List of New Zealand Test cricket records

The top five records are listed for each category, except for the team wins, losses, draws and ties and the partnership records. Tied records for fifth place are also included. Explanations of the general symbols and cricketing terms used in the list are given below. Specific details are provided in each category where appropriate. All records include matches played for New Zealand only, and are correct as of November 2021^[update].

Overall record

Team wins, losses, draws and ties

As of January 2024^[update], New Zealand have played 468 Test matches resulting in 115 victories, 183 defeats and 170 draws for an overall winning percentage of 24.57.^[6]

Opponent	First Match	Matches	Won	Lost	Draw	Tied	% Won
Australia	1946	60	8	34	18	0	19.04
Bangladesh	2001	19	14	2	3	0	87.50
England	1930	112	13	52	47	0	20.00
India	1955	62	13	22	27	0	37.14
Pakistan	1955	62	14	25	23	0	35.89
South Africa	1932	49	7	26	16	0	21.21
Sri Lanka	1983	38	18	9	11	0	66.66
West Indies	1952	49	17	13	19	0	56.66
Zimbabwe	1992	17	11	0	6	0	100.00
Total		467	114	183	170	0	38.38
Statistics are correct as of  New Zealand v  South Africa at Seddon Park, Hamilton ICC World Test Championship 2nd Test, 13–77 February 2024.[7]

First Test series wins

Opponent	Year of first Home win	Year of first Away win
Afghanistan	YTP	YTP
Australia	1986	1986
Bangladesh	2001	2004
England	1984	1986
India	1981	-
Ireland	YTP	YTP
Pakistan	1985	1970
South Africa	2024	-
Sri Lanka	1983	1984
West Indies	1980	2002
Zimbabwe	1998	1992
Last updated: 20 June 2020[8]

First Test match wins

Opponent	Home		Away
	Venue	Year	Venue	Year
Afghanistan	YTP	YTP	YTP	YTP
Australia	Christchurch	1974	Brisbane	1985
Bangladesh	Hamilton	2001	Dhaka	2004
England	Wellington	1978	Leeds	1983
India	Christchurch	1968	Nagpur	1969
Ireland	YTP	YTP	YTP	YTP
Pakistan	Auckland	1985	Lahore	1969
South Africa	Auckland	2004	Cape Town	1961
Sri Lanka	Christchurch	1983	Kandy	1984
West Indies	Auckland	1956	Bridgetown	2002
Zimbabwe	Wellington	1998	Harare	1992
Last updated: 16 February 2024[9]

Team scoring records

Most runs in an innings

The highest innings total scored in Test cricket came in the series between Sri Lanka and India in August 1997. Playing in the first Test at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the hosts posted a first innings total of 6/952d. This broke the longstanding record of 7/903d which England set against Australia in the final Test of the 1938 Ashes series at The Oval. The first Test of the 2018–19 series against the Bangladesh saw New Zealand set their highest innings total of 715/6d.^[10][11]

Rank	Score	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	715/6d	Bangladesh	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	28 February 2019
2	690	Pakistan	Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, UAE	26 November 2014
3	680/8d	India	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	14 February 2014
4	671/4	Sri Lanka		31 January 1991
5	659/6d	Pakistan	Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	5 January 2021
Last updated: 5 January 2021[12]

Highest successful run chases

New Zealand's highest fourth innings total is 451 all out in an unsuccessful run chase against England at Christchurch in March 2002. England had set a target of 549. New Zealand's highest successful run chase occurred against Pakistan at Christchurch in 1994. Pakistan had set New Zealand a target of 324.^[13]

Rank	Score	Target	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	324/5	324	Pakistan	Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand	24 February 1994
2	317/7	317	Bangladesh	Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Chittagong, Bangladesh	17 October 2008
3	285/8	285	Sri Lanka	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	9 March 2023
4	278/8	278	Pakistan	Carisbrook, Dunedin, New Zealand	9 February 1985
5	269/3	267	South Africa	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	16 February 2024
Last updated: 16 February 2024[14]

Fewest runs in an innings

The lowest innings total scored in Test cricket came in the second Test of England's tour of New Zealand in March 1955. Trailing England by 46, New Zealand was bowled out in their second innings for 26 runs.^[15][16][17]

Rank	Score	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	26♠	England	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	25 March 1955
2	42	Australia	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	29 March 1946
2	45	South Africa	Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa	2 January 2013
4	47	England	Lord's, London, England	19 June 1958
5	54	Australia	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	29 March 1946
Last updated: 23 June 2020[16]

Most runs conceded in an innings

The highest innings total scored against New Zealand is by West Indies when they scored 660/5d in the second Test of the West Indies tour of New Zealand in 1995 at Basin Reserve.^[11]

Rank	Score	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	660/5d	West Indies	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	10 February 1995
2	643	Pakistan	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan	1 May 2002
3	621/5d	South Africa	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	27 February 1999
4	616/5d	Pakistan		24 February 1989
5	607/6d	Australia	The Gabba, Brisbane, Australia	3 December 1993
Last updated: 23 August 2020[18]

Fewest runs conceded in an innings

The lowest innings total scored against New Zealand is 51 in the only test of Zimbabwe's tour of New Zealand in 2012^[17]

