Wanderers Stadium Test records: The Wanderers Johannesburg Test records and highest innings totals

International cricket will return to Johannesburg after almost a year with the second Test match of the ongoing West Indies’ tour of South Africa scheduled to begin in the city tomorrow onward. As far as this particular format is concerned, The Wanderers Stadium will be hosting a match 14 months after South Africa vs India New Year’s Test last year.

1-0 up in a two-match series, South Africa will be participating in a Test match at this venue for the 44th time. Having played each of the 43 Tests here in the past, the home team has won 19 and lost 13 matches over the years.

West Indies, on the contrary, had ended up on the losing side in both their Tests at this stadium in the past. The last when they had played a Test match here was almost a couple of decades ago.

The Wanderers Stadium Test records

Highest run-scorers in Johannesburg Tests are all former South African cricketers namely Jacques Kallis (1,148), Hashim Amla (1,144), Graeme Smith (910), AB de Villiers (775) and Hansie Cronje (683).

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Talking particularly about active cricketers, Dean Elgar (647), Aiden Markram (385), Virat Kohli (310), Temba Bavuma (310) and Cheteshwar Pujara (285) are the best Test batters here. Barring Bavuma, all the remaining four batters have scored a Test century each at this venue.

Much like the batters, highest wicket-takers in Tests played at The Wanderers Stadium are also retired South African cricketers in Makhaya Ntini (53), Shaun Pollock (53), Dale Steyn (50), Allan Donald (44) and Vernon Philander (41).

Kagiso Rabada (30), Duanne Olivier (17), Pat Cummins (16), Anrich Nortje (15) and Mohammed Shami (14) have been the best bowlers among active cricketers at this stadium. While Cummins and Nortje have picked a couple of five-wicket hauls, the remaining three have one each to their name.

Highest innings totals in Johannesburg Tests

It is noteworthy that the above mentioned totals are the only five innings totals in excess of 500 runs in Johannesburg Tests. The bowling nature of this surface can be further assessed by the fact that only eight successful Test run-chases have been registered here in the past.

Australia hold the record for the highest Test run-chase at The Wanderers Stadium for sealing a 310-run chase with only a couple of wickets in hand over 11 years ago.

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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