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The Greatest Test Innings: A New Look

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The batting style that produced arguably the finest Test innings.

The Greatest Test Innings: A New Look

It has been 10 years since Wisden published their controversial list of the top 100 best innings in Test cricket history. Don Bradman topped the list with his 270 against England in 1937 after he reversed the batting order and came in at no.7 with the score at 90/5.

Ranking that innings at no.1 was not controversial at all. Indeed, it would be controversial in the extreme not to put that innings in at least the top 10 or 20 of any list attempting to rank the greatest Test innings. The controversy was caused by the absence of any Tendulkar innings in the top 100.

I have been working on ranking the best batsmen and bowlers in Test cricket and one-day international cricket for some years now. Only now am I getting close to creating a formula I am happy to present to cricket fans and followers. Whilst working on rating the great Test batsmen, I also thought about rating their innings/performances, thereby incorporating them in their career ratings. Entertaining players like Stan McCabe and Adam Gilchrist, who played some of the most famous and talked-about knocks in history, and yet only averaged in the 40s, will be well-served by this.

So, I set to work in creating a formula in ranking Test innings. I only had the help of Microsoft Excel so it has taken some time, and quite often I had to reset the formulas. Finally, I arrived at a list that I am pleased with. It is different from the Wisden 100 but one thing still remains: the great Tendulkar, who I admire and enjoy watching so much, does not feature in my top 100.

I will not bore readers with the exact workings of the formula, but I will give brief summary of the factors involved:

1. Base runs scored
2. Runs scored by other batsmen in the same team innings, divided by the number of batsmen used. The highest score I have found for this measurement so far has been for Bannerman’s 165 retired hurt in 1877, the first innings in Test history! The other ten batsmen used scored an average of 72 runs between them (I have discounted the 8 extras in that innings). Bannerman thus scored over 6 times more than his teammates in one innings!
3. Runs per wicket of all the other batsmen in the match. This helps players who scored heavily in large victories.
4. % of team runs scored (including the extras this time).
5. Runs scored with the bottom-half of the batting order: specifically, runs scored with no.7-11 batsmen. For example, in Clem Hill’s famous 188 at the end of the 19th century, the fifth wicket fell at 32. When Hill was ninth out, the score stood at 303. Australia finally made 323, which meant that Hill helped score 84% of the total team runs with the bottom half of the batting order: (303-32)/323

Those first five factors give a base score for an innings. They are then multiplied by the following factors:

1. Strike-rate. Astle’s 222 and numerous Gilchrist innings` are rewarded with this measurement.
2. Match won/drawn/or lost. Close wins or close draws?
3. State of the series. Was it a ‘live’ match or a dead rubber? Was it the deciding match in the series? Was a batsmen’s team behind in the series and then went on to win the rubber, i.e. Botham?s 149*, or Laxman’s 281?
4. Home match or Away match?
5. Strength of the opposition and/or bowling attack. Australia or West Indies at their peak or Bangladesh?
6. Situation of the match. Following on 200 or more runs behind and going onto win? Winning after chasing 350 in the final innings? Having a 100+ lead after the first innings?

All those factors will produce a final rating for any innings played in Test history. However, I have left out any innings in which the team score was less than 150 with no more than 4 wickets lost. For example, 120/1, 145/4, etc.

Before presenting you with my top 100, I want to say that in no way do I think that stats-based ratings like this one or Wisden‘s are the only way with which to judge Test cricket innings. It is one way to promote discussion on forums and to introduce some readers to great innings long forgotten. People who have actually played the game and were there on the day should know a good innings from a bad one. Scorecards from 1902 also cannot record how fluent a batsman looked at the crease or how many chances he gave. People may not agree with my final list, but I put a lot of thought into it (you can tell by looking at the number of measurements used!), and to be honest, when an earlier formula produced a top 10 list which just looked wrong, I went back to the drawing board.

Finally, if there are any innings which I have missed out on, please let me know, and I will measure them. But let me say now that I have measured a number of Tendulkar innings and not one so far has gotten near the top 100. The closest is his 136 against Pakistan in 1999 in a losing chase, which fetched a rating of 15.48.
Enjoy the list!
DoG

Top 10 pen-portraits:
1. Brian Lara 153* vs Australia at Bridgetown in 1999. Rating: 26.84
The seminal innings in a 4th innings run chase and rated the greatest innings of all-time based on my formula. Lara was under fire throughout the Caribbean following the 0-5 loss in South Africa. He answered his critics at Kingston in the 2nd Test with a double century (rated 25th on my list) to level the series against the world-conquering Australians. It was in Bridgetown that he forever sealed his status as a great batsman. He basically won the 3rd Test single-handed after coming in at 78/3 with 230 runs still required. He put on 133 with Jimmy Adams (of which Adams made 38) before working with Ambrose and Walsh to score the final 63 runs with the last two wickets. It is the innings of a master batsman under pressure against a great bowling attack. Need I say more, except that it could have been so different had Ian Healy managed to hold onto that catch in the final stages of the run chase.

2. Ian Botham 149* vs Australia at Leeds 1981. Rating: 26.65
If there is one innings that is more famous than Lara’s it is Beefy’s slog at Leeds that basically turned the Ashes on its head. Following on, England were still 122 runs away from making Australia bat again when Botham came in at 105/5. He proceeded to hit 149 not out off 148 balls, putting on 221 runs with the last 3 wickets. His innings would have been a mere footnote had Willis not come out firing in the 4th innings so I guess it is somewhat appropriate that Lara’s innings is rated at no.1 with Beefy having to settle for no.2.

3. Graham Gooch 154* vs West Indies at Leeds 1991. Rating 26.34.
Another great innings played at Headingley (there are a total of 5 in the top 100). This is an innings of a batsman who was so far ahead of his peers for one match that it was almost ridiculous. The next highest score in the match was 73. The average of all the other batsmen in the match was 14.40. Gooch stood alone in this match like no other batsmen has done in the modern-day era of Test cricket. And let us not forget that this was against a great bowling attack as well. Pure class.

4. V.V.S. Laxman 281 vs Australia at Kolkata in 2001. Rating: 25.55
Everyone knows of this innings and no description is really necessary. I have no doubt that the majority of Indians would deem this to be the greatest innings ever but I hope they can take solace in the fact that it is still the best of the 21st century so far. The only thing that counts against Laxman in my formula is the amount of support he got from Dravid, which means that he did not shoulder the burden alone as much as the 3 innings rated above him.

5. Charles Bannerman 165 retired not out vs England at Melbourne in 1877. Rating: 25.15
I find it somewhat fitting that the first ever innings played in Test cricket was one of top 5 greatest in the history of the game. The stats by themselves are incredible. Bannerman scored 67% of his team’s runs (the highest ever) and scored 6.8 times the amount of runs that his teammates scored combined. Bannerman played only 3 matches but he left his mark on the game forever.

