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Test teams performance in their first 50 Tests - A comparison

When Zimbabwe beat India in the Harare Test recently it was their sixth victory in 52 test matches

Arshad Chughtai
03-Jul-2001
When Zimbabwe beat India in the Harare Test recently it was their sixth victory in 52 test matches. The victory prompted me to carry out a comparative study of test playing countries performance in their first 50 test matches. Results reveal that England lead the rest of the test playing nations having won 30 of their first 50 tests against 13 defeats, Australia won 18 against 26 defeats, West Indies won 15 against 17 defeats, Pakistan won 10 against 14 defeats, South Africa won 9 against 32 defeats, Zimbabwe won 5 against 25 defeats, Sri Lanka won 4 against 24 defeats and New Zealand, at the bottom of this table had won only three test matches against a large number of 26 defeats. Interestingly, India had drawn the most tests (27) out of the first fifty played, followed by Pakistan (26). Bangladesh has so far played only three tests, all lost.
Here is the performance of each team in their first 50 tests:
England: 1876-77 to 1896 (20 years)
OPPONENT        PLAYED     WON     LOST     DRAWN
Australia         44        24      14        6
South Africa       6         6       0        0
Total             50        30      14        6
Australia: 1876-77 to 1897-98 (22 years) OPPONENT PLAYED WON LOST DRAWN England 50 18 26 6 Total 50 18 26 6
South Africa: 1888-89 to 1924 (36 years) OPPONENT PLAYED WON LOST DRAWN England 36 8 23 5 Australia 14 1 9 4 Total 50 9 32 9
West Indies: 1928 to 1953-54 (26 years) OPPONENT PLAYED WON LOST DRAWN England 28 10 10 8 Australia 10 2 8 0 India 10 2 0 8 Newz Zealand 2 1 0 1 Total 50 15 18 17
New Zealand: 1929 to 1962-63 (34 years) OPPONENT PLAYED WON LOST DRAWN England 29 0 12 17 Australia 1 0 1 0 South Africa 14 2 9 3 West Indies 6 1 4 1 Total 50 3 26 21
India: 1932 to 1956-57 (25 years) OPPONENT PLAYED WON LOST DRAWN England 19 1 10 8 Australia 6 0 5 1 West Indies 10 0 2 8 Pakistan 10 2 1 7 New Zealand 5 2 0 3 Total 50 5 18 27
Pakistan: 1952 to 1964-65 (13 years) OPPONENT PLAYED WON LOST DRAWN India 15 1 2 12 England 12 1 6 5 Australia 6 1 2 3 West Indies 8 3 4 1 New Zealand 9 4 0 5 Total 50 10 14 26
Sri Lanka: 1981 to 1993-94 (13 Years) OPPONENT PLAYED WON LOST DRAWN England 5 1 3 1 Pakistan 12 1 6 1 India 11 1 4 6 New Zealand 11 1 4 6 South Africa 3 0 1 2 West Indies 1 0 1 2 Total 50 4 22 24
Zimbabwe: 1992 to 2000-01 (09 Years) OPPONENT PLAYED WON LOST DRAWN India 5 1 2 2 New Zealand 11 0 5 6 Pakistan 12 2 6 4 Sri Lanka 10 0 5 5 England 4 0 1 3 Australia 1 0 1 0 West Indies 2 0 2 0 Bangladesh 2 2 0 0 Total 50 5 25 20
Overall Performance Comparison: TEAM WON LOST DRAWN England 30 13 4 Australia 18 26 6 South Africa 9 32 9 West Indies 15 18 17 New Zealand 3 26 21 India 5 18 27 Pakistan 10 14 26 Sri Lanka 4 22 24 Zimbabwe 5 25 20 Notes:
1. Bangladesh has so far played only 3 tests
2. England won most (30) of their first fifty tests
3. India drew most (27) of their first fifty tests
4. South Africa lost most (32) of their first fifty tests