When 42 Test wickets fell on a day

If you are the sort of person who likes seeing wickets fall you'd have had a good time watching the cricket on January 28. It was the final day of the Adelaide Test, the fourth of the Abu Dhabi Test and the third of the Napier Test, and bowlers were raising hell everywhere. Australia's attack mopped up the Indian tail, taking 4 for 35 to complete a 4-0 whitewash; England claimed 6 for 89 against Pakistan, after which they imploded for 72; and New Zealand, after losing 2 for 103 and declaring, razed Zimbabwe twice - for 51 and 143. Never before had so many Test wickets - 42 - fallen on a day across the world.

December 28, 1996 was the third day of Boxing Day Tests in Melbourne, Durban and Harare. Forty Test wickets fell on that day. The match at the MCG went no further as West Indies lost their last first-innings wicket for 22 runs, bowled out Australia for 122 in their second innings, and lost four wickets during their successful chase of 87. The Kingsmead Test also hurtled to a finish with South Africa losing 6 for 95 in their second innings and, having set India a target of 395, demolishing them for 66. India had earlier been dismissed for 100 in the first innings. They lasted 73.2 overs in total. In Harare, Zimbabwe collapsed from 110 for 2 to 215, taking a lead of only 59 when they could have got much more. England were 17 for 1 at stumps, and would go on to reach 195 for 3 before rain and a wet outfield ruined the game.

March 21, 1998, which is at No. 4 in the table below because it had 36 wickets, was the first time four Tests were played on a day. India beat Australia at Eden Gardens; South Africa played Sri Lanka at Newlands; Zimbabwe and Pakistan squared off in Harare; and West Indies hosted England at the Rec, in the sixth match of the last six-match series in Test cricket. New Zealand were the only team chilling. They were playing Pakistan in Auckland the next time four Tests happened on a day, on March 11, 2001. India were playing Australia at Eden Gardens again, the start of one of the most memorable of Tests. Four Tests have never been played on a day since.

Most Test wickets on a day

Date	Mat	Runs	Wkts	List
28 Jan 2012	3	493	42	Aus v India 35/4, Eng v Pak 161/16, NZ v Zim 297/22
28 Dec 1996	3	531	40	Aus v WI 231/15, SA v India 161/16, Zim v Eng 139/9
24 Nov 1990	3	568	38	Aus v Eng 192/13, India v SL 143/12, Pak v WI 233/13
21 Mar 1998	4	904	36	India v Aus 143/9, SA v SL 249/9, WI v Eng 217/8, Zim v Pak 295/10
29 Nov 1998	3	559	36	Aus v Eng 216/12, Pak v Zim 193/14, SA v WI 150/10
17 Mar 2001	3	793	36	NZ v Pak 276/4, SL v Eng 229/22, WI v SA 288/10
10 Nov 2002	3	641	36	Aus v Eng 264/12, SA v SL 138/13, Zim v Pak 239/11
19 Dec 2004	3	748	36	Aus v Pak 54/9, Ban v India 397/16, SA v Eng 297/11
16 Dec 2006	3	1039	36	Aus v Eng 427/5, NZ v SL 289/11, SA v India 323/20
28 Oct 2004	3	759	33	Ban v NZ 310/15, India v Aus 241/8, Pak v SL 208/10
23 Nov 1996	3	650	32	Aus v WI 258/7, India v SA 123/13, Pak v NZ 269/12
28 Feb 1998	3	675	32	NZ v Zim 296/11, SA v Pak 211/8, WI v Eng 168/13
29 Dec 1998	3	751	32	Aus v Eng 341/18, NZ v India 250/11, SA v WI 160/3
28 Dec 1999	3	667	32	Aus v India 308/14, NZ v WI 176/8, SA v Eng 183/10
23 Feb 1986	3	604	31	NZ v Aus 241/4, SL v Pak 167/14, WI v Eng 196/13
17 Nov 2001	3	657	31	Ban v Zim 209/9, SA v India 307/13, SL v WI 141/9
19 Mar 2004	3	878	31	NZ v SA 266/11, SL v Aus 423/12, WI v Eng 189/8
26 Dec 1996	3	622	30	Aus v WI 248/11, SA v India 237/10, Zim v Eng 137/9
3 Jan 1999	3	725	30	Aus v Eng 233/10, NZ v India 279/10, SA v WI 213/10
3 Dec 2001	3	731	30	Aus v NZ 325/11, India v Eng 262/11, SL v WI 144/8