6. Don Bradman 270 vs England at Melbourne in 1937. Rating: 24.99
The Don’s greatest innings helped turn an Ashes series in much the same way that Botham?s did some 44 years later. England won the first 2 matches of the rubber with Bradman averaging a mere 30.00, including 2 ducks. Australia batted first in Melbourne and made 200 (Bradman again failing with 13). They bowled England out for 76 after rain set in and left the wicket sticky. Bradman, the master strategist, then reversed his batting order so that he could get the best batting conditions when he came in at number 7. It worked to perfection. He came in at 97/5 but put on 346 runs with Jack Fingleton and Australia eventually won by a comfortable 365 runs. Bradman went on to score a century in each of the final two tests and Australia won the series 3-2. An incredible reversal.

7. Virender Sehwag 201* vs. Sri Lanka at Galle in 2008. Rating: 24.22
The Indian batsmen were all at sea against the debutant Ajantha Mendis throughout this series but somehow Sehwag tamed him and batted through the entire innings for a double-century triumph. And with a strike-rate of 87. India won the match and although they lost the final match and the rubber, Sehwag’s innings will be remembered as one of the greats.

8. VVS Laxman 167 vs. Australia at Sydney in 2000. Rating: 24.18
It takes a special batsman to have two innings ranked in the top 10 of all time. And VVS is a special batsman whose career average of 46 does not reveal the full story of how many great innings he has played for country. This is the greatest innings in a losing cause. Against a rampant bowling attack, India were following-on, and soon in trouble. Laxman was eighth out with the score on 258. The next highest score was 25. It is a very similar innings to Gooch’s, except that the match was lost and was never likely to be saved. A beautiful innings, nonetheless, and Laxman’s first century.

9. Sanath Jayasuriya 253 vs. Pakistan at Faisalabad in 2004. Rating: 24.17
Jayasuriya’s second-to-last century and it would not have been had Shoaib Akhtar not no-balled when he had Jayasuriya caught behind early in his innings. Sanath went on to score 253 runs out of a team total of 438 at a strike-rate over 70 to send Sri Lanka to a rare victory away from home against a Test-playing nation. The next highest score in the innings was 59.

10. Stan McCabe 232 vs. England at Nottingham in 1938. Rating: 23.46
This is one of my favourite innings and it is still the greatest innings played by an Australian abroad, according to my formula. England made a mammoth 658/8 and had Australia in all sorts of trouble at 150/5. McCabe increased his scoring rate as he lost more partners. This culminated in him scoring 72 out of 77 runs for the last wicket in 28 minutes. Whilst McCabe was at the crease, other players and extras scored a total of 68 runs! Australia made 411 and the match was eventually drawn. Don Bradman apparently summoned his players to the player’s balcony to watch, saying that “they would never see anything like it again.”

Pos Name Runs Opposition Venue Year Rating
1 B.C. Lara 153* Australia Bridgetown 1999 26.84
2 I.T. Botham 149* Australia Leeds 1981 26.65
3 G.A. Gooch 154* West Indies Leeds 1991 26.34
4 V.V.S. Laxman 281 Australia Kolkata 2001 25.55
5 C. Bannerman 165* England Melbourne 1877 25.15
6 D.G. Bradman 270 England Melbourne 1937 24.99
7 V. Sehwag 201* Sri Lanka Galle 2008 24.22
8 V.V.S. Laxman 167 Australia Sydney 2000 24.18
9 S.T. Jayasuriya 253 Pakistan Faisalabad 2004 24.17
10 S.J. McCabe 232 England Nottingham 1938 23.46
11 D.L. Amiss 262* West Indies Kingston 1974 23.11
12 AzharMahmood 132 South Africa Durban 1998 22.81
13 Saeed Anwar 188 India Kolkata 1999 22.54
14 C. Hill 188 England Melbourne 1898 22.49
15 C.G. Greenidge 134 England Manchester 1976 22.40
16 G.S. Chappell 176 New Zealand Christchurch 1982 21.75
17 Inzamam-ul-Haq 329 New Zealand Lahore 2002 21.35
18 Mohammad Wasim 192 Zimbabwe Harare 1998 21.25
19 M.J. Slater 123 England Sydney 1999 21.03
20 V. Sehwag 319 South Africa Chennai 2008 20.84
21 D.G. Bradman 299* South Africa Adelaide 1932 20.60
22 G.L. Jessop 104 Australia The Oval 1902 20.58
23 H.P. Tillekaratne 115 Pakistan Faisalabad 1995 20.46
24 D.G. Bradman 334 England Leeds 1930 20.29
25 B.C. Lara 213 Australia Kingston 1999 20.26
26 M.E. Trescothick 180 South Africa Johannesburg 2005 20.26
27 S.M. Gavaskar 221 England The Oval 1979 20.17
28 K.J. Hughes 100* West Indies Melbourne 1981 20.01
29 N.J. Astle 222 England Christchurch 2002 19.93
30 C.L. Walcott 220 England Bridgetown 1954 19.91
31 K.C. Sangakkara 156* New Zealand Wellington 2006 19.90
32 AsifIqbal 146 England The Oval 1967 19.84
33 R. Dravid 223 Australia Adelaide 2003 19.81
34 G.M. Turner 223* West Indies Kingston 1972 19.74
35 D.G. Bradman 103* England Melbourne 1933 19.67
36 P.F. Warner 132* South Africa Johannesburg 1899 19.59
37 R.E. Foster 287 Australia Sydney 1903 19.54
38 N. Kapil Dev 129 South Africa Port Elizabeth 1992 19.46
39 S.M. Gavaskar 236* West Indies Madras 1983 19.46
40 A.C. Gilchrist 149* Pakistan Hobart 1999 19.35
41 G.C. Smith 154* England Birmingham 2008 19.32
42 D.G. Bradman 212 England Adelaide 1937 19.26
43 L. Hutton 205 West Indies Kingston 1954 19.19
44 W.R. Hammond 231 Australia Sydney 1936 19.09
45 Hanif Mohammad 337 West Indies Bridgetown 1958 18.95
46 M.A. Butcher 173* Australia Leeds 2001 18.94
47 B. Mitchell 164* England Lord’s 1935 18.90
48 G.S. Sobers 168 Australia Sydney 1961 18.88
49 G.R. Viswanath 97* West Indies Madras 1975 18.88
50 O.G. Smith 168 England Nottingham 1957 18.79
51 G.J. Bonnor 128 England Sydney 1885 18.76
52 V.T. Trumper 159 South Africa Melbourne 1911 18.75
53 G.A. Headley 270* England Kingston 1935 18.55
54 Hanif Mohammad 187 England Lord’s 1967 18.42
55 M.A. Taylor 144 West Indies St. John’s 1991 18.34
56 M.E. Waugh 116 South Africa Port Elizabeth 1997 18.26
57 R.G. Pollock 274 Australia Durban 1970 18.16
58 L. Vincent 224 Sri Lanka Wellington 2005 18.12
59 C.G. Greenidge 213 New Zealand Auckland 1987 18.12
60 B.C. Lara 226 Australia Adelaide 2005 18.05
61 J. Ryder 201* England Adelaide 1925 18.02
62 D.L. Amiss 179 India Delhi 1976 18.01
63 W.R. Hammond 336* New Zealand Auckland 1933 17.97
64 A.R. Border 163 India Melbourne 1985 17.96
65 C.L. Cairns 80 England The Oval 1999 17.96
66 G.R. Viswanath 114 Australia Melbourne 1981 17.95
67 B.F. Butcher 133 England Lord’s 1963 17.93
68 G.R. Viswanath 139 West Indies Calcutta 1974 17.85
69 K.P. Pietersen 142 Sri Lanka Birmingham 2006 17.85
70 Kamran Akmal 113 India Karachi 2006 17.84
71 L. Hutton 364 Australia The Oval 1938 17.70
72 G. Kirsten 100* Pakistan Faisalabad 1997 17.63
73 G.R. Viswanath 124 West Indies Madras 1979 17.53
74 S.M. Nurse 258 New Zealand Christchurch 1969 17.50
75 D.C.S. Compton 278 Pakistan Nottingham 1954 17.49
76 D.J. McGlew 255* New Zealand Wellington 1953 17.43
77 D.P.M.D. Jayawardene 167 New Zealand Galle 1998 17.43
78 C.H. Gayle 333 Sri Lanka Galle 2010 17.39
79 D.N. Sardesai 212 West Indies Kingston 1971 17.38
80 C.G. Greenidge 214* England Lord’s 1984 17.35
81 M.A. Atherton 185* South Africa Johannesburg 1995 17.35
82 J.R. Reid 142 South Africa Johannesburg 1962 17.34
83 R.T. Simpson 156* Australia Melbourne 1951 17.31
84 D.G. Bradman 304 England Leeds 1934 17.25
85 A. Flintoff 73 Australia Birmingham 2005 17.25
86 W.W. Armstrong 159* South Africa Johannesburg 1902 17.21
87 R.T. Ponting 257 India Melbourne 2003 17.19
88 D.I. Gower 154* West Indies Kingston 1981 17.17
89 G.S. Chappell 182* West Indies Sydney 1976 17.07
90 K.D. Walters 104* New Zealand Auckland 1974 17.06
91 Saeed Anwar 118 South Africa Durban 1998 17.06
92 Aamer Sohail 133 Australia Karachi 1998 16.98
93 D.M. Jones 184* England Sydney 1987 16.91
94 M.J. Greatbatch 146* Australia Perth 1989 16.90
95 R.G. Pollock 125 England Nottingham 1965 16.89
96 V.S. Hazare 145 Australia Adelaide 1948 16.88
97 M.C. Cowdrey 102 Australia Melbourne 1954 16.85
98 S.R. Waugh 108 England Manchester 1997 16.81
99 K.C. Sangakkara 232 South Africa Columbo 2004 16.81
100 R.N. Harvey 167 England Melbourne 1959 16.80