Rank	Score	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	51	Zimbabwe	McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand	26 January 2012
2	58	England	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	23 March 2018
3	59	Zimbabwe	Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe	7 August 2005
4	64	England	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	10 February 1978
5	77	West Indies	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	9 March 1956
Last updated: 3 December 2017[19]

Result records

A Test match is won when one side has scored more runs than the total runs scored by the opposing side during their two innings. If both sides have completed both their allocated innings and the side that fielded last has the higher aggregate of runs, it is known as a win by runs. This indicates the number of runs that they had scored more than the opposing side. If one side scores more runs in a single innings than the total runs scored by the other side in both their innings, it is known as a win by innings and runs. If the side batting last wins the match, it is known as a win by wickets, indicating the number of wickets that were still to fall.^[20]

Greatest win margins (by innings)

The fifth Test of the 1938 Ashes series at The Oval saw England win by an innings and 579 runs, the largest victory by an innings in Test cricket history. The largest victory for New Zealand, which is the 8th largest, is their win against Zimbabwe in the Only Test of the 2011–12 tour at the McLean Park, where the hosts won by an innings and 301 runs.^[21]

Rank	Margin	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	Innings and 301 runs	Zimbabwe	McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand	12 January 2012
2	Innings and 294 runs		Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe	7 August 2005
3	Innings and 276 runs	South Africa	Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	17 February 2022
4	Innings and 185 runs	Pakistan	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	27 March 2001
5	Innings and 176 runs		Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	3 January 2021
Last updated: 19 February 2022[22]

Greatest win margins (by runs)

The greatest winning margin by runs in Test cricket was England's victory over Australia by 675 runs in the first Test of the 1928–29 Ashes series. The largest victory recorded by New Zealand, which is the 8th largest victory, was recorded against Sri Lanka in the second and final Test of the 2018-19 tour at the Hagley Oval, where the hosts won by 423 runs.^[23]

Rank	Margin	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	423 runs	Sri Lanka	Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	30 December 2018
2	281 runs	South Africa	Bay Oval, Tauranga, New Zealand	7 February 2024
3	254 runs	Zimbabwe	Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	6 August 2016
4	240 runs	West Indies	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	12 December 2017
5	204 runs		Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados	21 June 2002
Last updated: 07 February 2024[22]

Greatest win margins (by 10 wickets)

New Zealand have won a Test match by a margin of 10 wickets on 5 occasions.^[22]

Rank	Number of Victories	Opposition	Most Recent Venue	Date
1	3	India	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	21 February 2020
2	1	Zimbabwe		19 February 1998
		West Indies		17 March 2006
Last updated: 3 December 2017[22]

Narrowest win margins (by runs)

New Zealand's narrowest win was by 1 run (the second such victory in Test history, after West Indies), against England in a match in February 2023. England made 435 runs in first innings. In response, New Zealand were dismissed for 209 and were asked to follow-on. In the second innings, New Zealand scored 483 runs to set a target of 257 runs to win for England, which they fell one run short of.

Rank	Margin	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	1 run	England	Wellington, New Zealand, NZ	28 February 2023
2	4 runs	Pakistan	Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE	16 November 2018
3	7 runs	Australia	Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Australia	9 December 2011
4	27 runs	West Indies	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	9 March 2006
5	32 runs	Pakistan	University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand	24 November 2009
6	34 runs	Zimbabwe	Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	1 November 2011
	Last updated: 28 February 2023[24]

Narrowest win margins (by wickets)

New Zealand's narrowest win by wickets came in the first Test of the West Indies cricket team in New Zealand in 1979-80 in February 1980. Played at the Carisbrook, the hosts won the match by a margin of one wicket, one of only fourteen one-wicket victories in Test cricket.^[25]

Rank	Margin	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	1 wicket	West Indies	Carisbrook, Dunedin, New Zealand	8 February 1980
2	2 wickets	Pakistan		9 February 1985
3	3 wickets	Bangladesh	Chittagong Divisional Stadium, Chittagong, Bangladesh	17 October 2008
4	4 wickets	India	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	26 December 1998
			Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	19 December 2002
Last updated: 20 June 2020[26]

Greatest loss margins (by innings)

The Oval in London played host the greatest defeat by an innings in Test cricket.^[21] The final Test of the 1938 Ashes saw England defeat the tourists by an innings and 579 runs, to the draw the series at one match all.^[27] New Zealand's biggest defeat came during the Pakistan tour in 2002 when they lost by an innings and 324 runs at Lahore Stadium, Lahore.^[28]

Rank	Margin	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	Innings and 324 runs	Pakistan	Lahore Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan	1 May 2002
2	Innings and 322 runs	West Indies	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	10 February 1995
3	Innings and 222 runs	Australia	Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Australia	26 November 1993
4	Innings and 215 runs	England	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	23 February 1963
5	Innings and 198 runs	India	Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur, India	20 November 2010
Last updated: 20 June 2020[28]

Greatest loss margins (by runs)

The first Test of the 1928–29 Ashes series saw Australia defeated by England by 675 runs, the greatest losing margin by runs in Test cricket.^[23] New Zealand's biggest defeat by runs was against South Africa in the first Test of the 2007 tour at New Wanderers Stadium.^[28]

Rank	Margin	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	372 runs	India	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India	3 December 2021
2	358 runs	South Africa	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	8 November 2007
3	299 runs	Pakistan	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	8 March 2001
4	297 runs	Australia		22 March 1974
5	272 runs	India		7 March 1968
Last updated: 6 December 2021[28]

Greatest loss margins (by 10 wickets)

New Zealand have lost a Test match by a margin of 10 wickets on 13 occasions with most recent being during the 2nd test of the New Zealand cricket team in the West Indies in 2014.