December 16, 2006 was a pretty action-packed day. It had 36 wickets, the fourth best for a day, and 1039 runs, the second highest number of runs. There were only three Tests played too. The bulk of the runs were scored in Perth, where Adam Gilchrist's 102 off 59 balls helped Australia amass 408 for 4 against England in a day. In Wellington*, it was relatively more balanced between bat and ball, with New Zealand and Sri Lanka scoring 289 runs for 11 wickets. At the Wanderers, however, the bowlers lorded it. India lost their last five first-innings wickets and their first five second-innings wickets for 239, and South Africa were shot out for 84 in between.

In comparison to those wicket-filled days, November 15, 2010 was so dreary. On flat pitches in Hyderabad, Dubai and Galle, a total of 923 runs were scored and only nine wickets fell. New Zealand and India made 273 for 5, Pakistan and South Africa scored 288 for 2, and a Chris Gayle-inspired West Indies made 362 for 2 against Sri Lanka.

Most Test runs on a day

Date	Mat	Runs	Wkts	List
28 Dec 2001	3	1086	24	Aus v SA 361/9, NZ v Ban 336/11, SL v Zim 389/4
16 Dec 2006	3	1039	36	Aus v Eng 427/5, NZ v SL 289/11, SA v India 323/20
1 Mar 2009	3	1008	19	Pak v SL 317/4, SA v Aus 334/11, WI v Eng 357/4
12 Mar 2005	3	991	17	India v Pak 324/4, NZ v Aus 300/7, SA v Zim 367/6
5 Jan 2008	3	970	19	Aus v India 269/4, NZ v Ban 349/6, SA v WI 352/9
11 Mar 2001	4	956	23	India v Aus 291/8, NZ v Pak 343/3, SL v Eng 70/3, WI v SA 252/9
27 Dec 2003	3	956	21	Aus v India 354/9, NZ v Pak 267/7, SA v WI 335/5
13 Dec 2003	3	945	25	Aus v India 336/9, SA v WI 280/8, SL v Eng 329/8
12 Dec 2003	3	938	15	Aus v India 400/5, SA v WI 368/3, SL v Eng 170/7
19 Oct 2002	3	923	21	Aus v Pak 298/3, India v WI 312/9, SA v Ban 313/9
15 Nov 2010	3	923	9	India v NZ 273/5, Pak v SA 288/2, SL v WI 362/2
11 Mar 2005	3	917	30	India v Pak 326/10, NZ v Aus 309/10, SA v Zim 282/10
11 Mar 2004	3	915	23	NZ v SA 282/8, SL v Aus 322/6, WI v Eng 311/9
18 Dec 2004	3	915	21	Aus v Pak 364/6, Ban v India 260/11, SA v Eng 291/4
21 Mar 1998	4	904	36	India v Aus 143/9, SA v SL 249/9, WI v Eng 217/8, Zim v Pak 295/10
4 Dec 2009	3	896	30	Aus v WI 336/6, India v SL 294/8, NZ v Pak 266/16
9 Nov 2002	3	890	27	Aus v Eng 278/10, SA v SL 327/7, Zim v Pak 285/10
2 Jan 1999	3	887	17	Aus v Eng 322/10, NZ v India 283/5, SA v WI 282/2
19 Mar 2004	3	878	31	NZ v SA 266/11, SL v Aus 423/12, WI v Eng 189/8
26 Nov 2009	3	874	28	Aus v WI 322/5, India v SL 220/13, NZ v Pak 332/10

The day with the most runs and wickets in ODIs, and the day with the most runs and wickets across formats, is the same - February 4, 2007. There were six one-dayers that day, one in Melbourne, three in Nairobi, one in Harare and one in Centurion. A total of 3119 runs were scored and 88 wickets fell.

*February 1, 2012, 6.50GMT: The New Zealand v Sri Lanka 2006-07 Test was played in Wellington and not Dunedin as was written. This has been corrected