Australia was among the two teams that played the first ever cricket test match. It was played between Australia and England in 1877 in Melbourne. And it was the Kangaroos that won that game. That shows the legacy of this team in the game of cricket. And still, now they are dominating world cricket.
They are the most successful cricket team in the world across all formats. That shows the level of rich history they have in this game. Australia has won the most matches in history and is the only team with 400 wins in this format. In this article, we will cover the highest scores by Australia in a test innings.
List of Highest Score in Test Cricket by Australia
| Score | Overs | Inns | Against | Ground | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 758/8d | 245.4 | 2 | West Indies | Kingston | 11 Jun 1955 |
| 735/6d | 146.3 | 1 | Zimbabwe | Perth | 9 Oct 2003 |
| 729/6d | 232.0 | 2 | England | Lord’s | 27 Jun 1930 |
| 701 | 171.2 | 1 | England | The Oval | 18 Aug 1934 |
| 695 | 256.1 | 2 | England | The Oval | 16 Aug 1930 |
| 674/6d | 181.0 | 2 | England | Cardiff | 8 Jul 2009 |
| 674 | 151.3 | 1 | India | Adelaide | 23 Jan 1948 |
| 668 | 235.5 | 1 | West Indies | Bridgetown | 14 May 1955 |
| 662/9d | 179.3 | 2 | England | Perth | 14 Dec 2017 |
| 659/4d | 163.0 | 2 | India | Sydney | 3 Jan 2012 |
3. Australia (729/6d) against England at Lord’s
Australia has played almost 40% of its matches against England. These two teams are the oldest rivals in this game. Their third highest score came against the same country. It was the second game of the five-match test series. It was England that won the toss and chose to bat first. England scored 425 runs in their first innings, with a century from Duleep (173). In reply, Australia batted for the next two and a half days and played 232 overs in their first innings.
They scored a mammoth score of 729/6 and declared the innings with a lead of 304 runs. Don Bradman scored 254 runs and skipper Bill Woodful scored 155 runs. All the other Australian batters played well in that innings. Trailing by 304 runs, England batted well but could only manage a score of 375 all out, giving Australia a target of 71 runs. Australia chased it down and made 72/3 to win the game.
2. Australia (735/6d) against Zimbabwe at Perth
The second highest total for Australia came against Zimbabwe in 2003. It was the first test of the two-match series at Perth. Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bowl first. It was an exceptional batting performance from Australia, led by Mathew Hayden. They made 735/6 and declared their innings. Hayden scored the highest individual score in test cricket (later Brain Lara scored 400*). He made 380 runs off 437 balls, with 38 fours and 11 sixes.
In reply, Zimbabwe got all out for 239 runs in their first innings. With another 498 runs left, Zimbabwe were forced to bat again. They did a bit better in the second innings. But it lasted until 127 overs. They got all out for 321 runs in their second innings. Australia won that match by an innings and 175 runs.
1. Australia (758/8d) against West Indies (Australia highest score in Test)
The highest score for Australia came in 1955 against West Indies. It was the final test of the five-match series at Kingston. West Indies won the toss and chose to bat first. Despite losing the first two wickets early, the Men in Maroon scored 357 runs in 94.2 overs in their first innings. Clyde Walcott scored 155 runs. In response, it was an incredible performance from Australia. They broke many records and registered the highest total by a team in tests in those days.
Five Australian batters scored centuries in that innings, including a double century by Neil Harvey. He made 204, while Colin McDonald (127), Keith Miller (109), Ron Archer (128) and Richie Benaud (121) made runs. With five hundreds, Australia declared at 758/8 after 245.4 overs and took a lead of 401. In the second innings, West Indies were bowled out for 319, and Australia won the match by an innings and 82 runs.