Comments

[B]Top 10 Tendulkar Test Innings:[/B]
169 vs. South Africa at Cape Town 1997 (15.91) (Lost)
136 vs. Pakistan at Chennai 1999 (15.48) (Lost)
214 vs. Australia at Bangalore 2010 (15.03) (Won)
122 vs. England at Birmingham 1996 (14.48) (Lost)
248 vs. Bangladesh at Dhaka 2004 (14.20) (Won)
111 vs. South Africa at Johannesburg 1992 (13.63) (Draw)
116 vs. Australia at Melbourne 1999 (13.15) (Lost)
155 vs. Australia at Chennai 1998 (12.09) (Won)
146 vs. South Africa at Cape Town 2011 (11.60) (Draw)
177 vs. Australia at Bangalore 1998 (11.42) (Lost)

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 12 October 2011

how much of a difference does the result of the game make?

Comment by centurymaker | 12:00am BST 12 October 2011

How much of a difference does the result of the game make?
Close wins x1.35
Wins x1.3
Close draws x1.15
Draws x1.1
Losses x1

Makes a substantial difference. Only 7 of the top 100 innings were played in ultimately losing causes.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 13 October 2011

Absolutely fantastic stuff DoG.

Which players appear most often in the top 100? It looks from going over the list that it’s Bradman and Lara.

Comment by The Sean | 12:00am BST 13 October 2011

Good to see Sehwag’s innings get the appreciation it deserves.

Dravid’s 223 is too high IMO. A fine knock but against a toothless attack and not top 30 material.

Hughes knock too low IMO, but it’d still be too low if it was at number two.

Awesome effort DoG, really must’ve taken quite a bit of time.

If you could, Could you please calculate the value for Herbie Taylor’s 109 in [URL=”http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62516.html”]this match[/URL].

Also his 93 in the second innings of [URL=”http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/62519.html”]this game[/URL]

Thanks.

Comment by Teja. | 12:00am BST 13 October 2011

This is really fascinating — thanks

I’m surprised to see no mention of Viv Richards — can you do his three innings that were in the Wisden list?

192 Delhi 1974
291 The Oval 1976
182 Bridgetown 1981

Comment by nick-o | 12:00am BST 13 October 2011

Prominent names that find no mention in top 100 – Tendulkar, Viv Richards, Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Barrington.

Good to see Greame Pollock getting both his two great knocks in the list.

Comment by 8ankitj | 12:00am BST 13 October 2011

great work DoG

Comment by smalishah84 | 12:00am BST 13 October 2011

Some interesting results there to be sure, and I think you\’ve taken all the most important factors into account. But I think I\’m right in saying that the Don rated his 254 at Lord\’s in 1930, which I don\’t see in the 100, as his best innings of all.

Comment by stumpski | 12:00am BST 13 October 2011

Fine work Steve – do you have a rating for Neil Harvey’s 151* against South Africa?

Comment by chasingthedon | 12:00am BST 13 October 2011

No doubt that Price of Trinidad’s innings will feature at the top in anybody’s all time greatest innings list. It doesn\’t need any calculation. He is the greatest batsman in the history of Test Cricket!

Comment by Nirmal | 12:00am BST 16 October 2011

Tendulkar’s 136 vs. Wasim,Waqar reversing the ball and Saqlain on a wearing 5th day track has a score of 15.48…and for eg. a Flintoff 73 fetches 17.25?

I’ve seen both innings.
And in my humble opinion something is a bit awry.

Comment by PM | 12:00am BST 19 October 2011

I estimate if Sanga bats Sri Lanka to a draw today that his innings will make the top 100.

Will be interesting to see my formula working in a live situation.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 22 October 2011

It is basically a measure of what the score was when the 3rd/4th/5th wicket went down.

So, as an opener, if you were around when the score was 20/3, then you would get points.

It penalises openers if they had strong support at the top of the order, i.e. Sehwag’s double vs. Sri Lanka.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 22 October 2011

i hope the point of entry addition does not penalize openers now because that would be unfair as well. unless ofcourse there is some variable that includes number of wickets that fall while you’re on strike (so openers who carry the bat get added bonus to make up for the point of entry problem).

saying this because i noticed anwar and sehwag’s knocks go down.

Comment by miscer | 12:00am BST 22 October 2011

Lara’s 153 gets 26.84 and SRT’s 136 15.48 . Effectively Lara’s inn. was almost twice as good as SRT’s?