Rank	Margin	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	5	West Indies	Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad	16 June 2014
2	3	Australia	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	19 March 2010
3	2	India	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	18 March 2009
		Pakistan	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	7 January 2011
5	1	Sri Lanka	Galle International Stadium, Galle, Sri Lanka	17 November 2012
Last updated: 20 June 2020[28]

Narrowest loss margins (by runs)

The narrowest loss of New Zealand in terms of runs is by 30 runs against South Africa in the first test of the New Zealand's tour of South Africa in 1961.^[29]

Rank	Margin	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	30 runs	South Africa	Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa	8 December 1961
2	33 runs	Pakistan	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	2 January 1993
3	38 runs	England	Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England	7 June 1973
4	60 runs	India	Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, India	25 September 1969
5	62 runs	Australia	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	11 March 2000
Last updated: 20 June 2020[29]

Narrowest loss margins (by wickets)

The narrowest loss of New Zealand in terms of wickets is by 3 wickets against Australia in the third test of New Zealand cricket team in Australia in 2015–16.^[29]

Rank	Margin	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	3 wicket	Australia	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia	27 November 2015
2	4 wickets	Pakistan	Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan	26 October 1955
		Australia	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia	22 November 1985
		England	Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand	14 February 1997
			Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England	10 June 2004
		South Africa	New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	5 May 2006
Last updated: 20 June 2020[29]

Batting records

Most career runs

A run is the basic means of scoring in cricket. A run is scored when the batsman hits the ball with his bat and with his partner runs the length of 22 yards (20 m) of the pitch.^[30]India's Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs in Test cricket with 15,921. Second is Ricky Ponting of Australia with 13,378 ahead of Jacques Kallis from South Africa in third with 13,289.^[31]

Fastest runs getter

Most runs in each batting position

Most runs against each team

Opposition	Runs	Player	Matches	Innings	Period	Ref
Afghanistan	YTP
Australia	1,277	John Wright	19	36	1980–1993	[51]
Bangladesh	822	Kane Williamson†	8	12	2013–2023	[52]
England	1,518	John Wright	23	43	1978–1992	[53]
India	1,224	Brendon McCullum	10	19	2009–2014	[54]
Ireland	YTP
Pakistan	1,519	Kane Williamson†	14	25	2011–2023	[55]
South Africa	1,072	Stephen Fleming	15	27	1994–2007	[56]
Sri Lanka	1,329	Kane Williamson†	12	21	2012-2023	[57]
West Indies	1,136	Ross Taylor	14	23	2008–2020	[58]
Zimbabwe	813	Nathan Astle	11	17	1996–2005	[59]
Last updated: 30 December 2023.

Highest individual score

The second test of the Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 2013–14 saw Brendon McCullum score his first and New Zealand's only triple century and record New Zealand's highest Individual score.^[60]

Rank	Runs	Player	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	302	Brendon McCullum	India	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	14 February 2014
2	299	Martin Crowe	Sri Lanka		31 January 1991
3	290	Ross Taylor	Australia	WACA Ground, Perth, Australia	13 November 2015
4	274*	Stephen Fleming	Sri Lanka	P Sara Oval, Colombo, Sri Lanka	25 April 2003
5	267*	Bryan Young		Carisbrook, Dunedin, New Zealand	7 March 1997
Last updated: 20 June 2020[60]

Highest individual score – progression of record

Runs	Player	Opponent	Venue	Season
45*	Roger Blunt	England	Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand	1929–30
136	Stewie Dempster		Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand
206	Martin Donnelly		Lord's, London, England	1949
230	Bert Sutcliffe	India	Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi, India	1955–56
239	Graham Dowling		Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand	1967−68
259	Glenn Turner	West Indies	Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana	1972
299	Martin Crowe	Sri Lanka	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	1990−91
302	Brendon McCullum	India		2013–14
Last updated: 20 June 2020[60]

Highest individual score against each team

Opposition	Runs	Player	Venue	Date	Ref
Afghanistan	YTP
Australia	290	Ross Taylor	WACA Ground, Perth, Australia	15 November 2015	[61]
Bangladesh	252	Tom Latham	Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	9 January 2022	[62]
England	222	Nathan Astle	Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand	13 March 2002	[63]
India	302	Brendon McCullum	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	14 February 2014	[64]
Ireland	YTP
Pakistan	238	Kane Williamson	Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	3 January 2021	[65]
South Africa	262	Stephen Fleming	Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa	27 April 2006	[66]
Sri Lanka	299	Martin Crowe	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	31 January 1991	[67]
West Indies	259	Glenn Turner	Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana	6 April 1972	[68]
Zimbabwe	173*	Ross Taylor	Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe	28 July 2016	[69]
Last updated: 11 January 2022.

