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Home  » Sports » Narrowest wins in Test cricket

Narrowest wins in Test cricket

By Rajneesh Gupta
November 05, 2004 18:59 IST
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Test matches that stand out in memory are very often the ones that are closely-fought. There is little that seperates the vanquished from the victor; in its own own way, Test cricket gains the most.

There are many matches that come to mind, like the Test between the West Indies and Australia at Adelaide in 1992-93, when the men from the Carribbean Islands won by a solitary run.

Our statistician, Rajneesh Gupta, presents the narrowest victories in Test cricket.

The details:

Margin Match details Venue Season
1 WI (252 & 146) beat Aus (213 & 184) Adelaide 1992-93
3 Aus (299 & 86) beat Eng (262 & 120) Manchester 1902
3 Eng (284 & 294) beat Aus (287 & 288) Melbourne 1982-83
5 SA (169 & 239) beat Aus (292 & 111) Sydney 1993-94
6 Aus (181 & 165) beat Eng (133 & 207) Sydney 1884-85
7 Aus (63 & 122) beat Eng (101 & 77) The Oval 1882
7 SA (253 & 231) beat SL (308 & 169) Kandy 2000
10 Eng (325 & 437) beat Aus (586 & 166) Sydney 1894-95
11 Aus (489 & 250) beat Eng (365 & 363) Adelaide 1924-25
12 Eng (334 & 383) beat Aus (369 & 336) Adelaide 1928-29
12 Eng (270 & 244) beat Aus (340 & 162) Melbourne 1998-99
12 Pak (238 & 286) beat Ind (254 & 258) Chennai 1998-99
13 Eng (45 & 184) beat Aus (119 & 97) Sydney 1886-87
13 Ind (104 & 205) beat Aus (203 & 93) Mumbai WS 2004-05
16 Aus (166 & 327) beat Ind (153 & 324) Brisbane 1977-78
16 Pak (116 & 249) beat Ind (145 & 204) Bangalore 1986-87
16 Aus (256 & 471) beat SL (547-8d & 164) Colombo (SSC) 1992
17 SA (340 & 142) beat Eng (251 & 214) Johannesburg 1956-57
18 Eng (174 & 356) beat Aus (401-9d & 111) Leeds 1981
19 SA (208 & 345) beat Eng (310 & 224) Johannesburg 1909-10
19 Eng (180 & 163) beat Aus (220 & 104) The Oval 1997

Australia chasing a victory target of only 107 were bowled out for a paltry 93.

This is now the third lowest target in Test history that a side failed to achieve. The accompanying table lists instances of sides losing match when requiring 150 or less to win the match.

Target Made Country Venue Year Result
85 77 England The Oval 1882 Australia won by 7 Runs
99 63 Zimbabwe Port-of-Spain 1999-00 West Indies won by 35 Runs
107 93 Australia Mumbai WS 2004-05 India won by 13 runs
111 97 Australia Sydney 1886-87 England won by 13 Runs
111 44 Australia The Oval 1896 England won by 66 Runs
117 111 Australia Sydney 1993-94 South Africa won by 5 Runs
120 81 India Bridgetown 1996-97 West Indies won by 38 Runs
124 104 Australia The Oval 1997 England won by 19 Runs
124 62 England Lord's 1888 Australia won by 61 Runs
124 120 England Old Trafford 1902 Australia won by 3 Runs
127 93 New Zealand Hamilton 1992-93 Pakistan won by 33 Runs
129 75 South Africa Headingley 1907 England won by 53 Runs
130 111 Australia Headingley 1981 England won by 18 Runs
132 99 South Africa Johannesburg 1898-99 England won by 32 Runs
137 64 England Wellington 1977-78 New Zealand won by 72 Runs
143 83 Australia Melbourne 1980-81 India won by 59 Runs
146 92 Pakistan Faisalabad 1997-98 South Africa won by 53 Runs

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