Top 5 occasions when teams with Highest Day 1 score in Test cricket

Test cricket is a format where a player’s resilience, patience and perseverance get tested and notably, they toil hard for a period of five days, giving it their all. It is one of the most challenging and toughest formats of the sport. 

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On the other hand, at times, countries create their own brand of cricket and their own style, in a way that inspires the upcoming generation. As things stand, we decided to handpick five occasions when teams scored the most runs scored on the first day of a Test match and as one could expect, the Australian team were involved in most of the matches. 

Here are the five occasions when teams scored the most runs on the first day of a Test match in history:

5) England vs India, 1936 - 471/8

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England vs India, 1936 - 471/8 (Image Source: Twitter)

England and India faced off in a three-match Test series in 1936 and the two teams locked horns in the third Test at the Kennington Oval on 15th August 1936. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the English team put on 471 runs on the first day for the loss of 6 wickets on the back of Wally Hammond’s 217.

England eventually went on to win the match by 9 wickets, chasing a target of 64. To add more, the Indian side, trailing 471 runs, were bowled out for 222 runs in the first innings and 312 runs in the second innings, setting a meagre target for England.

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4) England vs Australia, 1934 - 475/2

England vs Australia, 1934 - 475/2 (Image Source: Twitter)

England hosted Australia for a five-match Test series and the fifth match turned out to be a record-breaking one as the Baggy Greens went on to score 475 runs on the first day, crushing the English side, after winning the toss and electing to bat first. 

Australia gathered 701 runs in total in the first innings on the back of a stupendous 266 from William Ponsford and 244 from legendary batter Don Bradman. Concerning the result of the match, the Baggy Greens went on to win the match by 562 runs and ended the tour on a high. 

3) Australia vs South Africa, 2012 - 482/5

Australia vs South Africa, 2012 - 482/5 (Image Source: Twitter)

The second Test between Australia and South Africa played on November 22, 2012, at Adelaide turned out to be a record-breaking one as the Proteas went on to concede 482 runs on the first day. The Baggy Greens put on the massive total on the back of David Warner’s 119 and the team went on to score 550 runs on the back of Michael Clarke’s 230. 

The match turned out to be a high-scoring one and both teams put on a great fight until the very last day. Eventually, chasing a target of 430, Proteas managed to draw the match and they remained at 248 for 8 at the end of the final day. 

2) Australia vs South Africa, 1910 - 494/6

Australia vs South Africa, 1910 - 494/6 (Image Source: Twitter)

Australia hosted South Africa in a five-match Test series in 1910 and it was the former who won the series with a scoreline of 4-1. To add more to the series, the first match turned out to be the best of all as Australia had a record-breaking Day 1 in the match. 

Concerning the record, the Baggy Greens gathered 494 runs for the loss of 6 wickets on the first day. The captain Clement Hill scored an unbeaten 191 runs and helped Australia put on the mammoth total of 528 runs at the end of the first innings and the hosts eventually went on to win the game by an innings and 114 runs. 

1) Pakistan vs England, 2022 - 506/4

Pakistan vs England, 2022 - 506/4 (Image Source: Twitter)

The first Test of the three-match series between Pakistan and England played on December 1, 2022, Thursday, turned out to be a great one and it was the first day that became the talk of the town. To add more, England played their ‘Bazzball’ brand of cricket against a fiery Pakistan pace attack and went on to stun the spectators after gathering a record 506 runs on the first day. 

To add more to England’s first innings, while Joe Root disappointed, the likes of Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook and Ollie Pope reached the 100-run landmark. At the end of the first day’s play, England remained at 506/4 with Brook unbeaten at 101 and skipper Ben Stokes at 34.