Highest career average

A batsman's batting average is the total number of runs they have scored divided by the number of times they have been dismissed.^[70]

Highest average in each batting position

Most half-centuries

A half-century is a score of between 50 and 99 runs. Statistically, once a batsman's score reaches 100, it is no longer considered a half-century but a century.

Sachin Tendulkar of India has scored the most half-centuries in Test cricket with 68. He is followed by the West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 66, India's Rahul Dravid and Allan Border of Australia on 63 and in fifth with 62 fifties to his name, Australia's Ricky Ponting.^[82]

Most centuries

A century is a score of 100 or more runs in a single innings.

Tendulkar has also scored the most centuries in Test cricket with 51. South Africa's Jacques Kallis is next on 45 and Ricky Ponting with 41 hundreds is in third.^[84]

Most double centuries

A double century is a score of 200 or more runs in a single innings.

Bradman holds the Test record for the most double centuries scored with twelve, one ahead of Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara who finished his career with eleven. In third is Brian Lara of the West Indies with nine. England's Wally Hammond, Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka and Virat Kohli of India scored seven double centuries.^[86]

Most triple centuries

A triple century is a score of 300 or more runs in a single innings.

India's Virender Sehwag, Australia's Don Bradman and West Indies's Chris Gayle and Brian Lara have each scored two triple centuries.^[88] Brendon McCullum is the only New Zealand Player who has scored a single Test triple century as of September 2020^[update].

Most Sixes

Most Fours

Most runs in a series

The 1930 Ashes series in England saw Don Bradman set the record for the most runs scored in a single series, falling just 26 short of 1,000 runs. He is followed by Wally Hammond with 905 runs scored in the 1928–29 Ashes series. Glenn Turner with 672 in the 1972 tour of West Indies is the highest New Zealander on the list.^[92]

Rank	Runs	Player	Matches	Innings	Opposition	Series
1	672	Glenn Turner	5	8	West Indies	New Zealand cricket team in the West Indies in 1971–72
2	611	Bert Sutcliffe		9	India	New Zealand cricket team in India in 1955–56
3	546	John R. Reid		10	South Africa	New Zealand cricket team in South Africa in 1961–62
4	538	Daryl Mitchell	3	6	England	New Zealand cricket team in England in 2022
5	535	Brendon McCullum	2	4	India	Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 2013–14
Last updated: 30 June 2022[93]

Most ducks

A duck refers to a batsman being dismissed without scoring a run.^[94] Chris Martin has scored the second-highest number of ducks in Test cricket behind Courtney Walsh.^[95]

Most career wickets

A bowler takes the wicket of a batsman when the form of dismissal is bowled, caught, leg before wicket, stumped or hit wicket. If the batsman is dismissed by run out, obstructing the field, handling the ball, hitting the ball twice or timed out the bowler does not receive credit.

Shane Warne held the record for the most Test wickets with 708 until December 2007 when Sri Lankan bowler Muttiah Muralitharan passed Warne's milestone.^[97] Muralitharan, who continued to play until 2010, finished with 800 wickets to his name. James Anderson of England is third on the list taking 632 wickets holds the record for most wickets by a fast bowler in Test cricket.^[98][99] New Zealand's Richard Hadlee is the highest ranked New Zealand bowler taking 431 wickets.

Most career wickets against each team

Opposition	Wickets	Player	Matches	Innings	Runs	Period	Ref
Afghanistan	YTP
Australia	130	Richard Hadlee	23	41	2,674	1973–1990	[101]
Bangladesh	51	Daniel Vettori	9	17	819	2001–2010	[102]
England	97	Richard Hadlee	21	35	2,399	1973–1990	[103]
India	65		14	24	1,493	1976–1990	[104]
Ireland	YTP
Pakistan	51	Richard Hadlee	12	20	1,448	1973–1989	[105]
South Africa	55	Chris Martin	14	24	2,730	2000–2013	[106]
Sri Lanka	64	Tim Southee†	12	23	1,152	2012–2023	[107]
West Indies	51	Richard Hadlee	10	19	1,124	1980–1987	[108]
Zimbabwe	39	Chris Cairns	8	16	944	1996–2000	[109]
Last updated: 20 March 2023

Fastest wicket taker

Best figures in an innings

Bowling figures refers to the number of the wickets a bowler has taken and the number of runs conceded.^[118]There have been three occasions in Test cricket where a bowler has taken all ten wickets in a single innings – Jim Laker of England took 10/53 against Australia in 1956, India's Anil Kumble in 1999 returned figures of 10/74 against Pakistan and New Zealand's Ajaz Patel in 2021, returning figures of 10/119 against India. Richard Hadlee is one of 15 bowlers who have taken nine wickets in a Test match innings.^[119]

Rank	Figures	Player	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	10/119	Ajaz Patel†	India	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India	3 December 2021
2	9/52	Richard Hadlee	Australia	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, Australia	8 November 1985
3	7/23		India	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	13 February 1976
		Matt Henry	South Africa	Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	17 February 2022
5	7/39	Neil Wagner†	West Indies	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	1 December 2017
Last updated: 19 February 2022[120]

