Batting in Test cricket is very tough. It examines a batter’s skills, stamina, willpower, patience, and technique. A batter has to build innings slowly and ensure that his end is safe. A batter always targets to score as many runs as possible for his team. So, it surely hurts when the result of the match doesn’t go our way. Here are the Top 10 Highest Individual Test Match Score in Losing Cause-
1. Brian Lara (351 runs)
Brian Lara is the most complete Test batter to have played for the West Indies. His highest Test score of 400 is a testimony to this fact. But not every time the result went West Indies’ way when Lara scored runs. West Indies toured Sri Lanka in 2001. In the 3rd Test at Colombo, Lara scored 221 in the first innings and 130 in the third, aggregating 351 runs. But that wasn’t enough, as the hosts won the match by 10 wickets.
2. Andy Flower (341 runs)
Andy Flower is the best batter in the history of Zimbabwe Cricket. South Africa landed in Harare to play the first Test against Zimbabwe in 2001. Batting first, the Proteas piled up 600/3d. In reply, Zimbabwe folded up for 286 despite a 142-run knock from Flower. While following on, Flower was stranded on 199* as Zimbabwe gave South Africa a target of 78. South Africa completed the formalities losing just one wicket. Andy Flower was chosen the Man of the Match for scoring 341 runs.
3. Herbert Sutcliffe (303 runs)
This happened in the Ashes 1924-25 in Australia. In the 2nd Test at Melbourne, Australia raised 600 runs. In reply, English openers Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe raised 283 runs for the first before Hobbs got out. Sutcliffe hit 176 runs to take England to 479. He repeated his heroics in the 4th innings when he smashed 127 runs. It was miserable for England as Australia won the match by 81 runs.
4. Clyde Walcott (265 runs)
Clyde Walcott’s 265-run effort against Australia in 1955 at Kingston was undone by a lack of support from other team batters. Walcott’s 155 runs in the first innings powered West Indies to 357. Australia, in reply, piled up 758/8d riding on 4 centuries and a double-century by its batters. In the 3rd innings, Walcott scored 110 but could not prevent his team from losing by an innings and 82 runs.
5. Vijay Hazare (261 runs)
India’s first tour to Australia began in October 1947, just 2 months after it gained independence. In the 4th Test at Adelaide, Australian batters outclassed Indian bowlers to amass 674 runs in the first innings. In the second innings, India could manage just 381 despite brilliant knocks from Vijay Hazare (116) and Datta Phadkar (123). Australia enforced the follow-on on India. Hazare scored 145 runs in the third innings but couldn’t save his team from a big defeat.
6. Herschelle Gibbs (259 runs)
England won the toss and batted first in the 4th Test against South Africa in 2005 at Johannesburg. Andrew Strauss’ 147 powered England to 411/8d. In reply, South African opener Herschelle Gibbs scored 161. England scored 332/9d in the third innings. Chasing 325 to win, Gibbs’s 98 couldn’t save South Africa from the jaws of defeat as England won the match by 77 runs.
7. Vinoo Mankad (256 runs)
This was independent India’s first-ever tour to England. He scored 72 in the first innings and 184 in the second to aggregate 256 runs in the match. In this match at Lord’s Cricket Ground in 1952, India won the toss and chose to bat first. But in the end, they were outplayed by their English counterparts by 8 wickets.
8. Virat Kohli (256 runs)
In the 1st Test against Australia in 2014 at Adelaide, Virat Kohli led from the front in his first match as an Indian Test captain. He scored 115 in the second innings and 141 in the fourth innings. And mind you, he did so against the bowling attack consisting of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle, and Shane Watson.
9. Andy Flower (253 runs)
In 2000, Zimbabwe came to India to play 2 Test matches and 5 ODIs. In the First Test at Delhi, Andy Flower led from the front to register the batting figures of 183* and 70. But his team couldn’t quite find the rhythm and lost to the hosts by 7 wickets.
10. Kumar Sangakkara (249 runs)
Kumar Sangakkara was a part of the Sri Lankan team that toured Australia in 2007. In the Second Test at Hobart, Australia posted 542/5d to get things going. Sri Lanka replied with a century from Mahela Jayawardene and a 57-run knock from Sangakkara. In the third innings, Australia declared on 210/2 to give a daunting target of 507. Sangakkara gave used every bit of his skills to score a superb 192-run knock, but that was not enough for his team. Australia eventually won the match by 96 runs.
