Top 10 Highest individual scores at number 6 in Tests

The number six is an important batting position in the middle order in Tests as well as ODI cricket. While in ODI cricket the requirement is usually big hits at the middle or end of the innings, in Test cricket it possesses a different challenge. There are situations where a number 6 batsman is not only required to counter the second new ball but also bat with the tail-enders in crunch situations. Players who are designated as all-rounders have usually batted at this position for many teams. Here’s a look at the highest individual scores at number 6 in Test history. 10. Mushfiqur Rahim – 200: Bangladeshi captain Mushfiqur Rahim raises his bat and helmet in celebration after scoring a double century (200 runs). (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Bangladesh’s wicketkeeper, batsman scored a double hundred in a match against Sri Lanka at Galle in March 2013. Batting first the home team scored 570/4 before declaring the innings. In reply visitors made 638/10 courtesy 3 tons and the top score of 200 from their skipper Rahim. The match ended in a draw however Sri Lanka won the 2-match series by 1-0 after winning the final Test at Colombo. 9. Sydney Gregory – 201: Sydney (Syd) Gregory played for New South Wales and Australia. At the time of his retirement, he had played a world-record 58 Test matches during a career spanning 1890 to 1912. Syd Gregory scored Australia’s first double hundred in a Test in Australia in 1894–95 but his 201 was not enough to save his team from a remarkable defeat. They made England follow on after amassing 586 but the visitors then made 437 and bowled Australia out for 166 to pull off an astonishing victory by 10 runs. 8. Hanif Mohammad – 203*: Hanif Mohammad. (© Getty Images) The great Pakistan batsman, who was the skipper of his team in the 3-match home series against New Zealand in 1965, produced a magnificent unbeaten 203 in the first innings of the 2nd Test. His contribution was remarkable considering the team scored 385/7 before declaring the innings. In reply, the Kiwis scored 482/6 before deciding to have a crack at the home team. The great man couldn’t bat in the second innings however his team ensured a draw batting out 77 overs. Pakistan eventually won the series by a margin of 2-0. 7. Hashan Tillakaratne – 204*: Sri Lankan batsman Hashan Tillakaratne. (Photo by SENA VIDANAGAMA/AFP/Getty Images) The elegant left-hander scored a brilliant career-best 204* for Sri Lanka against the West Indies in Colombo in 2001. The match-winning knock helped the home team win the match and complete a 3-0 clean sweep. Batting first the visitors scored 390 and in reply, the islanders piled up 627/9 before declaring. This was largely due to Tillakaratne’s brilliant double hundred. The Windies could manage only 262 and the hosts completed the win by chasing 27 for no loss in 5.3 overs. 6. Greg Blewett – 214: Greg Blewett, England v Australia, 6th Test, The Oval, Aug 97. (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Patrick Eagar Collection via Getty Images) The Australian all-rounder made a high-class double hundred against the Proteas in 1997 in Johannesburg. His 214 against an attack comprising of Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener and Paul Adams helped his team register a win by an innings and 196 runs in the first of the 3-match series. Batting first the home side was bowled out for 302; the Aussies hammered 628/8 before declaring the innings. In reply, the home side could manage only 130 as Warne took out their top order cheaply. The visitors eventually won the series 2-1. 5. AB de Villiers – 217*: Ab de Villiers 217 vs India. (Photo Source: Getty Images) On a green top at Motera in 2008 in Ahmedabad, Dale Steyn’s five-for blew away India for a paltry 76 in the first innings. South Africa posted 494/7 before declaring largely due to a superb unbeaten 217 from the bat of AB de Villiers who looked in complete command throughout his stay. Well supported by Jacques Kallis who scored a hundred, AB batted fluently and didn’t let the Indian bowlers settle. India managed 328/10 in their second innings thereby giving the visitors a win by an innings and 90 runs. This was the 2nd of the 3-match series and India’s win in the next Test meant the series was shared 1-1 as the 1st Test was a drawn affair. 4. MS Dhoni – 224: (Photo Source: BCCI) MS Dhoni made a career-best 224 against the Aussies at Chennai in 2013. Batting first the visitors scored 380 and in reply, the home team amassed 572, largely due to the efforts of the then Test skipper Dhoni who in the company of Virat Kohli (107) frustrated the bowlers to no end. The Australians scored only 241 in their second innings and gave India a target of 50 which the team successfully managed for the loss of 2 wickets. This was the first Test of 4-match series which the home team won by a margin of 4-0. 3. Sir Don Bradman – 234: Sir Don Bradman. (© Allsport Hulton/Archive via Getty Images) The legendary Sir Don Bradman had lowered himself down the batting order owing to a leg injury in the second Test of the 1946-47 Ashes series in Australia. He still managed to score a marvelous 234 in the company of Sid Barner who finished with an identical individual score as the home team amassed 659/8 before declaring. This was in reply to England’s 255 in the first innings. The visitors were bowled out for 371 in their second innings as the Aussies took the match by an innings and 33 runs. The hosts eventually won the 5-match series by a margin of 3-0. 2. Doug Walters – 250: Kenneth Doug Walters, an attacking Australian batsman. (Photo Source: The Cricketer International) Doug Walters was an attacking batsman who played 74 Tests and 28 ODIs for Australia. In the first of the 2-match series against New Zealand in an away series in 1977, the first innings witnessed a total of 552 amassed by the Aussies largely due to a splendid 250 off the bat of Walters. He found a solid partner in Gary Gilmour who made a fine 101. The Kiwis managed 357 however things changed dramatically as the visitors declared their second innings after scoring 154 thereby giving the home side a target of 350. The Kiwis scored 293/8 and batted out 84 overs in a fascinating contest that could have gone either way. 1. Ben Stokes – 258: Ben Stokes hit 11 sixes in his knock of 258 v South Africa. (Photo Source: Twitter) After winning the first Test of the ongoing away series against South Africa, England entered the second match full of confidence. This was epitomized in a grand manner by their young all-rounder who played one of the most incredible innings ever witnessed in the longest format of the game. His double hundred, the second fastest in Test history, was filled with breathtaking stroke play. Stokes’ destructive knock produced 258 from 198 balls with 30 fours and 11 sixes. He hammered South Africa’s attack to all parts of the ground in arguably one of the most remarkable knocks ever witnessed in the country. It helped his team post a total of 629/6 before the declaration. (All stats updated till 23rd July 2016)