This is by no means meant to be definitive. By calculating the rankings of the two competing sides, and minusing 10 times the calculated run margin, or, if a draw, the distance to victory of both sides, I have created a basic measure of game quality. It doesn't account for dead tests, series context, or other intangibles, nor does it correct for slight ratings inflation as weaker sides have been added. It also strongly favours great sides, particularly Australia who are fairly consistent on that front, meaning some great games between mediocre sides have missed out. That said, the list is interesting, and occasionally surprising.
Match | Test No. | Quality |
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South Africa | Australia | 1996/97 | 2 | Port Elizabeth | Australia by 2 wickets | 1360 | 1925.4 |
Amazing comeback from Australia, led by series winning knock from Mark Waugh |
Australia | Pakistan | 2009/10 | 2 | Sydney | Australia by 36 runs | 1945 | 1926.0 |
Questionable comeback as Pakistan crumble in low chase. |
India | Australia | 1986/87 | 1 | Madras | Match Tied | 1052 | 1928.3 |
The second tied test, epic high scoring game as India chased 347 |
England | Australia | 1882 | 1 | The Oval | Australia by 7 runs | 9 | 1930.0 |
The game that birthed the Ashes as Spofforth takes 14 |
Australia | India | 1977/78 | 1 | Brisbane | Australia by 16 runs | 809 | 1937.2 |
Under-rated WSC years match as Thomson holds back Gavaskar |
Australia | England | 1884/85 | 3 | Sydney | Australia by 6 runs | 19 | 1940.0 |
Flowers and Read bring England close in an under-rated fixture |
England | West Indies | 1980 | 1 | Trent Bridge | West Indies by 2 wickets | 880 | 1945.9 |
Despite 5 wickets from Willis, Haynes and Roberts sneak home |
West Indies | England | 1973/74 | 5 | Queen's Park Oval | England by 26 runs | 738 | 1950.3 |
Boycott and Grieg draw the series in a fluctuating game. |
England | Australia | 1981 | 3 | Headingley | England by 18 runs | 905 | 1969.7 |
A truly great comeback but played between two average sides. |
Australia | West Indies | 1960/61 | 5 | Melbourne | Australia by 2 wickets | 506 | 1972.5 |
The final chapter in an epic series as Australia blocked out the Windies spinners to win |
Pakistan | England | 2005/06 | 1 | Multan | Pakistan by 22 runs | 1770 | 1973.3 |
A great comeback, started by Butt and Inzaman, finished by Shoaib and Kaneria |
Australia | West Indies | 1960/61 | 4 | Adelaide | Match Drawn | 504 | 1973.4 |
Mackay and Kline survive the final session to draw |
Australia | West Indies | 1951/52 | 1 | Brisbane | Australia by 3 wickets | 340 | 1979.2 |
The most under-rated series, as Australia just squeeze past Ramadhin and Valentine |
Sri Lanka | South Africa | 2006 | 2 | Colombo | Sri Lanka by 1 wicket | 1812 | 1979.2 |
Sri Lanka survive a late collapse as Murali takes 12 |
England | Australia | 1902 | 5 | The Oval | England by 1 wicket | 74 | 1985.1 |
Jessop's ton allows Hirst and Rhodes to close a brilliant comeback. |
South Africa | Pakistan | 1997/98 | 2 | Durban | Pakistan by 29 runs | 1403 | 1985.7 |
Pollock sparks a collapse, but Mushtaq Ahmed holds off the long South African tail. |
England | West Indies | 1969 | 3 | Headingley | England by 30 runs | 655 | 1987.9 |
A West Indies comeback falls just short after a middle-order collapse |
Australia | West Indies | 1968/69 | 4 | Adelaide | Match Drawn | 645 | 1993.8 |
Australia runout half their side chasing a last day target, before surviving the last few overs to draw |
England | Australia | 1961 | 4 | Old Trafford | Australia by 54 runs | 510 | 1994.2 |
Lawry leads a comeback capped by Benaud as England collapse on the final day |
India | England | 1972/73 | 2 | Eden Gardens | Inda by 28 runs | 706 | 2008.6 |
Despite Grieg's efforts, England lose a low-scoring affair |
West Indies | Australia | 1998/99 | 3 | Bridgetown | West Indies by 1 wicket | 1453 | 2013.6 |
Extraordinary 153 not out by Lara to overcome McGrath and Gillespie |
England | Pakistan | 1971 | 3 | Headingley | England by 25 runs | 689 | 2016.9 |
Lever sparks late collapse in see-sawing game |
West Indies | Pakistan | 1987/88 | 3 | Bridgetown | West Indies by 2 wickets | 1097 | 2024.1 |
Amazing series ends with Winston Benjamin an unlikely batting hero |
West Indies | England | 1967/68 | 5 | Georgetown | Match Drawn | 636 | 2032.5 |
Cowdrey and Knott hold off Gibbs and Sobers all day to draw. |
West Indies | Pakistan | 1987/88 | 2 | Queen's Park Oval | Match Drawn | 1096 | 2036.6 |
An amazing match, concluded with both sides in sight of victory |
