With the WTC final scheduled for next week, I have traversed the 140 years of Test cricket history to bring you this nostalgia-centred article, of the greatest Tests played by each team in their history. There have been many unforgettable matches for each Test team, especially for teams with over 100 years of history. That makes it difficult to identify the greatest matches each team has featured in, but I have taken a crack at it.
The methodology
Using customised algorithms, I created a shortlist of a dozen or so matches for each team. More for teams like Australia and England, and fewer for teams like Sri Lanka. Then I went over the scorecards and other information for each of those matches to get a complete overview of them. After that, I created a final shortlist of three Tests for each team. This article covers the presentation of those final shortlists, and the selection of one defining match from among those three games, for each team.
Generally, and understandably, cricket followers tend to consider close matches as the truly great ones. I have also thought on those lines usually. However, there are occasions when the sheer quality of a comeback, or the greatness of the occasion, lead us to conclude that even comfortable wins should not be ignored – for example, Australia’s comeback from the depths in Durban in 1950, India’s Kolkata miracle of 2001, or New Zealand’s World Test Championship win in 2021. These matches make us think that comfortable wins also deserve full consideration.
My picks
I will be covering the eight oldest Test teams in depth individually, presenting the shortlists of three for each, and what I think is their greatest Test. The last four teams will be covered in brief and in summary.
If the 24 Tests – among the greatest ever played – for the top eight teams form the base of the crown, the eight Tests featured in depth are the jewels on top of it.
In the graphics below, I have presented the two best individual performances for the team in each innings prominently. For the opposition team, one performance is displayed, in grey.