Best figures in an innings against each team

Opposition	Figures	Player	Venue	Date	Reference
Afghanistan	YTP
Australia	9/52	Richard Hadlee	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, Australia	8 November 1985	[121]
Bangladesh	7/53	Chris Cairns	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	18 December 2001	[122]
England	7/74	Lance Cairns	Headingley, Leeds, England	28 July 1983	[123]
India	10/119	Ajaz Patel	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India	3 December 2021	[124]
Ireland	YTP
Pakistan	7/52	Chris Pringle	Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, Pakistan	26 October 1990	[125]
South Africa	7/23	Matt Henry	Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	17 February 2022	[126]
Sri Lanka	7/130	Daniel Vettori	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	15 December 2006	[127]
West Indies	7/27	Chris Cairns	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	16 December 1999	[128]
Zimbabwe	6/26	Chris Martin	McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand	26 January 2012	[129]
Last updated: 19 January 2022

Best figures in a match

A bowler's bowling figures in a match is the sum of the wickets taken and the runs conceded over both innings.

No bowler in the history of Test cricket has taken all 20 wickets in a match. The closest to do so was English spin bowler Jim Laker. During the fourth Test of the 1956 Ashes series, Laker took 9/37 in the first innings and 10/53 in the second to finish with match figures of 19/90. Richard Hadlee's figures of 15/123 taken during the first match of the New Zealand tour of Australia in 1985, is the 10th best in Test cricket history.^[130]

Rank	Figures	Player	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	15/123	Richard Hadlee	Australia	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, Australia	8 November 1985
2	14/225	Ajaz Patel	India	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India	3 December 2021
3	12/149	Daniel Vettori	Australia	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	11 March 2000
4	12/170		Bangladesh	M. A. Aziz Stadium, Chittagong, Bangladesh	26 October 2004
5	11/58	Richard Hadlee	India	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	13 February 1976
Last updated: 5 December 2021[131]

Best career average

A bowler's bowling average is the total number of runs they have conceded divided by the number of wickets they have taken.Nineteenth century English medium pacer George Lohmann holds the record for the best career average in Test cricket with 10.75. J. J. Ferris, one of fifteen cricketers to have played Test cricket for more than one team,^[132] is second behind Lohmann with an overall career average of 12.70 runs per wicket.^[133]

Best career economy rate

A bowler's economy rate is the total number of runs they have conceded divided by the number of overs they have bowled.^[94]English bowler William Attewell, who played 10 matches for England between 1884 and 1892, holds the Test record for the best career economy rate with 1.31. New Zealand's Jeremy Coney, with a rate of 2.04 runs per over conceded over his 52-match Test career, is 43rd on the list.^[135]

Best career strike rate

A bowler's strike rate is the total number of balls they have bowled divided by the number of wickets they have taken.^[94]As with the career average above, the top bowler with the best Test career strike rate is George Lohmann with strike rate of 34.1 balls per wicket. New Zealand's Shane Bond is at third position in this list.^[137]

Most five-wicket hauls in an innings

A five-wicket haul refers to a bowler taking five wickets in a single innings.^[139]Richard Hadlee is third on the list of most five-wicket hauls behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia's Shane Warne in Test cricket.^[140]

Most ten-wicket hauls in a match

A ten-wicket haul refers to a bowler taking ten or more wickets in a match over two innings.Richard Hadlee is third on the all-time list of the most ten-wicket hauls in Test cricket, having taken the most of any fast bowler with 9 ten-wicket hauls. Only spin bowlers Muralitharan and Warne have taken more with 22 and 10 respectively.^[142]

Worst figures in an innings

The worst figures in a single innings in Test cricket came in the third Test between the West Indies at home to Pakistan in 1958. Pakistan's Khan Mohammad returned figures of 0/259 from his 54 overs in the second innings of the match.^[144][145] The worst figures by a New Zealander is 0/181 that came off the bowling of Matthew Hart in the second test of the West Indies tour of New Zealand in 1995.^[146]

Rank	Figures	Player	Overs	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	0/181	Matthew Hart	46	West Indies	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	10 February 1995
2	0/179	Murphy Su'a	44
3	0/159	Alex Moir	35	South Africa		6 March 1953
4	0/156	Mark Craig	31	Australia	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, Australia	5 November 2015
5	0/131	Paul Wiseman	54	Zimbabwe	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	26 December 2000
Last updated: 20 June 2020[147]

Worst figures in a match

The worst figures in a match in Test cricket were taken by South Africa's Imran Tahir in the second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in November 2012. He returned figures of 0/180 from his 23 overs in the first innings and 0/80 off 14 in the third innings for a total of 0/260 from 37 overs.^[148] He claimed the record in his final over when two runs came from it – enough for him to pass the previous record of 0/259, set 54 years prior.^[149]

The worst figures by a New Zealander is by Matthew Hart in the second test of the West Indies tour of New Zealand in 1995.^[146]

Rank	Figures	Player	Overs	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	0/181	Matthew Hart	46	West Indies	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	10 February 1995
2	0/179	Murphy Su'a	44
3	0/156	Doug Bracewell	38	Australia	Brisbane Cricket Ground, Brisbane, Australia	5 November 2015
4	0/159	Alex Moir	35	South Africa	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	6 March 1953
		Stephen Boock	61	West Indies	Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana	6 April 1985
Last updated:20 June 2020[150]

Most wickets in a series

England's seventh Test tour of South Africa in 1913–14 saw the record set for the most wickets taken by a bowler in a Test series. English paceman Sydney Barnes played in four of the five matches and achieved a total of 49 wickets to his name.