Ha,Ha! Hilarious!

Comment by Al | 12:00am BST 23 October 2011

thanks for the calcs.

Comment by hang on | 12:00am BST 24 October 2011

Greg Blewett’s 214….we have to know where this great innings stands!

Comment by robelinda | 12:00am GMT 9 November 2011

VVS’s 167 too high for me… Great knock for sure,but dont see how it got to 11th of all time based on the calculation especially since it was a loss, and Sachin 136 at Chennai is rated far far below it. Sachin got 136 out of the 258 total which comes to 53% of the total, VVS got 167 out of 261 which is 63 %… not a massive difference really to justify VVS’s 167 being at 11 and SRT’s 136 not even in the top 100. :huh:

Comment by Satguru | 12:00am GMT 9 November 2011

Have you read the feature article where I wrote,

“Before presenting you with my top 100, I want to say that in no way do I think that stats-based ratings like this one or Wisden’s are the only way with which to judge Test cricket innings. It is one way to promote discussion on forums and to introduce some readers to great innings long forgotten. People who have actually played the game and were there on the day should know a good innings from a bad one. Scorecards from 1902 also cannot record how fluent a batsman looked at the crease or how many chances he gave.”

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am GMT 9 November 2011

I was surprised that this knock wasn’t there since from what I heard it was one of the finest.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63438.html

This one by Dean Jones how does it fair in this statistical effort since the real beauty of the innings was the condition in which he played.

Comment by Capt Blackadder | 12:00am GMT 9 November 2011

Clarke’s innings looks a masterpiece for the ages now.

Comment by robelinda | 12:00am GMT 10 November 2011

If Australia wins tomorrow, Clarke’s innings will go into 5th place.

If they lose comfortably, it will be in about 80th.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am GMT 10 November 2011

WOW! Still, 80th aint bad for all time, but 5th- holy cow!

Comment by robelinda | 12:00am GMT 10 November 2011

So, im guess Mahela’s innings would make it into the top 100 quite easily… top 50 even

Comment by Satguru | 12:00am BST 29 March 2012

As a cricket lover, I dont think these statistics and comparisions all trash. Our memories make certain innings our favourites.had Lara been caught before at slip, few runs before victory, his innings of 153 would be rated much below the list. Had Gavakar’s chanceless 96 won match for india, he would have been topped the list.so as with the breath taking knock of nathan astles 222. So winning and losing does matter here.great “artists” like VVS and GRvishwanath can make an ordinary innings look like a special.. No wonder why the author gave them more credit in the list. For me Rahul dravid’s 232 (1st inn)and 71 n.o (2nd inng)is one performance which won a test cricket match purely on the basis of great batting. I have not seen most of knocks mentioned in the list – so i cannot say the list is bad.My agenda for the best test performance is simple. 1.should be played in crisis (how other batsmen had performed)
2.Contribution in both innings
3.Chanceless Knocks
Thanks – Sudhir

Comment by Sudhir | 12:00am BST 24 July 2012

Marlon Samuel’s 123 the other day has gained him a place in the top 100, at no.41 in fact. His is the 3rd best innings to be scored against New Zealand, behind Greg Chappell’s 176 and Inzamam’s mammoth 329.

