THE 3 INNINGS AFFAIR

An innings short - a statistical history

by Deepu Narayanan • Last updated on

India's innings and 272-run win against Windies in Rajkot was their biggest (in terms of runs) victory margin © AFP

When the world #1 ranked India thumped a listless Windies in the first Test of the series in Rajkot, it registered India's biggest ever innings win - by a margin of innings & 272 runs. In fact, the last three home Tests for India which produced results, sit on top of their three biggest wins. It also marked a significant milestone in the 141-year old history of Test cricket - it was the 400th time a team won with an entire innings and a bit to spare.

The first ever innings defeat was handed over by Ivo Bligh's England to Billy Murdoch's Australia at the MCG in the Australian summer of 1882/83. Ivo Bligh was on a conquest to regain the lost pride against the old enemy and this series was marked as the birth of 'Ashes' contests between the two teams. Windies, Pakistan and Afghanistan marked their Test debuts with innings defeats while India, Pakistan (just in their second Test) and Zimbabwe romped home by an innings margin to register their maiden Test wins.

Here's presenting 10 interesting stats/facts about the 400 innings wins/defeats in Test cricket

104 England is the first and only team till date to win over 100 matches by an innings margin (104). They also head the list in innings defeats instances with 61. Among the 10 oldest Full Member sides, Bangladesh remain the only side not to have an innings win yet.

Team Tests Wins Losses Inngs Wins Inngs defeats Aus 812 383 219 91 44 Afg 1 0 1 0 1 Ban 108 10 82 0 38 Eng 1004 361 298 104 61 Ind 528 147 164 42 44 Ire 1 0 1 0 0 NZ 426 92 170 24 48 Pak 415 134 123 29 30 SA 427 161 142 46 33 SL 274 88 101 21 35 WI 536 171 189 41 42 W XI 1 0 1 0 0 Zim 105 11 67 2 24

22 Innings wins/defeats at Lord's - the most at a venue. It is followed by 20 at the MCG, 19 at the Kennington Oval and 18 each at SCG and Leeds. Among venues which hosted 20-plus Tests, Centurion has the highest percentage of wins by innings margins - 34.78% (8/23) - all eight wins belonging to the home team South Africa. Abu Dhabi has hosted most matches with no such wins - 10 Tests in all without an innings win.

3 Most consecutive innings wins for a side - it has been achieved by seven teams barring Windies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, Australia doing so on four separate occasions. Australia also holds the record for most successive Tests without an innings defeat - 127 Tests between their loss in Kolkata in 1998 to Cape Town defeat in 2009. At the other end of the spectrum are five successive innings defeats each - twice by Bangladesh (in 2001-02 and in 2004) and once by Zimbabwe (in 2005).

11 Series which had three instances (the most) of a team winning by innings margins - three of them in three-Test rubbers while all the remaining eight being five-match series. Australia in South Africa in 1935/36 and England in Australia in 2010/11 are the two instances of away teams achieving the rare feat in a series. England against West Indies in 1928, India against Sri Lanka in 1993/94 and Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in 2007 are occasions of 0-3 whitewashes, all by innings margins.

5 Instances of a team bouncing back to win by an innings after losing the preceding match by an innings margin in the same series. Australia did it twice - both in Ashes contests - 1965/66 at home and 2015 in England. England emulated the feat against West Indies at home in 1966, while Pakistan followed up an innings defeat in their inaugural Test against India by an innings in just their second Test. The last team to achieve the rare feat was India who performed the deed against South Africa in a two-Test rubber at home in 2010.

List of countries with most innings wins and losses ©Cricbuzz

Innings & 575 runs The biggest ever winning margin in a Test match - England against Australia at the Oval in 1938. In the last Ashes Test of the pre-war era, England became the first side to pile 900-plus runs in a single innings (903/7 dec), who then dismissed Australia for 201 and 123. England needed to take only 16 wickets in the match as Don Bradman and Jack Fingleton could not bat because of injuries.

Biggest ever innings wins

Margin Winner Total Loser Inngs1 Inng2 Venue Season Inn & 579 runs Eng 903 Aus 201 123 The Oval 1938 Inn & 360 runs Aus 652 RSA 159 133 Wanderers 2001-02 Inn & 336 runs WI 614 Ind 124 154 Kolkata 1958-59 Inn & 332 runs Aus 645 Eng 141 172 Brisbane 1946-47 Inn & 324 runs Pak 643 NZ 73 246 Lahore 2001-02 Inn & 322 runs WI 660 NZ 216 122 Wellington 1994-95 Inn & 310 runs WI 139 Ban 536 87 Dhaka 2002-03 Inn & 301 runs NZ 495 Zim 51 143 Napier 2011-12

153 The lowest total for side to win the Test by an innings - Australia against South Africa at the MCG in 1931/32. Australia scored 153 on either side of bowling South Africa out for 36 and 45 respectively. The whole match lasted all of 109.2 overs and two days of play.

Lowest totals resulting in innings wins

Total Winner Loser Inngs1 Inngs2 Result Venue Season 153 Aus RSA 36 45 Inn & 72 runs Melbourne 1931-32 172 Eng Aus 81 70 Inn & 21 runs Old Trafford 1888 199 Aus NZ 42 54 Inn & 103 runs Wellington 1945-46 218 WI Pak 131 77 Inn & 10 runs Lahore (Gdffi) 1986-87 230 Pak SL 109 101 Inn & 20 runs Kandy 1985-86 246 Eng NZ 200 26 Inn & 20 runs Auckland 1954-55

702 The highest match aggregate for a team which went on to lose by an innings. Sri Lanka were the unfortunate side in this scoring 393 and 309 against India at the Brabourne Stadium in 2009 as they lost by an innings & 24 runs. There's only one other instance of a team losing by an innings after scoring 300-plus in each innings - Windies (357 & 319) against Australia (758/8 dec) in Kingston in 1955.

22 Innings wins as captain for Graeme Smith in 109 Tests at the helm - the most for a captain. Steve Waugh is the next in the list with 14 such wins in just 57 matches leading Australia - almost one every four Test. Waugh also happens to be the captain leading in most Tests never facing an innings defeat.

Clive Lloyd captained in most Tests before facing an innings defeat - 73 ©Cricbuzz

10 New Zealand's John Reid and Bangladesh's Khaled Mashud sit at the other end of the spectrum with 10 innings defeats each in 34 and 12 Tests as skipper respectively. Clive Lloyd captained in most Tests before facing an innings defeat - 73 - with the only loss coming in his final game.

Khaled Mashud lost 10 out of his 12 Tests as captain by an innings. ©Cricbuzz

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