This article presents the key statistics and notable players who have been involved in the most Test match losses throughout their careers.
Most Test Losses by Players
| PLAYERS | TEST LOSSES | MATCHES PLAYED | LOSS% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) | 77 | 164 | 46.95 |
| James Anderson (ENG) | 68 | 188 | 36.17 |
| Brian Lara (WI) | 63 | 131 | 48.09 |
| Mushfiqur Rahim (BAN) | 63 | 98 | 64.28 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 60 | 158 | 37.97 |
| Kraigg Brathwaite (WI) | 57 | 100 | 57.00 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (IND) | 56 | 200 | 28.00 |
| Alastair Cook (ENG) | 55 | 161 | 34.16 |
| Angelo Mathews (SL) | 54 | 119 | 45.37 |
| Alec Stewart (ENG) | 54 | 133 | 40.60 |
Discover the Record-Breaking Teams and Captains Here
Teams with Most Wins in Test Cricket
Key Insights on Cricketers with the Most Test Match Defeats
West Indies Players Dominating the List of Losses
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the legendary West Indies cricketer, holds the unwanted record for the highest number of losses in Test cricket.
Chanderpaul amassed this total while playing a massive 164 games across a challenging era for the team.
He is closely followed by fellow Caribbean cricketer Brian Lara, who played during the same period—widely considered the worst for West Indies following their dominant run in the early 80s.
The current West Indies regular, Kraigg Brathwaite, continues the trend with a career loss percentage exceeding 50 percent.
Other West Indian players with high loss rates include Ramnaresh Sarwan (51.72%), Dinesh Ramdin (55.41%), and Ridley Jacobs (55.38%).
There are three West Indian captains who feature on the overall list of Test captains with the most Test losses.
High Loss Percentages for Bangladesh Cricketers
Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Ashraful both feature on this list, having been part of more than 50 losses while representing Bangladesh.
The statistics for these Bangladesh cricketers highlight the team’s alarming Test record, with both players having lost over 50% of the Test matches they played.
Mohammad Ashraful‘s record is particularly stark, with more than 80% of the matches he played ending in losses.
Another teammate, Tamim Iqbal, is approaching this list with 47 Test losses to his name.
These individual records underscore Bangladesh’s poor overall Test statistics, as reflected in the teams’ list with the most Test losses.
Legends of Longevity and High-Volume Losses
The list of players with the most losses also includes legendary names who played a large volume of matches, such as Sachin Tendulkar, Alastair Cook, James Anderson, and Stuart Broad, all of whom played more than 150 games.
The inclusion of such long-serving players demonstrates the correlation between career longevity (playing 150+ Test matches) and accumulating a high number of results, good or bad.
Players in the 150+ Test matches elite club who contrast with the loss leaders include Australians like Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh, and India’s Rahul Dravid, all of whom played for highly successful teams, resulting in significantly fewer losses and higher career win percentages despite their long careers.
Must Read List: The Indian cricketers ranked in the order of most runs scored in all formats together