1 I.T. Botham 149* Australia Leeds 1981 Won 26.41
2 B.C. Lara 153* Australia Bridgetown 1999 Won 25.47
3 G.A. Gooch 154* West Indies Leeds 1991 Won 25.01
4 V.V.S. Laxman 281 Australia Kolkata 2001 Won 24.18
5 D.G. Bradman 270 England Melbourne 1937 Won 23.73
6 D.L. Amiss 262* West Indies Kingston 1974 Draw 23.58
7 C. Bannerman 165* England Melbourne 1877 Won 23.07
8 Azhar Mahmood 132 South Africa Durban 1998 Won 22.70
9 G.L. Jessop 104 Australia The Oval 1902 Won 22.09
10 C. Hill 188 England Melbourne 1898 Won 21.86
[B]11 D.P.M.D. Jayawardene 180 England Galle 2012 Won 21.83[/B]
12 V. Sehwag 201* Sri Lanka Galle 2008 Won 21.64
13 C.G. Greenidge 134 England Manchester 1976 Won 21.56
14 L. Klusener 118 Sri Lanka Kandy 2000 Won 21.44
15 H.P. Tillakaratne 115 Pakistan Faisalabad 1995 Won 21.26
16 S.T. Jayasuriya 253 Pakistan Faisalabad 2004 Won 21.19
17 S.J. McCabe 232 England Nottingham 1938 Draw 20.98
18 C.L. Walcott 220 England Bridgetown 1954 Won 20.79
19 V.V.S. Laxman 167 Australia Sydney 2000 Lost 20.74
20 Saeed Anwar 188 India Kolkata 1999 Won 20.62
21 K.J. Hughes 100* West Indies Melbourne 1981 Won 20.54
22 Asif Iqbal 146 England The Oval 1967 Lost 19.92
23 A.C. Gilchrist 149* Pakistan Hobart 1999 Won 19.91
24 N. Kapil Dev 129 South Africa Port Elizabeth 1992 Lost 19.83
25 M.J. Slater 123 England Sydney 1999 Won 19.64
26 B.C. Lara 213 Australia Kingston 1999 Won 19.57
27 G.S. Chappell 176 New Zealand Christchurch 1982 Won 19.53
28 O.G. Smith 168 England Nottingham 1957 Draw 19.46
29 R. Dravid 233 Australia Adelaide 2003 Won 19.43
30 C.L. Cairns 80 England The Oval 1999 Won 19.39
31 N.J. Astle 222 England Christchurch 2002 Lost 19.37
32 G.C. Smith 154* England Birmingham 2008 Won 19.20
33 Mohammad Wasim 192 Zimbabwe Harare 1998 Won 19.17
34 Kamran Akmal 113 India Karachi 2006 Won 19.16
35 B.C. Lara 226 Australia Adelaide 2005 Lost 19.10
36 S.M. Gavaskar 236* West Indies Madras 1983 Draw 19.10
37 G. Kirsten 100* Pakistan Faisalabad 1997 Won 19.01
38 Inzamam-ul-Haq 329 New Zealand Lahore 2002 Won 18.98
39 S.M. Gavaskar 221 England The Oval 1979 Draw 18.91
40 I.J.L. Trott 184 Pakistan Lord’s 2010 Won 18.91
[B]41 M.N. Samuels 123 New Zealand Kingston 2012 Won 18.76[/B]
42 R.E. Foster 287 Australia Sydney 1903 Won 18.74
43 K.C. Sangakkara 156* New Zealand Wellington 2006 Won 18.65
44 G.J. Bonnor 128 England Sydney 1885 Won 18.60
45 D.G. Bradman 334 England Leeds 1930 Draw 18.59
46 P.F. Warner 132* South Africa Johannesburg 1899 Won 18.55
47 J.L. Langer 191 Pakistan Perth 2004 Won 18.52
48 G.R. Viswanath 114 Australia Melbourne 1981 Won 18.52
49 Hanif Mohammad 337 West Indies Bridgetown 1958 Draw 18.42
50 G.R. Viswanath 97* West Indies Madras 1975 Won 18.41
51 D.G. Bradman 299* South Africa Adelaide 1932 Won 18.37
52 Hanif Mohammad 187 England Lord’s 1967 Draw 18.17
53 V.T. Trumper 159 South Africa Melbourne 1911 Won 18.09
54 A.C. Gilchrist 144 Bangladesh Fatullah 2006 Won 18.08
55 D.G. Bradman 103* England Melbourne 1933 Won 18.08
56 G.P. Thorpe 200* New Zealand Christchurch 2002 Won 18.08
57 B. Mitchell 164* England Lord’s 1935 Won 18.07
58 R.G. Pollock 125 England Nottingham 1965 Won 18.07
59 A. Flintoff 73 Australia Birmingham 2005 Won 18.03
60 J. Ryder 201* England Adelaide 1925 Won 18.00
61 V. Sehwag 319 South Africa Chennai 2008 Draw 17.95
62 M.E. Trescothick 180 South Africa Johannesburg 2005 Won 17.94
63 M.J. Clarke 151 South Africa Cape Town 2011 Lost 17.71
64 G.M. Turner 223* West Indies Kingston 1972 Draw 17.67
65 M.C. Cowdrey 102 Australia Melbourne 1954 Won 17.60
66 G.P. Thorpe 119* West Indies Bridgetown 2004 Won 17.49
67 M.A. Butcher 173* Australia Leeds 2001 Won 17.45
68 G.S. Chappell 182* West Indies Sydney 1976 Won 17.38
69 D.G. Bradman 304 England Leeds 1934 Draw 17.37
70 Inzamam-ul-Haq 138* Bangladesh Multan 2003 Won 17.37
71 Moin Khan 117* Sri Lanka Sialkot 1995 Lost 17.34
72 S.C.J. Broad 169 Pakistan Lord’s 2010 Won 17.26
73 D.L. Amiss 179 India Delhi 1976 Won 17.23
74 L. Hutton 62* Australia Brisbane 1950 Lost 17.23
75 C.H. Lloyd 161* India Calcutta 1983 Won 17.07
76 K.P. Pietersen 129 New Zealand Napier 2008 Won 17.05
77 D.G. Bradman 212 England Adelaide 1937 Won 17.03
78 G.S. Sobers 168 Australia Sydney 1961 Won 17.03
79 P.S. McDonnell 147 England Sydney 1882 Won 17.02
80 D.I. Gower 154* West Indies Kingston 1981 Draw 16.99
81 K.D. Walters 104* New Zealand Auckland 1974 Won 16.98
[B]82 M.J. Clarke 329* India Sydney 2012 Won 16.96[/B]
83 M.G. Burgess 119* Pakistan Dacca 1969 Draw 16.96
84 G.A. Headley 270* England Kingston 1935 Won 16.91
85 J.V. Coney 111* Pakistan Dunedin 1985 Won 16.89
86 W.R. Hammond 231* Australia Sydney 1936 Won 16.86
87 S.R. Tendulkar 136 Pakistan Chennai 1999 Lost 16.77
88 R.G. Pollock 209 Australia Cape Town 1967 Lost 16.76
89 G.P. Thorpe 113* Sri Lanka Colombo 2001 Won 16.76
90 A. Flower 199* South Africa Harare 2001 Lost 16.75
91 B.F. Butcher 133 England Lord’s 1963 Draw 16.75
92 D.N. Sardesai 212 West Indies Kingston 1971 Draw 16.65
93 S.J. McCabe 187* England Sydney 1932 Lost 16.55
94 K.C. Sangakkara 211 Pakistan Abu Dubai 2011 Draw 16.54
95 Saleem Malik 237 Australia Rawalpindi 1994 Draw 16.54
96 R. Dravid 270 Pakistan Rawalpindi 2004 Won 16.54
97 L. Hutton 364 Australia The Oval 1938 Won 16.52
98 L. Hutton 156* Australia Adelaide 1951 Lost 16.51
99 W.R. Hammond 336* New Zealand Auckland 1933 Draw 16.50
100 C.G. Greenidge 213 New Zealand Auckland 1987 Won 16.46

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 6 August 2012

For your interest, here is the average innings ratings for all batsmen that I have calculated so far (innings rated for team scores above 150 runs and/or 5 or more wickets having fallen).

1 DG Bradman 6.23
2 GA Headley 4.70
3 RG Pollock 4.22
4 BC Lara 4.18
5 JB Hobbs 4.09
6 ED Weekes 4.07
7 CL Walcott 3.90
8 A Flower 3.89
9 KC Sangakkara 3.83
10 GS Sobers 3.78
11 L Hutton 3.77
12 H Sutcliffe 3.77
13 KF Barrington 3.75
14 WR Hammond 3.74
15 AD Nourse 3.74
16 IVA Richards 3.73
17 SR Tendulkar 3.67
18 Mohammad Yousuf 3.67
19 KS Ranjitsinhji 3.65
20 S Chanderpaul 3.64
21 RN Harvey 3.64
22 Inzamam-ul-Haq 3.62
23 AC Gilchrist 3.62
24 GS Chappell 3.60
25 CH Lloyd 3.58
26 PBH May 3.55
27 Saeed Anwar 3.54
28 KD Walters 3.50
29 Younis Khan 3.49
30 JH Kallis 3.48
31 DCS Compton 3.48
32 Javed Miandad 3.46
33 V Sehwag 3.45
34 KP Pietersen 3.45
35 AR Border 3.38
36 R Dravid 3.36
37 SM Gavaskar 3.35
38 RT Ponting 3.32
39 C Hill 3.30
40 DPMD Jayawardene 3.29
41 SR Waugh 3.26
42 FMM Worrell 3.26
43 GP Thorpe 3.25
44 ML Hayden 3.23
45 G Boycott 3.12
46 VT Trumper 3.11
47 GC Smith 3.10
48 CG Greenidge 3.05
49 B. Sutcliffe 3.05
50 G. Kirsten 2.92

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 6 August 2012

Cool. Pretty useful list it is. 🙂

How about what I asked for earlier – look at average scores for these batsmen, in innings in which they scored 100 or more. It should be possible for you with the data you already have. It will tell us who inflicts most pain when he gets going. I’d expect Lara, Viv, Gilchrist, Sehwag etc to come out with very good numbers.

