Highest Individual Scores: With the first edition of the ICC World Test Championship coming to an end, it’s worth taking a look back at the numbers over the course of the two-year cycle. From the 2019 Ashes to the second Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, some of the best batsmen have taken part and produced some of the most extraordinary knocks.
A few of them have arrived in high-octane games and under extreme duress.
So far in the 2019-21 ICC World Test Championship, there have been nearly 40 centuries, 13 double-centuries, and only 1 triple hundred. Steve Smith scored the first century and double hundred of the ICC World Test Championship. By grinding down the opposition to dust, a few batsmen also brought their best Test scores with them.
Here are the top 4 Highest Individual Scores from the 2019-21 ICC World Test Championship.
1. David Warner – 335* vs Pakistan (David Warner Scored a Fastest Test Triple-hundred vs Pakistan).
In the summer of 2019, David Warner batted like a true legend against Pakistan in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. Since its inception in 2015, the pink-ball Tests have witnessed some of the most thrilling and low-scoring matches. David Warner, on the other hand, made Pakistan’s bowlers look even worse than they already were. The southpaw, like Marnus Labuschagne, was ruthless in his approach.
David Warner hit his first triple century in Tests with a boundary off Mohammad Abbas in the 120th over. Surpassing Sir Don Bradman’s 299, which was the previous highest at the Adelaide Oval. Tim Paine’s declaration with the left-handed batsman on 335 and on course to break Brian Lara’s 400-run record enraged social media users. However, his 418-ball unbeaten knock, a 361-run partnership with Labuschagne. Australia’s first-innings total of 589 was enough for the hosts to win the match and secure the series.
2. Zak Crawley 267 – England vs Pakistan 2020.
After a string of poor and promising performances, Zak Crawley’s career grabbed a much-needed boost with this innings. In South Africa at the start of 2020, Zak Crawley played as a makeshift opener and did well enough without scoring a lot of runs. In Southampton, though, the right-handed batsman was unstoppable, and runs flew off his bat.
Crawley became the third-youngest player to score a double-century for England, behind Len Hutton, David Gower, and Bill Edrich, at the age of 22 years and 201 days. He came to bat in the 5th over and departed in the 133rd over, sharing a 359-run stand with Jos Buttler who had been out of form for a while. Aside from the Kent batsman’s 267, the drawn Test was remembered for James Anderson’s 600th wicket in Tests.
3. Virat Kohli 254* vs South Africa – 7th Double Hundred.
Virat Kohli’s 7th double century of his Test career translated into his best Test as Pune witnessed the 32-year-mastery old’s over five sessions. Kohli put on magnificent stands of 178 and 225 with Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja, respectively, to finish unbeaten on 254 off 336 balls. The right-handed batsman eventually declared India’s innings at 601.
When he reached 246 runs, Virat Kohli broke his own record for the highest score by an Indian captain. In 2017-18, he had a career-highest 243 against Sri Lanka in Delhi. Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s (6) and Virender Sehwag’s (6) previous record for the most double hundreds by an Indian batsman in Test matches.
4. Kane Williamson 251 – vs West Indies 1st Test 2020.
Kane Williamson’s batting prowess held the West Indies spellbound at Seddon Park in Hamilton in December 2020. Williamson’s fourth double-hundred of his Test career came as he methodically demolished the tourists’ threatening bowling attack. With the exception of Tom Latham’s 86, the right-handed batsman received little support from the other end.
Despite this, Kyle Jamieson’s unbeaten 51 off 64 deliveries enabled the Kiwis to declare at 519/7. In their first innings, New Zealand bowled out the Caribbeans for 138 and forced a follow-on. West Indies fought hard enough, thanks to Jermaine Blackwood’s century and Alzarri Joseph’s fifty, but it wasn’t enough to prevent an innings and 134-run defeat. Williamson was named the match’s man of the match after his 412-ball knock, which included 34 fours and two sixes.
