Cricket is one of the most challenging yet competitive team sport that you can come across. The part of this is thanks to the conditions in which the games are played in and the different forms in which this amazing sport comes. We have three diverse formats (Tests, ODIs and T20Is) and each needs to be played in different styles.
Here we will talk about Test cricket which is played over 5 days with the red-ball, unlike the other formats. The nature of a Test match greatly varies with the weather conditions and surfaces in which they are played. So the side which is hosting will be better adept to the conditions and than the touring party who needs significant time to get accustomed to. That is why home Tests are important and driving away with the home advantage is highly critical in Test cricket.
So here we will discuss how the Test teams have fared when they play at home and how well they have dominated in their own den.
Most Successful Teams at Home in Test Cricket
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Win Percentage (%) |
| Australia | 445 | 259 | 102 | 83 + 1 Tie | 58.20 |
| England | 552 | 238 | 130 | 184 | 43.11 |
| India | 289 | 118 | 55 | 115 + 1 Tie | 40.83 |
| South Africa | 250 | 117 | 77 | 56 | 46.80 |
| West Indies | 265 | 94 | 70 | 101 | 35.47 |
| New Zealand | 232 | 75 | 69 | 88 | 32.32 |
| Sri Lanka | 156 | 69 | 45 | 42 | 44.23 |
| Pakistan | 166 | 60 | 28 | 78 | 36.14 |
| Bangladesh | 77 | 13 | 50 | 14 | 16.88 |
| Zimbabwe | 65 | 9 | 37 | 19 | 13.84 |
| Ireland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
Key Stats
11 of the 12 Test playing nations have hosted a Test match till now and the only country who haven’t hosted a Test at home is Afghanistan. The emerging cricketing nation has played their 5 completed home Tests till now at a neutral venue.
552 – This is the highest number of Tests played by a country at home and England have won 238 out of those, which makes them the second most successful Test team at home. Their win percentage is 43.11 and are the fourth best team in that regard.
Ireland with just two Tests holds the record of hosting least games in the red-ball format, winning one of them. This makes their winning percentage at home to be 50.
259 – Australia’s tally of Test wins at home and this makes them the most successful Test side at home in history. They have achieved these wins in 445 games, which is 107 Tests fewer than England.
58.20 – Win percentage of Aussies in Tests while playing at home and none of the other teams are even close to this humongous mark set by them. South Africa comes next with 46.80, which is a solid win percentage.
44.23 – This is Sri Lanka’s win percentage at home and they are ahead of both Asian giants India & Pakistan in this regard.
4 – Number of hosts nations who have won 100 or more Tests at home. India & South Africa join England and Australia in the list, with West Indies coming close 5th having won 94 games.
b – There have been just two ties in history of Test cricket. While the first one came at the Gabba between Australia & West Indies in 1960, the second one came at Chennai in 1987 in a Test again featuring Australia playing against India.
130 – This is the tally of most Test defeats at home and it is currently held by England with Australia coming at 2nd place with 102 losses at their home.
185 – Likewise, England is also a place where Test cricket witnessed a lot of drawn games followed by India with 115 draws.
Check: Which team has most Test losses overall?