Rank	Wickets	Player	Matches	Opposition	Series
1	33	Richard Hadlee	3	Australia	New Zealand cricket team in Australia in 1985–86
2	27	Bruce Taylor	4	West Indies	New Zealand cricket team in West Indies in 1971–72
3	23	Richard Hadlee	3	Sri Lanka	New Zealand cricket team in Sri Lanka in 1983–84
4	22	Tony MacGibbon	5	South Africa	New Zealand cricket team in South Africa in 1953–54
		Jack Alabaster			New Zealand cricket team in South Africa in 1961–62
Last updated: 20 June 2020[151]

Hat-trick

In cricket, a hat-trick occurs when a bowler takes three wickets with consecutive deliveries. The deliveries may be interrupted by an over bowled by another bowler from the other end of the pitch or the other team's innings, but must be three consecutive deliveries by the individual bowler in the same match. Only wickets attributed to the bowler count towards a hat-trick; run outs do not count.In Test cricket history there have been just 44 hat-tricks, the first achieved by Fred Spofforth for Australia against England in 1879. In 1912, Australian Jimmy Matthews achieved the feat twice in one game against South Africa. The only other players to achieve two hat-tricks are Australia's Hugh Trumble, against England in 1902 and 1904, Pakistan's Wasim Akram, in separate games against Sri Lanka in 1999, and England's Stuart Broad.

No.	Bowler	For	Against	Inn.	Test	Dismissals	Venue	Date	Ref.
1	Peter Petherick	New Zealand	Pakistan	1	1/3	Javed Miandad (c Richard Hadlee) Wasim Raja (c and b) Intikhab Alam (c Geoff Howarth)	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore	9 October 1976	[152]
2	James Franklin	New Zealand	Bangladesh	1	1/2	Manjural Islam Rana (c Brendon McCullum) Mohammad Rafique (c Scott Styris) Tapash Baisya (b)	Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka	20 October 2004	[153]

The wicket-keeper is a specialist fielder who stands behind the stumps being guarded by the batsman on strike and is the only member of the fielding side allowed to wear gloves and leg pads.^[154]

Most career dismissals

A wicket-keeper can be credited with the dismissal of a batsman in two ways, caught or stumped. A fair catch is taken when the ball is caught fully within the field of play without it bouncing after the ball has touched the striker's bat or glove holding the bat,^[155][156] while a stumping occurs when the wicket-keeper puts down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground and not attempting a run.^[157]New Zealand's BJ Watling is the highest New Zealander in taking most dismissals in Test cricket as a designated wicket-keeper.^[158]

Most career catches

Watling is seventh in taking most catches in Test cricket as a designated wicket-keeper.^[160]

Most career stumpings

Bert Oldfield, Australia's fifth-most capped wicket-keeper, holds the record for the most stumpings in Test cricket with 52. New Zealand wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum is equal 43rd on 11.^[162]

Most dismissals in an innings

Four wicket-keepers have taken seven dismissals in a single innings in a Test match—Wasim Bari of Pakistan in 1979, Englishman Bob Taylor in 1980, New Zealand's Ian Smith in 1991 and most recently West Indian gloveman Ridley Jacobs against Australia in 2000.^[164]

The feat of taking 6 dismissals in an innings has been achieved by 24 wicket-keepers on 32 occasions with Watling being the only New Zealander.^[165]

Rank	Dismissals	Player	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	7	Ian Smith	Sri Lanka	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	22 February 1991
2	6	BJ Watling	India	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	6 February 2014
			Sri Lanka	University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand	10 December 2015
4	5	Roy Harford	India	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	29 February 1968
		Ken Wadsworth	Pakistan	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	16 February 1973
		Warren Lees	Sri Lanka	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	11 March 1983
		Ian Smith	England	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	10 February 1984
			Sri Lanka		1 March 1991
		Adam Parore	England		30 January 1992
			Sri Lanka	Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka	6 December 1992
			Zimbabwe	Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe	19 September 2000
			Pakistan	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	8 March 2001
		Brendon McCullum	England	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	5 March 2008
			West Indies	McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand	19 December 2008
			Pakistan		11 December 2009
			England	Headingley, Leeds, England	24 May 2013
		BJ Watling	West Indies	Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	19 December 2013
			India	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	14 February 2014
			West Indies	Sabina Park, Kingston, West Indies	8 June 2014
			Sri Lanka	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	3 January 2015
					15 December 2018
				P. Sara Oval, Colombo, Sri Lanka	22 August 2019
Last updated: 20 June 2020[166]

Most dismissals in a match

Three wicket-keepers have made 11 dismissals in a Test match, Englishman Jack Russell in 1995, South African AB de Villiers in 2013 and most recently India's Rishabh Pant against Australia in 2018.^[167]

The feat of making 10 dismissals in a match has been achieved by 4 wicket-keepers on 4 occasions.^[168]The most dismissals made by New Zealand wicket-keeper is nine, once by Brendon McCullum in 2009 and twice by BJ Watling in 2014 and 2015.