South Africa | Australia | 2005/06 | 3 | Wanderers | Australia by 2 wickets | 1795 | 2045.9 |
Martyn and Hussey mean South Africa fall short again |
Australia | England | 1894/95 | 1 | Sydney | England by 10 runs | 42 | 2055.6 |
The first side to win following on as Peel sparks extraordinary collapse |
India | Pakistan | 1998/99 | 1 | Chennai | Pakistan by 12 runs | 1442 | 2060.7 |
Tendulkar gets India to brink before lamentable collapse of 4/4 |
Australia | England | 1954/55 | 2 | Sydney | England by 38 runs | 392 | 2073.2 |
Harvey's 92 not enough as Tyson takes 10 to complete comeback |
England | Australia | 1997 | 6 | The Oval | England by 19 runs | 1377 | 2074.7 |
Tuffnell and Caddick prevent Australia chasing low target in dead match |
Australia | England | 1982/83 | 4 | Melbourne | England by 3 runs | 943 | 2095.2 |
Thomson and Border fall just short in a game that stayed close the whole way |
Australia | Pakistan | 2002/03 | 1 | Colombo | Australia by 41 runs | 1615 | 2100.2 |
Shoaib's spell offers Pakistan hope but they fall just short |
England | Australia | 2005 | 3 | Old Trafford | Match Drawn | 1760 | 2109.4 |
Ponting holds back England for just long enough as last pair hold on |
Australia | England | 1998/99 | 4 | Melbourne | England by 12 runs | 1436 | 2116.2 |
Australia collapses alarmingly to Headley in evening finish |
Sri Lanka | Australia | 2003/04 | 2 | Kandy | Australia by 27 runs | 1688 | 2136.1 |
Gilchrist and Martyn start comeback in Warne/Murali showdown |
Sri Lanka | South Africa | 2000 | 2 | Kandy | South Africa by 7 runs | 1505 | 2137.4 |
Sri Lanka lose 4/8 after Ranatunga's dismissal to fail just short in low chase |
England | West Indies | 1963 | 2 | Lord's | Match Drawn | 544 | 2168.9 |
Cowdrey comes out with broken arm to see off Griffith and Hall in epic game |
Australia | England | 1928/29 | 4 | Adelaide | England by 12 runs | 179 | 2170.6 |
Dual tons from Hammond enough as young Bradman's runout by Hobbs leaves his side short in dead rubber |
Pakistan | Australia | 1994/95 | 1 | Karachi | Pakistan by 1 wicket | 1268 | 2177.3 |
Warne beats Inzaman and Healy for byes as largest last wicket chase is achieved |
England | Australia | 1902 | 4 | Old Trafford | Australia by 3 runs | 73 | 2182.4 |
Trumble's 10 enough to beat Lockwood's 11 as English collapse leaves them just short |
India | Australia | 2010/11 | 1 | Mohali | India by 1 wicket | 1972 | 2199.9 |
Laxman guides his team home in most recent epic game |
South Africa | England | 1956/57 | 4 | Wanderers | South Africa by 17 runs | 437 | 2207.6 |
Tayfield takes 9 in 4th innings to hold off English comeback |
Australia | England | 1924/25 | 3 | Adelaide | Australia by 11 runs | 160 | 2226.1 |
England almost pull off massive chase but fall just short |
Australia | England | 1950/51 | 2 | Melbourne | Australia by 28 runs | 328 | 2245.4 |
Low scoring game meant England continued their long losing streak |
Australia | South Africa | 1993/94 | 2 | Sydney | South Africa by 5 runs | 1243 | 2274.2 |
de Villiers bowls South Africa to famous victory as Australia fall just short two years running |
India | Australia | 2004/05 | 4 | Wankhede | India by 13 runs | 1720 | 2319.4 |
Crazy low scoring game on difficult pitch. A dead rubber but no less exciting for it. |
Australia | West Indies | 1992/93 | 4 | Adelaide | West Indies by 1 run | 1210 | 2345.3 |
My personal favourite, the dominant team of the past 15 years holds off the dominant team of the next 15 on epic fourth day |
Australia | West Indies | 1960/61 | 1 | Brisbane | Match tied | 498 | 2436.6 |
The first tied test, Davison and Benaud almost pull off unlikely chase in last session before runouts decide it |
Australia | West Indies | 1951/52 | 4 | Melbourne | Australia by 1 wicket | 345 | 2465.6 |
Series winning, 38 run, 10th wicket partnership from Ring and Johnston against Ramadhin and Valentine. |
England | Australia | 2005 | 2 | Edgbaston | England by 2 runs | 1758 | 2544.3 |
Warne and Flintoff combine to produce amazing game, finished by Harmison, Lee and Kasprowicz |
And, the best games from the three unrepresented sides:
|
New Zealand | West Indies | 1979/80 | 1 | Dunedin | New Zealand by 1 wicket | 873 | 1876.5 |
Hadlee overcomes the mighty West Indies in an ill-tempered game |
Pakistan | Zimbabwe | 1993/94 | 2 | Rawalpindi | Pakistan by 52 runs | 1240 | 1474.6 |
Wasim and Waqar take 9/52 to overcome a gallant Zimbabwe |
Pakistan | Bangladesh | 2003 | 3 | Multan | Pakistan by 1 wicket | 1658 | 1337.6 |
Twice Bangladesh has almost taken a proper scalp, twice denied by a great innings, this one by Inzaman |