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- Test cricket is the oldest form of cricket played at international level. A Test match is scheduled to take place over a period of five days, and is played by teams representing full member nations of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Australia was a founding member of the ICC having played the first Test match against England in March 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. They have played a total of 844 matches, second only to England who have played just over 1,000. As of July 2022, Australia is the most successful team in Test cricket with an overall winning percentage of 47.39, ahead of their nearest rival South Africa on 38.49. Top order batsman and former captain Don Bradman holds several batting records. Considered to be the greatest batsman of all time, he played 52 Tests between 1928 and 1948. He holds the record for the highest Test average of 99.94, has scored the most Test double centuries with 12, the equal most Test triple centuries with 2 and the most runs scored in a series with 974 during the 1930 Ashes series. He also holds the highest fifth-wicket partnership with Sid Barnes with 405 runs, set during the 1946–47 Ashes series, the oldest of the wicket partnerships records. A further two Australian partnership records for the second and the sixth wickets set by Bradman still stand. Shane Warne, regarded as one of the best bowlers in the history of the game, holds several Test records. He held the record for the most Test wickets with 708 until December 2007 when Sri Lankan bowler Muttiah Muralitharan passed Warne's milestone. Warne is second only to Muralitharan in taking the most five-wicket hauls in an innings and the most ten-wicket hauls in a Test match. Glenn McGrath, who took 563 wickets in his career, is second only to England's James Anderson for the most wickets taken by a fast bowler in Test cricket. Adam Gilchrist is Australia's most successful wicket-keeper having taken 416 dismissals. He is second only to South Africa's Mark Boucher with 555 to his name. Allan Border, who made his Test debut in 1978 and captained Australia from 1984 until his retirement in 1994, holds the Australian record for the most consecutive matches played with 153 and the record for the most matches played as skipper for Australia with 93. (en)
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