England's unwanted records at Adelaide
England wrote themselves into several unwanted record books with a purposeless batting display on the fifth day of the Adelaide Test
Travis Basevi and George Binoy
06-Dec-2006
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England wrote themselves into several record books with a purposeless batting display on the fifth day of the Adelaide Test. Their second-innings collapse ensured that their outstanding batting in the first found a mention in cricket history. Unfortunately for the wrong reasons ...
England's 551 for 6 at Adelaide was the third highest score by a losing team in the first innings of a Test, behind Australia's 586 at Sydney in 1894, and 556 against India at Adelaide in 2003. Incidentally, it was also the fourth highest losing total in any innings and the second highest declaration in a lost Test. The Adelaide Oval accounts for a sixth of the 35 highest totals in lost Tests. Scoring big at Adelaide doesn't guarantee safety. Read on for more evidence ...
| Team | Score | Opposition | Ground | Season | Scorecard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 586 | v England | Sydney | 1894/95 | Test 42 |
| Pakistan | 574/8d | v Australia | Melbourne | 1972/73 | Test 705 |
| Australia | 556 | v India | Adelaide | 2003/04 | Test 1673 |
| England | 551/6d | v Australia | Adelaide | 2006/07 | Test 1819 |
| Sri Lanka | 547/8d | v Australia | Colombo (SSC) | 1992 | Test 1194 |
| Pakistan | 538 | v England | Leeds | 2006 | Test 1813 |
| West Indies | 526/7d | v England | Port of Spain | 1967/68 | Test 635 |
| Australia | 520 | v South Africa | Melbourne | 1952/53 | Test 365 |
| England | 519 | v Australia | Melbourne | 1928/29 | Test 180 |
| India | 510 | v England | Leeds | 1967 | Test 618 |
Four of the seven highest individual innings in losing causes have been at Adelaide, led by Ricky Ponting's 242 against India in 2003. That innings set up a mouth-watering Test in which India replied to Australia's 556 with 523, and then successfully chased 230. Brian Lara's 242 in 2005, during which he went past Allan Border's record for the most Test runs, is second and Paul Collingwood's 206 in this Test follows Victor Trumper's 211 against South Africa in 1911.
The two innings that break up an Adelaide hat-trick at the top are special ones. Nathan Astle's 222 against England at Christchurch is the fastest double-century and Lara's 221 at the SSC in Colombo was the first part of his tally of 351 - the most runs by a batsman in losing cause. Lara appears a staggering seven times in our table of highest scores in lost Tests.
| Player | Runs | Opposition | Ground | Season | Scorecard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RT Ponting (Aus) | 242 | v India | Adelaide | 2003/04 | Test 1673 |
| BC Lara (WI) | 226 | v Australia | Adelaide | 2005/06 | Test 1773 |
| NJ Astle (NZ) | 222 | v England | Christchurch | 2001/02 | Test 1594 |
| BC Lara (WI) | 221 | v Sri Lanka | Colombo (SSC) | 2001/02 | Test 1572 |
| VT Trumper (Aus) | 214* | v South Africa | Adelaide | 1910/11 | Test 113 |
| RG Pollock (SA) | 209 | v Australia | Cape Town | 1966/67 | Test 613 |
| PD Collingwood (Eng) | 206 | v Australia | Adelaide | 2006/07 | Test 1819 |
| RN Harvey (Aus) | 205 | v South Africa | Melbourne | 1952/53 | Test 365 |
| GA Faulkner (SA) | 204 | v Australia | Melbourne | 1910/11 | Test 112 |
| DL Amiss (Eng) | 203 | v West Indies | The Oval | 1976 | Test 781 |
When Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood were blunting the Australian bowling on day one and two, things were peachy for England. However, their 310-run stand for the fourth wicket is now ranked second on the list of highest partnerships in a Test defeat. First place was taken by Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf at Headingley this year when they added 363 for the third wicket en route to the 538 runs that appears at sixth in our first table. After nearly 130 years of Test cricket there had never been a triple-century partnership leading to a loss, now we have had two in a matter of months.
Lara's genius ensured that Ponting again makes the list, this time in partnership with Steve Waugh. Their 281-run stand at Barbados in 1999 all but set up an Australian victory. However, Lara's brilliant unbeaten 153 snatched the game from them with one wicket in hand.
| Partners | Runs | Opposition | Ground | Season | Scorecard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 363 | v England | Leeds | 2006 | Test 1813 | |
| 310 | v Australia | Adelaide | 2006/07 | Test 1819 | |
| 283 | v Australia | Melbourne | 1924/25 | Test 159 | |
| 281 | v West Indies | Bridgetown | 1998/99 | Test 1453 | |
| 276 | v New Zealand | Hamilton | 1999/00 | Test 1477 | |
| 273 | v England | Port of Spain | 1967/68 | Test 635 | |
| 267 | v Pakistan | Manchester | 2001 | Test 1547 | |
| 259 | v England | Karachi | 2000/01 | Test 1521 | |
| 242 | v West Indies | St John's | 2002/03 | Test 1645 | |
| 230 | v Australia | Colombo (SSC) | 1992 | Test 1194 | |
| 227 | v England | The Oval | 2003 | Test 1659 |
Matthew Hoggard's 7 for 109 was one of the positives England could take out of Adelaide. But whilst an impressive set of figures, there have been numerous better bowling performances which couldn't prevent a Test defeat. Click here to see them.
Travis Basevi is the man who built StatsGuru. George Binoy is editorial assistant of Cricinfo