5497 runs to his name at the No. 6 or lower position. Kapil Dev (5116) and Gilchrist (5074) follow him with 5000-plus Test runs.
