Top 3 most wickets taken on first day of Test Cricket

The first day of the second test match between South Africa and India at Cape Town was a wicket fest. Teams lost 23 wickets cumulatively on the first day which is now the 6th highest number of wickets taken in a single day of test cricket. Moving ahead in this article, we will take a look at the top 3 test matches where the most number of wickets were taken on the first day of test cricket.

1. Australia vs England, 1902

A historic match between Australia and England which was dominated by bowlers. 25 wickets were taken on the first day of the test match at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia emerged victorious in this match as well because, in reply to their collapse, the Kangaroos created similar problems to England. After the setback on the first day, Australia batted well in the second innings to put a challenging total on the board which proved to be too much for England.

2. South Africa vs India, 2024

The second test match of the 2-match test series between South Africa and India will be remembered for a wicket fest on the first day of the test match. It started with South Africa’s collapse which ended with just 55 runs on the board for the Proteas. The Indians, in reply, started well but the South African bowlers found their way back and bowled India out for 153 runs. The first day ended with South Africa losing 3 wickets in the second innings giving a slight advantage to India.

3. England vs Australia, 1890

A match between Ashes rivals which has been registered in history books for extraordinary performance from bowlers. A total of 22 wickets fell on the first day of the second test match of the series at the Oval. The test match ultimately ended with a narrow win for England by just 2 wickets as they chased 95 runs in the second innings courtesy of a significant 35-run knock from Maurice Read.