Top 6 most wickets taken in a single day of Test Cricket

The Cape Town test match between South Africa and India has become the shortest test (in terms of balls bowled) in the history of test cricket and it all started with 23 wickets falling on the very first day. In this article, we will take a look at the matches that feature among the top 6 test matches where the greatest number of wickets have fallen in a single day of test cricket.

1. England vs Australia, 1888

A contest between two of the biggest traditional cricket rivals, England and Australia, is always historic but this match is historic in a real sense. In this test match, 27 wickets were taken on the second day which is the greatest number of wickets taken on a single day in test cricket. Australia eventually won the match by 61 runs to take a lead in the series.

2. Australia vs England, 1902

Another Australia vs England match where plenty of wickets were taken by the bowlers from both sides. 25 wickets fell on the first day of the test match which was eventually won by Australia by a huge margin of 229 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

3. England vs Australia, 1896

Not much difference in this match except for an England win in the end. On the second day of the test match bowlers picked up 24 wickets which made it really difficult for the batters to stay on the crease. This see-saw of a match was a series decider and with this win, England clinched the 3-match test series.

4. India vs Afghanistan, 2018

India and Afghanistan played a test match in Bengaluru which resulted in a massive victory for team India over the minnows. On the second day of the test match, 24 wickets were scalped, and the majority of those wickets were taken by the Indian bowlers.

5. South Africa vs Australia, 2011

In 2011, South Africa and Australia were part of the test match which witnessed a dramatic fall of 23 wickets in a single day. The bowlers enjoyed their time with the ball and took these many wickets on the second day of the test match.

6. South Africa vs India, 2024

Similar to the previous match this test also happened at the Newlands in Cape Town. 23 wickets were dismissed on the first day of the test match which saw Indian and South African bowlers ruling the roost. India eventually won the match by 7 wickets.