Rank	Dismissals	Player	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	9	Brendon McCullum	Pakistan	McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand	11 December 2009
		BJ Watling	India	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	6 February 2014
			Sri Lanka	University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand	10 December 2015
4	8	Warren Lees		Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	11 March 1983
		Ian Smith		Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand	22 February 1991
		BJ Watling	West Indies		19 December 2013
				Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica	8 June 2014
			Pakistan	Bay Oval, Tauranga, New Zealand	26 December 2020
		Tom Blundell	England	Edgbaston, Birmingham, England	10 June 2021
Last updated: 13 June 2021[169]

Most dismissals in a series

Brad Haddin holds the Test cricket record for the most dismissals taken by a wicket-keeper in a series. He took 29 catches during the 2013 Ashes series. New Zealand's record is held by Artie Dick when he made 23 dismissals during the New Zealand cricket team in South Africa in 1961–62.^[170]

Rank	Dismissals	Player	Matches	Innings	Opposition	Series
1	23	Artie Dick	5	9	South Africa	New Zealand cricket team in South Africa in 1961–62
2	16	Ian Smith	3	5	Sri Lanka	Sri Lankan cricket team in New Zealand in 1990-91
		Adam Parore			Pakistan	Pakistani cricket team in New Zealand in 2000–01
		Brendon McCullum		6	Pakistan	Pakistan cricket team in New Zealand in 2009–10
5	15	BJ Watling	2	4	India	Indian cricket team in New Zealand in 2013-14
					Sri Lanka	Sri Lankan cricket team in New Zealand in 2015-16
Last updated: 20 June 2020[171]

Most career catches

Caught is one of the nine methods a batsman can be dismissed in cricket.^[c] The majority of catches are caught in the slips, located behind the batsman, next to the wicket-keeper, on the off side of the field. Most slip fielders are top order batsmen.^[173][174]

India's Rahul Dravid holds the record for the most catches in Test cricket by a non-wicket-keeper with 210, followed by Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka on 205 and South African Jacques Kallis with 200. Stephen Fleming is the highest ranked New Zealander in seventh, securing 171 catches in his Test career.^[175]

Most catches in a series

The 1920–21 Ashes series, in which Australia whitewashed England 5–0 for the first time,^[177] saw the record set for the most catches taken by a non-wicket-keeper in a Test series. Australian all-rounder Jack Gregory took 15 catches in the series as well as 23 wickets.^[178] Greg Chappell, a fellow Australian all-rounder, and India's K. L. Rahul are equal second behind Gregory with 14 catches taken during the 1974–75 Ashes series and during the 2018 Indian tour of England respectively. Four players have taken 13 catches in a series on six occasions with both Bob Simpson and Brian Lara having done so twice and Rahul Dravid and Alastair Cook once. Stephen Fleming is the highest ranked New Zealander in this list.^[179]

Rank	Catches	Player	Matches	Innings	Opposition	Series
1	10	Stephen Fleming	2	4	Zimbabwe	New Zealand cricket team in Zimbabwe in 1997-98
			4	8	England	New Zealand cricket team in England in 1999
3	9	Bryan Young	3	5	Pakistan	Pakistani cricket team in New Zealand in 1993-94
		Stephen Fleming			Australia	New Zealand cricket team in Australia in 1997–98
					West Indies	West Indies cricket team in New Zealand in 2005–06
Last updated: 20 June 2020[180]

1000 runs and 100 wickets

A total of 71 players have achieved the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in their Test career.^[181]

250 runs and 20 wickets in a series

A total of 18 players on 24 occasions have achieved the double of 250 runs and 20 wickets in a series.^[183]

Player	Matches	Runs	Wickets	Opposition	Series
Richard Hadlee	4	301	21	England	New Zealand in England in 1983
Last updated: 22 August 2020[184]

Most career matches

India's Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the most Test matches played with 200, with former captains Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh being joint second with each having represented Australia on 168 occasions. Daniel Vettori and Ross Taylor are the highest ranked New Zealanders in this list.^[185]

Most consecutive career matches

Former English captain Alastair Cook holds the record for the most consecutive Test matches played with 159. He broke Allan Border's long standing record of 153 matches in June 2018.^[187] The recently retired New Zealand wicket-keeper-batsman Brendon McCullum, who is fifth on the list with 101 matches, is the highest ranked cricketer who never missed a Test match during his playing career.^[188]

Most matches as captain

Graeme Smith, who led the South African cricket team from 2003 to 2014, holds the record for the most matches played as captain in Test cricket with 109.Stephen Fleming who led the side for nine years from 1997 to 2006 is third on the list with 80 matches.^[189]

Most matches won as a captain

Most man of the match awards

Most man of the series awards

Youngest players on debut

The youngest player to play in a Test match is claimed to be Hasan Raza at the age of 14 years and 227 days. Making his debut for Pakistan against Zimbabwe on 24 October 1996, there is some doubt as to the validity of Raza's age at the time.^[194] The youngest New Zealander to play Test cricket was Daniel Vettori who at the age of 18 years and 10 days debuted in the second Test of the series against England in February 1997.^[195]

