Stats: Test cricket numbers for the year 2016

Test cricket witnessed a return to the spotlight in 2016 with a total of 47 matches been played throughout the year. Despite a lot of T20Is being played in the year including the WT20, teams also preferred to play a lot of Test cricket. India showed domination in the year as they remained undefeated while England playing 17 Tests reflected their batsmen as they topped the 2016 run-getters chart. Here we look at the numbers from Test cricket in 2016.

2 – Two triple centuries have been scored in 2016, the joint most in any calendar year. 1930, 1958, 2004, 2012, 2014 had seen two triple tons.

3 – Number of 10-wicket match hauls Ravichandran Ashwin picked in Tests in 2016, the most by any player. Only Muttiah Muralitharan in 2001 and in 2006 took 4 and 5 ten-wicket match hauls in the respective years.

4 – Number of centuries each Virat Kohli, Moeen Ali and Steven Smith recorded in Tests in 2016, the joint most in 2016.

8/49 – Devendra Bishoo’s bowling figures of 8/49 against Pakistan at Dubai are the best figures in an innings in Tests in 2016.

8 – Number of 5-wicket hauls Ravichandran Ashwin picked in Tests in 2016, the most by any player. These are the joint 2nd most 5-fers for any bowler in a calendar year. MD Marshall in 1984 and Muralitharan in 2006 took 9 five-fers.

8 – Number of Tests England lost in 2016, the most by any team in 2016. England’s 8 losses are the joint 2nd most for a team in Tests in a calendar year.

9 – Number of Tests Team India won in 2016, the most by any team in 2016. These are the most Test wins for them in a year.

13/140 – Ravichandran Ashwin’s match figures of 13/140 against New Zealand at Indore are the best figures for a bowler in a Test in 2016.

13 – Number of fifty plus scores Joe Root recorded in Tests in 2016, the most by any player in a calendar year. These are also the joint most fifty plus scores for a player in a calendar year. Sehwag in 2010 and Root himself in 2015 had 13 fifty plus scores in Test cricket.

47 – Number of Test matches played in 2016, the joint most matches in a calendar year in the last 10 years. 47 Tests were also played in 2008.

54 – Brendon McCullum’s 54-ball century against Australia at Christchurch is the fastest Test century overall history.

66 – Catches taken by Jonny Bairstow in Tests in 2016, the most by any player in a calendar year. Mark Boucher’s 65 catches in 1998 is the previous most for any player in a year in Tests.

70 – Keeping dismissals made by Jonny Bairstow in Tests in 2016, the most by any player in a calendar year. Ian Healy’s 67 dismissals in 1993 are the previous most for any player in a year in this format.

72 – Wickets taken by Ravichandran Ashwin in Tests in 2016, the most by any player in Tests in 2016.

83 – South Africa’s 83/10 vs England in the 3rd innings of the Johannesburg Test is the lowest team total in Tests in 2016.

163 – Balls taken by Ben Stokes for his double century against England at Cape Town is the 2nd fastest overall Test double ton. Nathan Astle took 153 balls for his double ton at Christchurch in England in 2002.

303* – Karun Nair’s 303* vs England at Chennai is the highest individual score in Tests in 2016. Azhar Ali’s 302* vs West Indies in Dubai is the other triple hundred in 2016.

399 – Partnership stand between Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes vs South Africa at Cape Town for the 6th wicket, the highest stand for any wicket in Tests in 2016.

759/7 – India’s total of 759/7 dec is the highest team total in 2016 in Tests. This is the highest score for India in Tests.

912 – Partnership runs between Azhar Ali and Sami Aslam in Test cricket, the most by any pair in 2016.

1477 – Runs scored by Joe Root in Tests in 2016, the most by any player in this format in 2016. Jonny Bairstow stood next to Root with 1470 runs