Melbourne Cricket Ground records in Tests: MCG Test bowling records and highest innings totals

Dixit Bhargav | 25/12/2022
Melbourne Cricket Ground records in Tests: MCG Test bowling records and highest innings totals

First things first, any match being played in Melbourne this summer has to first take permission from the weather gods. As far as the same for the first day of the second Test match between Australia and South Africa is concerned, all the stakeholders can expect pretty much an uninterrupted day of play barring a brief period in the afternoon which consists of rain probability in single-digit figures according to AccuWeather.

As Test action returns to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground for the customary Boxing Day Test, the venue will be hosting its eighth international match (in addition to three rain-abandoned ICC T20 World Cup 2022 matches) of 2022. MCG’s rich Test history of hosting 114 matches has witnessed hosts Australia participating on each occasion to win 65 and lose 32 matches over the years.

Set to partake in a Test match here after as many as 14 years, South Africa have won three and lost seven out of their 12 Tests at this venue. With no cricketer part of the current South African squad having played a Melbourne Test in the past, don’t be surprised due to their absence in the below mentioned records.

Melbourne Cricket Ground records in Tests

First five spots in the list of highest Test run-scorers at this stadium continue to be occupied by retired Australian cricketers namely Don Bradman (1,671), Ricky Ponting (1,338), Steve Waugh (1,284), Allan Border (1,272) and Greg Chappell (1,257). A list of best Test batters here among active cricketers is provided below:

Batter Matches Runs Highest Average 100 50
Steve Smith (AUS) 9 932 192 84.72 4 3
David Warner (AUS) 9 668 144 44.53 2 2
Usman Khawaja (AUS) 4 379 144 54.14 1 2
Ajinkya Rahane (IND) 3 369 147 73.8 2 0
Virat Kohli (IND) 3 316 169 52.66 1 2

Highest wicket-takers in Melbourne Tests are also retired Australian cricketers namely Denniss Lillee (82), Shane Warne (76), Hugh Trumble (46), Graham McKenzie (45) and Glenn McGrath (42). Active bowlers with most wickets in Melbourne Tests are:

Bowler Matches Wickets Average SR 5
Nathan Lyon (AUS) 11 37 31.83 61.4 1
Pat Cummins (AUS) 5 24 18.66 41.5 2
Mitchell Starc (AUS) 5 18 29.38 53.3 0
James Anderson (ENG) 4 17 20.47 52.7 0
Jasprit Bumrah (IND) 2 15 13.06 31.1 1

Highest innings totals in Melbourne Tests

Score Overs Team Opposition Year
624/8d 142 Australia Pakistan 2016
604 140.5×8 Australia England 1937
600 149.5×8 Australia England 1925
589 190.5 England Australia 1912
578 126.2 Australia South Africa 1911

Considered as a batting surface in the recent years in spite of its latest Test being a three-day contest, MCG has witnessed batting teams touching the 600-run mark thrice and touching the 500-run mark 29 times in all these years.

England hold the record of the highest successful Test run-chase at this venue. In what remains the only successful 300+ run-chase in Melbourne Tests, it had been made possible after England chased down a 332-run target with three wickets in hand almost a century ago.

Post Edited By: Dixit Bhargav
Australia MCG Melbourne Cricket Ground South Africa South Africa tour of Australia 2022

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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