Comment by 8ankitj | 12:00am BST 6 August 2012

Century averages (5 centuries or more)

1 RG Pollock 12.86
2 DG Bradman 12.58
3 C Hill 12.24
4 VT Trumper 11.92
5 BC Lara 11.72
6 AC Gilchrist 11.37
7 GA Headley 11.17
8 A Flower 11.09
9 V Sehwag 10.93
10 CH Lloyd 10.87
11 KC Sangakkara 10.80
12 Saeed Anwar 10.74
13 CG Greenidge 10.65
14 KP Pietersen 10.57
15 IVA Richards 10.42
16 GP Thorpe 10.35
17 GS Sobers 10.30
18 FMM Worrell 10.23
19 AD Nourse 10.19
20 Inzamam-ul-Haq 10.06
21 GS Chappell 10.05
22 AR Border 9.88
23 DPMD Jayawardene 9.80
24 WR Hammond 9.72
25 Mohammad Yousuf 9.61
26 SR Tendulkar 9.49
27 L Hutton 9.43
28 Younis Khan 9.38
29 SR Waugh 9.32
30 RT Ponting 9.19
31 S Chanderpaul 9.13
32 CL Walcott 9.12
33 KD Walters 9.05
34 Javed Miandad 9.02
35 JB Hobbs 8.98
36 G. Kirsten 8.98
37 DCS Compton 8.86
38 SM Gavaskar 8.83
39 R Dravid 8.81
40 ML Hayden 8.80
41 PBH May 8.80
42 GC Smith 8.76
43 RN Harvey 8.68
44 G Boycott 8.64
45 ED Weekes 8.57
46 B. Sutcliffe 8.39
47 KF Barrington 8.38
48 H Sutcliffe 8.29
49 JH Kallis 8.11

Someone finally beats the Don in a list! And Kallis at the bottom indicates he scores the majority of his centuries in high team scores or in draws.

I haven’t done Stan McCabe yet. I expect him to feature fairly highly on the list.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 6 August 2012

It’s also interesting that the bottom 3 are batsmen who are often “underrated” and rated behind their contemporaries with similar or inferior averages. There is a statistical argument to be made after all for that!

Comment by 8ankitj | 12:00am BST 6 August 2012

what about inzamam ul haq\’s innings of 138* against bangaldesh in 2003.I think that was the best innings I have seen winning single handedly with tail enders

Comment by shahid ali leghari | 12:00am GMT 28 March 2013

Where does Shastri’s 107 in Barbados stand? It was scored against marshall, walsh, bishop and ambrose. Must be a good one.

Comment by bagapath | 12:00am BST 17 September 2013

There’s a ton. Unless I rate every batsman in history there is no way of knowing how many great innings there are. I can be fairly sure of how many 15.00+ innings there are, though, and I’ll leave it at that.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 17 September 2013

Do it till 12.50… Every “great” innings ever. Would probably be too long to post, maybe, I dunno… Must be hundreds between 12.50 and 15

Comment by OverratedSanity | 12:00am BST 17 September 2013

Well let me compare now. Lara\’s 153 at his home in WI (Dont forget this) against AUS where WI won the match only by 1 wicket gets the highest rateing. I will not come any of Sachin\’s century innings in at his age of 19 against AUS in Australa (NOT IN INDIA HIS HOME) but I will compare the so called Lara\’s best and best dreamed by the creator this list with Sachins 155 against Aus in India (Yes Sachins Home). India won that Match convincingly. India First Innings 3 player scored half centuries, Sachin didn\’t score much. WI 1st innings in of the identified match vs AUS there was a century a fiftly and 4 scores of twenties, but Lara did not score much. So in the 1st innings Lara also got enough support from the rest of the team. Australia got bowled out to murky 146 in the second innings which definitely a huge support that came from WI bowlers, so here also Lara got support as they did not need to chase huge score. In second innings Lara did not got much support but still there were 3 score of 30\’s. For Sachins case yes there are 3 more half centuries apart from Sachins 150 in the second innings. So does really look to be huge difference in the two innings as has been depicted through this list. Now we all know this 155* of Sachin is not the best innings of his, so I would request the creator to come out of day dreaming and next time when you create list go by the reality with proper facts and figures

Comment by Anupam | 12:00am GMT 30 December 2013

Wow. McCullum’s two centuries in the last two weeks both enter the top 30 of alltime. The fascinating thing is that if New Zealand ended up winning the second test, McCullum’s effort would be at no.4. The list has been revised somewhat in the last two months since I last published it.

