Sydney's little niche in history

The Sydney Test has blown up into a cricket war with the spirit of the game being questioned, but the List isn't interested in poor umpiring and accusations of racism. We've looked at the game - one which had centurions on each of the five days - and noticed that India lost despite making 532, a sizeable score by any standard, in their first innings. So our theme this week is teams that have scored the most runs in each innings of a Test they went on to lose. The Indian effort at the SCG ranks fourth among the highest totals in the second innings of such matches.

The top two second-innings totals in defeats - and five out of the top ten - were also scored against Australia. Pakistan replied to Australia's 441 for 5 at the MCG in 1972 with 574 for 8 in their first innings. Then Paul Sheahan and John Benaud scored hundreds in the second innings to set the visitors a target of 293 with five and a half hours remaining on the final day. Pakistan lasted only 57.5 overs, and were dismissed for 200, giving Australia a 2-0 lead in the three Test series with an hour to spare.

A more impressive Australian fight-back, however, came at the SSC in Colombo in 1992, where Sri Lanka went past 500 for the first time, after 37 Tests, to secure a massive first-innings lead of 291. A gritty batting performance - all the Australian batsmen reached double figures, and four scored half-centuries - helped wipe out the deficit for the loss of five wickets and set a target of 181. Chances of an Australian victory, however, looked highly unlikely when Aravinda de Silva struck 37 off 32 balls to lead Sri Lanka to 127 for 2 in the run-chase. However, his dismissal triggered a collapse and Sri Lanka lost their last eight wickets for 37 runs and fell 16 short of the target. They had to wait another seven years before they beat Australia for the first time in a Test.

Click here for lowest second-innings totals in a Test win.

The Adelaide Oval has been the stage of the two highest first-innings totals in Test defeats. In 2003-04, Australia piled up 556 at the breakneck run-rate of 4.37 an over and gained a slender lead of 33 after Rahul Dravid's 233 led India to 523. A collapse in Australia's second innings - Ajit Agarkar claimed 6 for 41 - left India with 230 to chase, which they accomplished with four wickets in hand. In 2006-07 it was Australia who fought back after conceding 551 to England in the first innings. Even though England had a first-innings lead of 38, their choke in the second, for 129, left Australia with an easy 168 to chase.

Click here for lowest first-innings totals in a Test win.

The largest third-innings total in a losing cause was scored at Headingley in 1967, after India had conceded so much ground to England in the first innings that the gap was too large to bridge. Geoffrey Boycott was dropped after this Test, though he scored 246 off 555 balls out of England's 550 for 4, because, as Wisden reported, of his "lack of enterprise". India were asked to follow on after they were dismissed for 164 and even though MAK Pataudi's 148 led India's fightback, their 510 in the second innings set England a target of only 125.

Click here for lowest third-innings totals in a Test win.

Nathan Astle's spectacular 222 off 168 balls, the fastest double-century in Tests, led New Zealand to 451 in the final innings against England in Christchurch in 2002, the highest fourth-innings total in a Test loss. New Zealand were chasing 550 and Astle added 118 runs with Chris Cairns, who was batting at No. 11 because of an injury, to take New Zealand from 333 for 9 to within 98 runs of victory, before he was dismissed.

Click here for lowest fourth-innings totals in a Test win.

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