Rank	Age	Player	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	18 years and 10 days	Daniel Vettori	England	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	6 February 1997
2	18 years and 197 days	Doug Freeman		Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand	24 March 1933
3	18 years and 267 days	Giff Vivian		The Oval, London, England	29 July 1931
4	18 years and 295 days	Richard Collinge	Pakistan	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	22 January 1965
5	18 years and 316 days	Brendon Bracewell	England	The Oval, London, England	27 July 1978
Last updated: 3 December 2017[195][196]

Oldest players on debut

England left-arm slow bowler James Southerton is the oldest player to appear in a Test match. Playing in the very first inaugural test against Australia in 1876 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, in Melbourne, Australia, he was aged 49 years and 119 days. Herb McGirr is the oldest New Zealand Test debutant when he made his debut during the 1930 England series at the Eden Park.^[197]

Rank	Age	Player	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	38 years and 101 days	Herb McGirr	England	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	14 February 1930
2	36 years and 317 days	Ray Emery	West Indies	Lancaster Park, Christchurch, New Zealand	8 February 1952
3	36 years and 120 days	Tom Puna	England		25 February 1966
4	36 years and 89 days	Allen Lissette	West Indies	Carisbrook, Dunedin, New Zealand	3 February 1956
5	34 years and 295 days	Graham Gedye	South Africa	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	21 February 1964
Last updated: 20 June 2020[197][198]

Oldest players

England all-rounder Wilfred Rhodes is the oldest player to appear in a Test match. Playing in the fourth Test against the West Indies in 1930 at Sabina Park, in Kingston, Jamaica, he was aged 52 years and 165 days on the final day's play. The oldest New Zealand Test player is Jack Alabaster who was aged 41 years and 242 days when he represented New Zealand for the final time in the 1972 tour of West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval.^[199]

Rank	Age	Player	Opposition	Venue	Date
1	41 years and 242 days	Jack Alabaster	West Indies	Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad	9 March 1972
2	41 years and 191 days	Bert Sutcliffe	England	Edgbaston, Birmingham, England	27 May 1965
3	40 years and 194 days	Bevan Congdon		Lord's, London, England	24 August 1978
4	39 years and 240 days	Alex Moir		Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	14 March 1959
5	39 years and 2 days	Richard Hadlee		Edgbaston, Birmingham, England	5 July 1990
Last updated: 28 January 2021[199][200]

In cricket, two batsmen are always present at the crease batting together in a partnership. This partnership will continue until one of them is dismissed, retires or the innings comes to a close.

Highest partnerships by wicket

A wicket partnership describes the number of runs scored before each wicket falls. The first wicket partnership is between the opening batsmen and continues until the first wicket falls. The second wicket partnership then commences between the not out batsman and the number three batsman. This partnership continues until the second wicket falls. The third wicket partnership then commences between the not out batsman and the new batsman. This continues down to the tenth wicket partnership. When the tenth wicket has fallen, there is no batsman left to partner so the innings is closed.

Wicket	Runs	First batsman	Second batsman	Opposition	Venue	Date	Scorecard
1st wicket	413	Glenn Turner	Terry Jarvis	West Indies	Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana	6 April 1972	Scorecard
2nd wicket	297	Brendon McCullum	Kane Williamson†	Pakistan	Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, UAE	26 November 2014	Scorecard
3rd wicket	467	Andrew Jones	Martin Crowe	Sri Lanka	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	31 January 1991	Scorecard
4th wicket	369	Kane Williamson†	Henry Nicholls†	Pakistan	Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	3 January 2021	Scorecard
5th wicket	236	Daryl Mitchell	Tom Blundell	England	Nottingham, England	10 June 2022	Scorecard
6th wicket	365*	Kane Williamson†	BJ Watling	Sri Lanka	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	3 January 2015	Scorecard
7th wicket	261	Mitchell Santner†		England	Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand	21 November 2019	Scorecard
8th wicket	256	Stephen Fleming	James Franklin	South Africa	Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa	27 April 2006	Scorecard
9th wicket	136	Ian Smith	Martin Snedden	India	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	22 February 1990	Scorecard
10th wicket	151	Brian Hastings	Richard Collinge	Pakistan		16 February 1973	Scorecard
Last updated: 20 June 2020[201]

Highest partnerships by runs

The highest Test partnership by runs for any wicket is held by the Sri Lankan pairing of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who put together a third wicket partnership of 624 runs during the first Test against South Africa in July 2006. This broke the record of 576 runs set by their compatriots Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama against India in 1997. New Zealand's Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe hold the third highest Test partnership with 467 made in 1991 against Sri Lanka.^[202]

Wicket	Runs	First batsman	Second batsman	Opposition	Venue	Date	Scorecard
3rd wicket	467	Andrew Jones	Martin Crowe	Sri Lanka	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	31 January 1991	Scorecard
1st wicket	413	Glenn Turner	Terry Jarvis	West Indies	Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana	6 April 1972	Scorecard
4th wicket	369	Kane Williamson	Henry Nicholls	Pakistan	Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand	3 January 2021	Scorecard
6th wicket	365*		BJ Watling	Sri Lanka	Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand	3 January 2015	Scorecard
3rd wicket	363		Henry Nicholls			17 March 2023
Last updated: 17 March 2023[203]