The biggest total that ended up in defeat is a scarcely credible 586, by
Australia against England in the first Test
at
Sydney in 1894-95. Syd Gregory's 201 in that innings was the first
double-century in a Test in Australia. It's even more astonishing that the
Aussies lost, since they bowled England out for 325 and made them follow on
- but then England made 437, and bowled Australia out for 166 to pull off an
astonishing victory by 10 runs. It was the first time anyone had won a Test
after following on - and it remained the only occurrence until a similarly
enthralling Ashes match in 1981 - "Botham's Match"
at
Headingley. (There has been only one other instance of this - India v Australia at Kolkata in 2000-01, the match in which VVS Laxman hammered 281.) On seven other occasions a team has passed 500 only to lose
the Test: 574 for 8 dec, by Pakistan v Australia,
Melbourne,
1972-73; 547 for 8 dec, Sri Lanka v Australia,
Colombo
(SSC), 1992-93; 526 for 7 dec, West Indies v England,
Port-of-Spain,
1967-68; 520, Australia v South Africa,
Melbourne,
1952-53; 519, England v Australia,
Melbourne,
1928-29; 510, India v England,
Headingley,
1967; and 506, South Africa v Australia,
Melbourne,
1910-11.