1 B.C. Lara 153* Australia Bridgetown 1999 23.39
2 G.A. Gooch 154* West Indies Leeds 1991 23.25
3 I.T. Botham 149* Australia Leeds 1981 23.01
4 D.G. Bradman 270 England Melbourne 1937 21.75
5 V.V.S. Laxman 281 Australia Kolkata 2001 21.40
6 C. Hill 188 England Melbourne 1898 21.30
7 Azhar Mahmood 132 South Africa Durban 1998 21.16
8 C. Bannerman 165* England Melbourne 1877 21.12
9 V. Sehwag 201* Sri Lanka Galle 2008 19.92
10 C.L. Walcott 220 England Bridgetown 1954 19.56
11 K.J. Hughes 100* West Indies Melbourne 1981 19.30
12 D.P.M.D. Jayawardene 180 England Galle 2012 19.20
13 B.C. Lara 213 Australia Kingston 1999 19.14
[B]14 B.B. McCullum 302 India Wellington 2014 19.14[/B]
15 Younis Khan 200* Zimbabwe Harare 2013 19.04
16 A.C. Gilchrist 149* Pakistan Hobart 1999 18.90
17 R.N. Harvey 167 England Melbourne 1959 18.77
18 G.L. Jessop 104 Australia The Oval 1902 18.65
19 C.G. Greenidge 214* England Lord’s 1984 18.54
20 S.T. Jayasuriya 253 Pakistan Faisalabad 2004 18.43
21 S.M. Gavaskar 236* West Indies Madras 1983 18.42
22 Mohammad Wasim 192 Zimbabwe Harare 1998 18.37
23 L. Klusener 118 Sri Lanka Kandy 2000 18.26
24 D.G. Bradman 334 England Leeds 1930 18.15
25 P.F. Warner 132* South Africa Johannesburg 1899 18.11
26 J. Ryder 201* England Adelaide 1925 18.01
27 G.S. Chappell 182* West Indies Sydney 1976 17.98
[B]28 B.B. McCullum 224 India Auckland 2014 17.89[/B]
29 D.L. Amiss 262* West Indies Kingston 1974 17.86
30 Saeed Anwar 188 India Kolkata 1999 17.82
31 N. Kapil Dev 129 South Africa Port Elizabeth 1992 17.78
32 B.C. Lara 226 Australia Adelaide 2005 17.74
33 Asif Iqbal 146 England The Oval 1967 17.73
34 I.J.L. Trott 184 Pakistan Lord’s 2010 17.71
35 G.S. Chappell 176 New Zealand Christchurch 1982 17.71
36 Hanif Mohammad 337 West Indies Bridgetown 1958 17.70
37 G.C. Smith 154* England Birmingham 2008 17.66
38 M.J. Clarke 151 South Africa Cape Town 2011 17.66
39 K.C. Sangakkara 156* New Zealand Wellington 2006 17.39
40 D.G. Bradman 299* South Africa Adelaide 1932 17.26
41 S.M. Gavaskar 221 England The Oval 1979 17.01
42 C.G. Greenidge 134 England Manchester 1976 16.97
43 R. Dravid 233 Australia Adelaide 2003 16.95
44 R.E. Foster 287 Australia Sydney 1903 16.95
45 O.G. Smith 168 England Nottingham 1957 16.82
46 B. Mitchell 164* England Lord’s 1935 16.81
47 D.L. Amiss 179 India Delhi 1976 16.79
48 M.E. Trescothick 180 South Africa Johannesburg 2005 16.77
49 M.A. Butcher 173* Australia Leeds 2001 16.77
50 V.V.S. Laxman 167 Australia Sydney 2000 16.72
51 M.N. Samuels 123 New Zealand Kingston 2012 16.71
52 M.C. Cowdrey 102 Australia Melbourne 1954 16.70
53 G. Kirsten 100* Pakistan Faisalabad 1997 16.62
54 S.J. McCabe 232 England Nottingham 1938 16.61
55 G.A. Headley 270* England Kingston 1935 16.51
56 D.G. Bradman 212 England Adelaide 1937 16.50
57 S.C.J. Broad 169 Pakistan Lord’s 2010 16.44
58 G.J. Bonnor 128 England Sydney 1885 16.40
59 J.L. Langer 166 Sri Lanka Colombo 2004 16.34
60 M.E. Waugh 116 South Africa Port Elizabeth 1997 16.32
61 C.H. Lloyd 161* India Calcutta 1983 16.31
62 G.R. Viswanath 114 Australia Melbourne 1981 16.24
63 G.R. Viswanath 97* West Indies Madras 1975 16.23
64 P.S. McDonnell 147 England Sydney 1882 16.17
65 M.J. Slater 123 England Sydney 1999 16.16
66 G.P. Thorpe 113* Sri Lanka Colombo 2001 16.04
67 Hanif Mohammad 187 England Lord’s 1967 16.00
[B]68 J.V. Coney 111* Pakistan Dunedin 1985 16.00[/B]
69 Saleem Malik 237 Australia Rawalpindi 1994 15.98
70 G.P. Thorpe 119* West Indies Bridgetown 2004 15.98
71 V. Sehwag 319 South Africa Chennai 2008 15.97
72 V.T. Trumper 159 South Africa Melbourne 1911 15.95
73 L. Hutton 62* Australia Brisbane 1950 15.95
74 J.L. Langer 191 Pakistan Perth 2004 15.90
75 R.N. Harvey 151* South Africa Durban 1950 15.90
76 C.G. Greenidge 213 New Zealand Auckland 1987 15.78
77 R.T. Simpson 156* Australia Melbourne 1951 15.77
78 S.R. Tendulkar 169 South Africa Cape Town 1997 15.75
79 S.J. McCabe 187* England Sydney 1932 15.72
80 Inzamam-ul-Haq 329 New Zealand Lahore 2002 15.68
81 R.A. Smith 148* West Indies Lord’s 1991 15.66
82 D.G. Bradman 226 South Africa Brisbane 1931 15.65
83 GA Faulkner 123 England Johannesburg 1910 15.62
84 R.G. Pollock 125 England Nottingham 1965 15.62
85 Inzamam-ul-Haq 138* Bangladesh Multan 2003 15.60
86 W.W. Armstrong 159* South Africa Johannesburg 1902 15.60
[B]87 C.L. Cairns 80 England The Oval 1999 15.58[/B]
88 K.C. Sangakkara 211 Pakistan Abu Dubai 2011 15.54
89 G.P. Thorpe 200* New Zealand Christchurch 2002 15.53
90 K.P. Pietersen 158 Australia The Oval 2005 15.45
91 C.G. Greenidge 226 Australia Bridgetown 1991 15.40
92 Kamran Akmal 113 India Karachi 2006 15.37
93 D.G. Bradman 304 England Leeds 1934 15.28
94 G. Kirsten 275 England Durban 1999 15.21
95 J.L. Langer 127 Pakistan Hobart 1999 15.21
96 D.G. Bradman 103* England Melbourne 1933 15.17
97 K.C. Sangakkara 92 England Kandy 2007 15.08
98 A.C. Gilchrist 144 Bangladesh Fatullah 2006 15.07
99 I.V.A. Richards 182* England Bridgetown 1981 15.05
100 H.P. Tillakaratne 115 Pakistan Faisalabad 1995 15.04

Martin Crowe’s 299 against Sri Lanka is rated at 13.16.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am GMT 18 February 2014

Wow, surprised by the 224 being so high. I guess that’s what happens when both sides get rolled immediately afterwards…

Comment by Spark | 12:00am GMT 18 February 2014

Nathan Astle’s 222 vs England seems to have dropped off your revised list (it was at 14 in your original list). Was his score revised downwards or is its absence just an oversight?

Comment by Binkley | 12:00am GMT 19 February 2014

definitely…McCullum’s triple century will go into one of the best innings since he played way against his natural game and saved a losing match.
Honestly McCullum is just a good t20 player.
But the kind of Captain’s innings he played vs India…..makes me wonder if he has more to him that just that

Comment by sambha | 12:00am GMT 19 February 2014

[B]Fully Revised and Updated![/B]

