Top 5 shortest 5-match Test series by balls bowled ft. BGT 2024-25

The recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia went down as one of the shortest five-match Test series in history. Considering the number of balls bowled, the BGT 2024-25 was recorded as the third shortest Test series.

The high-octane series Down Under concluded in Australia’s favor, with the hosts bagging a 3-1 victory. After losing the series opener in Perth, the Aussies won the next match, drew the third game, and then clinched victories in the final two games.

The BGT 2024-25 was also the shortest-ever five-match series played Down Under (by balls bowled), breaking the long-standing record of the West Indies vs Australia series of 1930-31. No other five-game series in Australia saw less than 8,000 balls being bowled, with the recent BGT becoming the first.

On that note, let us look at the five shortest five-match Test series (by balls bowled):

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#5 England vs New Zealand, 1958, 7,785 balls

England hosted New Zealand for a five-match Test series between June and August of 1958. The hosts clinched a thumping 4-0 win after the fifth and final game ended in a stalemate. While Peter May led England back then, the Kiwis played under John Reid’s leadership.

The five-game series saw 7,785 balls delivered, and it stands as the fifth-shortest five-match Test series in the sport’s history. England won the first Test by 205 runs in Birmingham while they won the second game by an innings and 148 runs at the iconic Lord’s.

The third and fourth Tests were played in Leeds and Manchester, respectively, with the hosts winning the former game by an innings and 71 runs and the latter by an innings and 13 runs. New Zealand managed to pull off a draw in the final Test.

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#4 West Indies vs England (The Wisden Trophy), 1985-86, 7,699 balls

One overseas tour that still hurts the English cricket team is the West Indies tour of 1985-86, as the visitors suffered a thumping. The Windies brilliantly beat the tourists, sweeping the series 5-0 and not letting any gaps for England to take any advantage.

The five-game series between the Caribbean side and the English team saw 7,699 deliveries being bowled. The hosts won the series opener in Kingston by a whopping 10 wickets before going on to win the next clash by seven wickets in Port of Spain.

While the third Test, played at Bridgetown, saw the Viv Richards-led team win by an innings and 30 runs, they won the final two Tests in Port of Spain and St John’s by 10 wickets and 240 runs, respectively. The David Gower-led England suffered one of their worst defeats in the series.

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#3 Australia vs India (Border Gavaskar Trophy), 2024-25, 7,664 balls

The recently concluded India tour of Australia saw the hosts clinch the Border Gavaskar Trophy after a decade, thereby sealing their spot in the World Test Championship final, to defend their title, for the second consecutive edition.

The tour ended as the shortest five-match Test series in a century. It also was the third-shortest five-game series in all Tests (by balls bowled), as a total of 7,664 balls were delivered. While India won the opening game in Perth, the Aussies bounced back to win the next game, a pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval.

While the third Test ended in a draw, the hosts clawed their way back to the top to take a lead in the series, winning the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. They eventually clinched the final match at the Sydney Oval to win the five-match series 3-1.

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#2 England vs South Africa, 1924, 7,659

South Africa’s tour of England in 1924 started and ended on a disappointing note, as they lost the series 3-0. One of South Africa’s poorest Test performances came in the series opener against England, as they were bowled out for just 30 runs after England posted 438 in the first innings.

As English skipper Arthur Gilligan enforced a follow-on, the Proteas could only get to 390 in the second innings as the hosts clinched a victory by an innings and 18 runs. Gilligan’s side won the second Test by the exact same margin before winning the third game by nine wickets.

The final two Tests played in Machester and The Oval ended in a stalemate as England clinched the five-match series which saw 7,659 deliveries in total. An under-prepared South African side flew back home with learnings in abundance.

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#1 England vs Australia (The Ashes), 1902, 6545 balls

The Ashes is one of the oldest and to date the most anticipated Test series between two of the oldest cricketing giants of world cricket - England and Australia. The 1902 edition of the Ashes saw the record for the least number of deliveries bowled in a five-game series being set.

That record remains intact, as no other five-match series has witnessed less than 7,000 deliveries being bowled, and this series was one of a kind. Australia’s tour of England in 1902 ended in favor of the visitors, who clinched the thrilling series 2-1.

After the first two matches saw no result and ended in a draw, the Aussies claimed back-to-back wins in the third and fourth games played at Sheffield and Manchester to take an unassailable lead. The last match was a nail-biting affair as the hosts clinched a one-wicket win but to no gain.

The five-match Ashes series of 1902 saw only 6,545 balls being bowled, the lowest ever in the sport’s history. No other five-game Test series has ended sooner as Joe Darlin-led Australia and Archie MacLaren’s England became part of a historic campaign.

(Stats credit: Wisden)