Top 5 high-scoring Test match venues in the world

Over the years, it would be safe to say that Test match pitches around the world have got flatter and flatter, thereby making it easier for batsmen to pile on the runs. The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground, for example, used to help spinners massively by taking significant turn right from the 3rd day of a Test match. It hasn’t been the case, however, in recent years and has resulted in a lot of huge totals being racked up, illustrated by the ground having a batting average of 37.23 since 1 January 2000 as opposed to a moderate 28.82 earlier.It is, possibly, because of the pressure groundsmen face from cricket administrators these days to prepare flat pitches in order to ensure that a Test match goes the full distance, which, in turn, facilitates maximum revenue collection for the authorities in charge of the stadium. Cricket is poorer as a result, in my opinion, with the balance between bat and ball heavily skewed in favour of the bat, especially over the last decade or so. Here are the top 5 high scoring Test match grounds in the world in terms of average runs per wicket. Note: Test venues where at least 15 Tests haven’t been held and where a match hasn’t been held since 2012 haven’t been included in the following list, thereby ruling out grounds like St. John’s, Antigua and Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai.

#1 Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia

The Adelaide Oval in Australia, which was established in 1873 and has a capacity of approximately 31000, is not only one of the most picturesque but also one of the best batting grounds in the world. The first ever Test match at the Adelaide Oval was played between Australia and England way back in 1884, and, since then, 72 Test matches have been held at the ground. The ground has a batting average of 35.93, a figure that rises to 39.16 since the start of 2000.

Some of the memorable Test matches held at the South Australian capital recently include India’s 4-wicket victory against the hosts in 2003 and the Ashes Test, which Australia ended up winning to go 2-0 up in the series, in 2006/07. On both the occasions, the eventual victors had conceded a total above 500 in the 1st innings before coming back and registering unlikely victories towards the end of the 5th and final day.

#2 Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground, known as the headquarters of Sri Lanka Cricket, was established in 1952 and has a capacity of around 10000. The first ever Test at the SSC took place between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in 1984, and the ground very quickly established a reputation as one of the most placid batting tracks in the world. The SSC has a batting average of 35.46, which largely explains the fact that 14 out of the 38 Tests held at the ground until now have ended in high scoring draws.

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who shared a record partnership of 624 for the 3rd wicket in a Test match against South Africa at the SSC in 2006, are, unsurprisingly, the top two run-getters at the ground, having scored 2921 and 2312 runs from 27 and 22 Tests, respectively.

#3 Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, India

Established in 1883, the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi is one of the most iconic cricket grounds in India and has witnessed a number of very famous landmarks over the years. In 1981, Geoff Boycott overtook Gary Sobers’ then-world record Test aggregate of 8032 runs. A couple of years later, Sunil Gavaskar scored his 29th Test century to equal Sir Don Bradman’s tally. In 2005-06, Sachin Tendulkar surpassed Gavaskar’s record of most hundreds with his 35th Test century, against Sri Lanka. Not to forget Anil Kumble’s exceptional figures of 10/74 in an innings against Pakistan in 1999, when he became just the second bowler after Jim Laker to take all 10 wickets in an innings.

Although the pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla has historically been a good one for batting - typified by a batting average of 35.16 at the ground, it has got into trouble recently for misbehaving a bit too much.

An ODI between India and Sri Lanka in 2009 was abandoned due to the curators producing an extremely dicey surface for the batsmen, and the pitch also raised eyebrows during a Test between the hosts and Australia, in 2013, where a dustbowl resulted in neither side passing 300 even once.

#4 M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore was established in 1969 and enjoys a healthy capacity of approximately 40000 people.

Although the 1st ever Test at the ground was held between India and West Indies back in 1974, only 19 more Tests have been staged at the ground since. Named after a former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from Karnataka, the ground has a batting average of 34.64 runs per wicket.

Surprisingly. Rahul Dravid, Bangalore’s favourite son, has scored just 304 runs from 8 Tests at a paltry batting average of 21.71 and doesn’t have a single Test century at the ground to his name.

#5 Kensington, Oval, Barbados, West Indies

The Kensington Oval in Barbados is, undoubtedly, among the most famous cricket grounds in the world. Established in 1871, the first Test at the venue was between West Indies and England in 1930, and Test matches have been held at the venue regularly ever since.

The ground is renowned for its pace and bounce and helps fast bowlers who are willing to hit the deck hard, but that hasn’t confined batsmen from amassing big scores over the years. It was at the Kensington Oval where Pakistani great Hanif Mohammad scored an outstanding 337 against West Indies in 1958 and helped his team save the Test match. The venue has seen an average of 33.55 runs being scored per wicket in its 84-year-old Test history.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, meanwhile, with 1,452 runs from 18 Tests at 60.50, holds the distinction of scoring the most number of runs at the venue, while Brian Lara, with 1,339 runs from 15 Tests at 53.56, comes a close second.