1 IT Botham 149* Australia Leeds 1981 18.26
2 BC Lara 153* Australia Bridgetown 1999 17.38
3 GA Gooch 154* West Indies Leeds 1991 16.95
4 VVS Laxman 281 Australia Kolkata 2001 16.79
5 Azhar Mahmood 132 South Africa Durban 1998 16.16
6 DG Bradman 270 England Melbourne 1937 16.00
7 C Bannerman 165* England Melbourne 1877 15.89
8 C Hill 188 England Melbourne 1898 15.80
9 V. Sehwag 201* Sri Lanka Galle 2008 15.62
10 Hanif Mohammad 337 West Indies Bridgetown 1958 14.98
11 AC Gilchrist 149* Pakistan Hobart 1999 14.93
12 CL Walcott 220 England Bridgetown 1954 14.71
13 BC Lara 213 Australia Kingston 1999 14.69
14 CG Greenidge 214* England Lord’s 1984 14.65
15 SM Gavaskar 236* West Indies Chennai 1983 14.61
16 GL Jessop 104 Australia The Oval 1902 14.61
17 D.P.M.D. Jayawardene 180 England Galle 2012 14.56
18 KJ Hughes 100* West Indies Melbourne 1981 14.38
19 ST Jayasuriya 253 Pakistan Faisalabad 2004 14.33
20 Saeed Anwar 188 India Kolkata 1999 14.32
21 DG Bradman 334 England Leeds 1930 14.22
22 B.B. McCullum 302 India Wellington 2014 14.11
23 RN Harvey 167 England Melbourne 1959 14.08
24 I.J.L. Trott 184 Pakistan Lord’s 2010 14.08
25 Younis Khan 200* Zimbabwe Harare 2013 14.03
26 V. Sehwag 319 South Africa Chennai 2008 14.00
27 Mohammad Wasim 192 Zimbabwe Harare 1998 13.97
28 DL Amiss 262* West Indies Kingston 1974 13.89
29 R Dravid 233 Australia Adelaide 2003 13.81
30 SJ McCabe 232 England Nottingham 1938 13.76
31 GJ Bonnor 128 England Sydney 1885 13.75
32 Hanif Mohammad 187 England Lord’s 1967 13.73
33 Asif Iqbal 146 England The Oval 1967 13.61
34 J Ryder 201* England Adelaide 1925 13.53
35 BC Lara 226 Australia Adelaide 2005 13.49
36 GS Chappell 182* West Indies Sydney 1976 13.46
37 NJ Astle 222 England Christchurch 2002 13.44
38 Inzamam-ul-Haq 329 New Zealand Lahore 2002 13.44
39 G.C. Smith 154* England Birmingham 2008 13.36
40 RE Foster 287 Australia Sydney 1903 13.33
41 M.J. Clarke 151 South Africa Cape Town 2011 13.29
42 N Kapil Dev 129 South Africa Port Elizabeth 1992 13.26
43 MA Butcher 173* Australia Leeds 2001 13.25
44 G Kirsten 100* Pakistan Faisalabad 1997 13.24
45 OG Smith 168 England Nottingham 1957 13.22
46 B Mitchell 164* England Lord’s 1935 13.21
47 L Klusener 118 Sri Lanka Kandy 2000 13.16
48 CG Greenidge 134 England Manchester 1976 13.10
49 GS Chappell 176 New Zealand Christchurch 1982 13.01
50 VVS Laxman 167 Australia Sydney 2000 12.95
51 S.C.J. Broad 169 Pakistan Lord’s 2010 12.88
52 DG Bradman 299* South Africa Adelaide 1932 12.81
53 PS McDonnell 147 England Sydney 1882 12.75
54 KC Sangakkara 156* New Zealand Wellington 2006 12.74
55 L Hutton 62* Australia Brisbane 1950 12.73
56 GR Viswanath 97* West Indies Chennai 1975 12.70
57 ME Trescothick 180 South Africa Johannesburg 2005 12.70
58 DG Bradman 304 England Leeds 1934 12.68
59 CH Lloyd 161* India Kolkata 1983 12.67
60 DS Atkinson 219 Australia Bridgetown 1955 12.64
61 WW Armstrong 159* South Africa Johannesburg 1902 12.64
62 GP Thorpe 113* Sri Lanka Colombo (SSC) 2001 12.63
63 SM Gavaskar 221 England The Oval 1979 12.62
64 VT Trumper 159 South Africa Melbourne 1911 12.59
65 MC Cowdrey 102 Australia Melbourne 1954 12.58
66 JV Coney 111* Pakistan Dunedin 1985 12.54
67 DL Amiss 179 India Delhi 1976 12.53
68 GA Headley 270* England Kingston 1935 12.51
69 MN Samuels 123 New Zealand Kingston 2012 12.50
70 JL Langer 191 Pakistan Perth 2004 12.48
71 RN Harvey 151* South Africa Durban 1950 12.40
72 Kamran Akmal 113 India Karachi 2006 12.37
73 KP Pietersen 158 Australia The Oval 2005 12.35
74 MJ Clarke 329* India Sydney 2012 12.30
75 CL Cairns 80 England The Oval 1999 12.29
76 B.B. McCullum 224 India Auckland 2014 12.22
77 DG Bradman 212 England Adelaide 1937 12.21
78 GP Thorpe 119* West Indies Bridgetown 2004 12.17
79 MJ Slater 123 England Sydney 1999 12.17
80 AW Nourse 93* England Johannesburg 1906 12.13
81 DG Bradman 103* England Melbourne 1933 12.05
82 PHB May 285 West Indies Birmingham 1957 12.03
83 PF Warner 132* South Africa Johannesburg 1899 12.02
84 SJ McCabe 187* England Sydney 1932 12.01
85 CG Greenidge 226 Australia Bridgetown 1991 12.00
86 Saleem Malik 237 Australia Rawalpindi 1994 11.99
87 DN Sardesai 212 West Indies Kingston 1971 11.93
88 DG Bradman 226 South Africa Brisbane 1931 11.92
89 GM Turner 223* West Indies Kingston 1972 11.92
90 RT Simpson 156* Australia Melbourne 1951 11.84
91 GA Faulkner 123 England Johannesburg 1910 11.81
92 ME Waugh 116 South Africa Port Elizabeth 1997 11.80
93 BC Lara 375 England St. John’s 1994 11.79
94 FMM Worrell 191* England Nottingham 1957 11.76
95 RG Pollock 125 England Nottingham 1965 11.72
96 DM Jones 184* England Sydney 1987 11.67
97 JL Langer 127 Pakistan Hobart 1999 11.65
98 Inzamam-ul-Haq 138* Bangladesh Multan 2003 11.62
99 VVS Laxman 73* Australia Mohali 2010 11.59
100 RA Smith 148* West Indies Lord’s 1991 11.56

[B]Top 10 New Zealand Innings:[/B]

1 B.B. McCullum 302 India Wellington 2014 14.11
2 NJ Astle 222 England Christchurch 2002 13.44
3 JV Coney 111* Pakistan Dunedin 1985 12.54
4 CL Cairns 80 England The Oval 1999 12.29
5 B.B. McCullum 224 India Auckland 2014 12.22
6 GM Turner 223* West Indies Kingston 1972 11.92
7 MJ Greatbatch 146* Australia Perth 1989 11.44
8 SP Fleming 274* Sri Lanka Colombo (PSS) 2003 11.25
9 SP Fleming 262 South Africa Cape Town 2006 11.24
10 GM Turner 110* Australia Christchurch 1974 10.62

This is the final version. I have driven myself almost completely bat**** before finally settling on the formula. It actually looks really good. You’ll probably notice that innings in draws and losses are rated a lot closer to innings in wins. I believe this is how it should be, since the ultimate result of the match should not have too much of a weighting on the final rating of an individual batsman’s knock.

Happy reading. I’m take requests to any queries for favorite innings, etc.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 15 August 2014

Crazy analysis! Scary stuff!

Comment by Kirkut | 12:00am BST 16 August 2014

DoG, how’s your Test bowling countdown going mate? For anyone relatively new who hasn’t read his batsman rating thread, do it..

Comment by NUFAN | 12:00am BST 21 August 2014

Do you have this automated? Can you rate all test innings and do a career rating list? What’s stopping you from doing that if not?

Comment by viriya | 12:00am BST 21 August 2014

Nah, man, this **** ain’t automated.

I wish it was.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 21 August 2014

I’m thinking of modifying my formula a bit with some of your ideas.. let’s see how it goes. Nice work.

Comment by viriya | 12:00am BST 21 August 2014

Announcement: new ratings list with substantial modifications and improvements will be released very soon.

Comment by Days of Grace | 12:00am BST 12 September 2014

can u make of Mahela Jaywardhane’s 374&Kumar Sangakkara’s 287 in same match against SA in colombo in 2006?or
tell me how to calculate Or formula please

Comment by Kuldeep Chavan | 11:41am BST 5 May 2015

Angelo mathews 160 in england where it counts?

Comment by Kuldeep Chavan | 12:38pm BST 2 June 2015

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The Greatest Test Innings: Revised and Updated