Highest average over 800 Test runs Several debutants have dominated Test cricket over the years, shocking the cricketing world with their incredible performances. These young people simply stroll in absolutely unconcerned with the difficulties of the format and wind up scoring a tonne of runs. It is uncommon to see hitters in Test Cricket’s longest format, which is regarded as the most difficult, average in the 60s.
There have, however, been a select handful whose extraordinary consistency has elevated their average to unreachable heights, astounded fans and experts alike. In light of this, let’s examine the top three batters in Test cricket with an average of at least 800 runs
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Sidney Barnes (63.05)
Sidney George Barnes Australian cricketer (born 5 June 1916; died 16 December 1973) played in 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948. Barnes was one of Australia’s best batsmen in the years immediately following the Second World War. He could bat at the top of the order or at the bottom of the order. In the second Test match against England in Sydney in December 1946, he contributed to the establishment of an enduring record by hitting 234, precisely the same as his skipper, Don Bradman, and forming a record-breaking 405-run fifth-wicket partnership. In a career that, like that of the majority of his contemporaries, was cut short by the Second World War, Barnes averaged 63.05 over 19 innings.
He made his first-class debut for New South Wales at the conclusion of the 1936–1937 season. He was later chosen for the 1938 Australian tour of England, where he made his Test debut in the series last match.
He was chosen to open alongside Arthur Morris when Test cricket resumed following the war. Barnes was a part of the 1948 Australian squad known as The Invincibles, which went on a tour of England and won every game they played. At the conclusion of that trip, Barnes announced his retirement from the game. He made a contentious attempt to make a comeback in Test cricket during the 1951–52 season.
Barnes played 13 Tests for Australia after making his debut in August 1938 at the Oval against England. He amassed 1072 runs, averaging 63.05, and had 350 fifty-sixes to his credit.
Harry Brook
English cricketer Harry Cherrington Brook, who was born on February 22, 1999, competes for both Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England at the local and international levels. He often hits with his right hand and bowls with his right arm at a medium pace. In January 2022, he made his English debut on the world stage. He batted ten times, with a career average of 80.90 and a strike rate of around 100, and he amassed 809 runs in his first six test matches, which is an outstanding start to his test career.
Career in Cricket
Brook made his Yorkshire first-class debut against Pakistan A on June 26, 2016, at Headingley while still a student. On June 19, 2017, at Lord’s, he played in Yorkshire’s County Championship’s first game against Middlesex. After Yorkshire’s second eleven hit three centuries in a span of two weeks, he made his debut. At the international level, Brook traveled to India at the beginning of 2017 with the England under-19s, participating in five LOIs and two U-19 Tests against the Indian under-19s.
In the 2018 t20 Blast on July 5, Brook made his Twenty20 debut for Yorkshire. His services were hired by Northern Superchargers for The Hundred 2021 competition.
Brook signed with the Lahore Qalandars in 2022. Brook entered the fray when Lahore was down Islamabad United 12-3. He contributed to his team’s final score of 197 by hitting an unbeaten 102 off 49 balls. He became the youngest century-maker in the Pakistan Super League when he got his first T20 century.
In his brief Test career thus far, Brook has established a reputation for himself through his aggressive batting style. He scored three hundred in Pakistan after making his professional debut at the Oval against South Africa. And his recent 186 against New Zealand in the second Test off just 176 balls has elevated him to the ranks of the game’s greats. The 24-year-old is currently averaging 89 after participating in his sixth Test, making him the batsman with the second-highest average in Test cricket (min 800 runs). Along with his astounding average, Brook also boasts a remarkable strike rate of 98.77.
Don Bradman
Australian cricketer Sir Donald George Bradman, AC, popularly referred to as “The Don,” competed internationally. He is thought to be the best batsman to ever live (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001). According to Brett Hutchins, Don Bradman’s lifetime Test batting average of 99.94 is the greatest accomplishment in the history of a major sport.
Bradman served as the team’s scorer for the local Bowral squad that was led by his uncle George Whatman from 1920–1921. He replaced the team’s missing player in October 1920, scoring 37 and 29 on his debut. Bradman’s father accompanied him to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to watch the fifth Ashes Test game of the season. On that day, Bradman developed an ambition, telling his father, “I shall never be fulfilled until I play on this ground.” Bradman finished his education in 1922 and started working for a local real estate broker, who supported his athletic endeavors by allowing him to take time off when necessary. He switched from cricket to tennis for two years, then picked up cricket again in 1925–1926.
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Bradman was chosen frequently for the Bowral team and attracted Sydney newspapers’ attention with a number of standout performances. In the Berrima District competition, Bowral faced off against other small towns on pitches with matting over concrete. Bradman scored 234 against Wingello, a team that featured future Test bowler Bill O’Reilly. Bradman scored 320 not out in the championship match versus Moss Vale, which lasted on five consecutive Saturdays.
The Australian squad lost The Ashes in England the next winter in Australia (1926), and several Test players announced their retirement. The New South Wales Cricket Association started looking for fresh talent. The association wrote to Bradman to invite him to a practice session in Sydney after taking note of his signature performances for Bowral. He was subsequently selected for the “Country Week” competitions in tennis and cricket, which were to be held over separate weeks. Bradman’s supervisor gave him an ultimatum: he could take only one week off work and had to decide between the two sports.
Bradman, who is regarded as the best batter to ever play the game, compiled statistics that have yet to be surpassed. He played 52 Tests for Australia, amassing 6996 runs at an astounding average of 99.94 and earning a place on the team. He amassed 29 hundred during the course of his illustrious career, of which 12 were double hundreds and two were triple hundreds. On top of that, he has 13 fiftys.
