Cricket is one of the oldest team sport and has a rich history associated with it. Its Test format was first played in the year 1877 and still going strong with as many as 12 teams playing the 5-day format. Till date, there have been 2500+ Tests played across 12 different countries and 123 venues, with India having the maximum number of them with 37 Indian venues where at least one Test match has been held, followed by Pakistan at 16. West Indies which is land of Islands has 11 venues.
With the game of cricket rapidly expanding at rapid pace, we might many more nations getting Test status and more venues being added up.
But for now, we will look at the number of Tests hosted by different countries over the last 147 years.
Most Tests Played in a Country
| Country | No. of Home Tests | No. of Neutral Tests | First Match Hosted In |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 552 | 7 | 1880 |
| Australia | 445 | – | 1877 |
| India | 292 | 2 | 1933 |
| West Indies | 265 | – | 1930 |
| South Africa | 250 | – | 1889 |
| New Zealand | 232 | – | 1930 |
| Pakistan | 168 | – | 1955 |
| Sri Lanka | 158 | 1 | 1982 |
| Bangladesh | 77 | 1 | 1955 |
| Zimbabwe | 65 | – | 1992 |
| UAE | – | 38 | 2002 |
| Ireland | 2 | – | 2018 |
Key Stats:
559 – The number of played in England and it is country where most number of Tests have taken place. While 552 of them were games that their national team played, rest of the seven were played by two neutral teams. This includes 2 WTC finals took place in England.
445 – The first ever Test match was held in Australia in the year 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and till date, it has played host to 445 Test matches till date, which is the second most in history.
6 – Apart from England and Australia, only four other countries have hosted 200 or more Tests in their own backyard. They are India, South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies, with South Africa being the only one (other than England and Australia) to host a Test match in the 19th century.
Along with England, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have hosted neutral Tests. Being a Non-Test playing country, UAE has hosted 38 Test matches, usually games involving Pakistan and Afghanistan.
2 – Ireland became the latest country to host a Test match and they did so in the year 2018.
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