Smallest Win Margin in Test Cricket
| Winner | Margin | Target Defended | Against | Venue | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Indies | 1 run | 186 | Australia | Adelaide | 23 Jan 1993 |
| New Zealand | 1 run | 258 | England | Wellington | 24 Feb 2023 |
| England | 2 runs | 282 | Australia | Birmingham | 4 Aug 2005 |
| Australia | 3 runs | 124 | England | Manchester | 24 Jul 1902 |
| England | 3 runs | 292 | Australia | Melbourne | 26 Dec 1982 |
| New Zealand | 4 runs | 176 | Pakistan | Abu Dhabi | 16 Nov 2018 |
| South Africa | 5 runs | 117 | Australia | Sydney | 2 Jan 1994 |
| Australia | 6 runs | 214 | England | Sydney | 20 Feb 1885 |
| India | 6 runs | 374 | England | The Oval | 31 Jul 2025 |
| Australia | 7 runs | 85 | England | The Oval | 28 Aug 1882 |
| South Africa | 7 runs | 177 | Sri Lanka | Kandy | 30 Jul 2000 |
| New Zealand | 7 runs | 241 | Australia | Hobart | 9 Dec 2011 |
Explore All Runs Margin Records
Largest Test Win Margins by Runs (All-Time)
Largest Test Wins by Innings Margin
Smallest Test Win Margnis by Runs (All-Time)
Largest ODI Win Margins by Runs (All-Time)
Largest T20I Win Margins by Runs (All-Time)
India’s Largest Run Margin Wins in Test Cricket
India’s Largest Run Margin Wins in ODI Cricket
India’s Largest Run Margin Wins in T20I Cricket
IPL Stats: Largest Win Margins by Runs
T20I Teams with Most 100+ Run Margin Wins
Largest T20I Defeats by Runs for Each Team
Largest T20I Win Margins by Runs for Each Team
Largest Win Margins in T20 World Cup
Largest Win Margins in Asia Cup
Most 10-Wicket Wins in Test Cricket
Most 10-Wicket Wins in ODI Cricket
Most 10-Wicket Wins in T20I Cricket
Key Insights on Smallest Margin Test Match Victories
Narrowest Winning Margins (1-Run Wins in Test Cricket)
The West Indies and New Zealand have recorded the joint-smallest win margins in Tests, defeating Australia in 1993 and England in 2023 by one run, respectively.
New Zealand’s victory was special, as they won after being asked to follow on by England. This is only the fourth instance of a team winning a Test match after a follow-on.
Successfully Defended Low Totals in Test Wins
Australia won by seven runs while defending 85 runs against England at The Oval in 1882. This is the lowest total successfully defended by a team in a Test match.
There is one more instance of a Test team defending a total below 100. And it belongs to the West Indies, as they defended 99 against Zimbabwe to win the Port of Spain Test by 35 runs in 2000.
The 1882 Oval Test was a low-scoring affair, with Australia and England accumulating 363 runs, the sixth-lowest match aggregate in Test cricket.
England’s Record of Victories After Following On
England, meanwhile, have registered two Test victories after following on, both against Australia, with win margins below 20 runs.
First, they defeated the Aussies by 10 runs in the 1894 Sydney Test, while they scripted an 18-run victory in the 1981 Leeds Test.
There are over 60 instances of teams winning Test matches by 35 or fewer runs. 20 of those instances belong to England, the most by a team in Tests.
Team Records for Narrow Margin Losses
Australia, meanwhile, have lost the most matches by 35 or fewer runs in Tests, with 18 instances to their name.
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