Batters with most runs in a 5 match Test series
In cricket, when it comes to individual batting records, some of the common names that feature are the former players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman, Ricky Ponting etc. In recent times, many batting records have been broken and bars have been raised. Nowadays, with all the chopping and changing across formats, the number of Tests in a series keeps varying from anywhere between one to four. And in the early days of cricket, the five-match series were a regular occurrence. On that note, here are the top three with most runs in a five-match Test series:
3) 834 runs- Neil Harvey (Australia) vs South Africa in 1952/53
Australian cricketer Robert Neil Harvey, was a left-handed batter, who played during 1948-63 in Tests. He was known for entertaining the crowd his supreme batting technique and stroke-making. In 79 Test matches and 137 innings, Harvey scored 6,149 runs at an average of 48.21, with 21 hundreds and 24 fifties and a top score of 205. In the 1952/53 series against South Africa, he scored 834 runs in nine innings at an average of 92.66, with four hundreds and three fifties, and also brought up his top score in the series.
2) 905 runs – Wally Hammond (England) vs Australia in 1928/29
The Kent-born right-handed batter was arguably the best batter of his time, along with Don Bradman. He made his England debut against South Africa in 1927 at Johannesburg and played his last Test match against New Zealand at Christchurch in 1947.
Hammond scored 7,249 runs in 85 Tests and 140 innings at an average of 58.45 with 22 hundreds and 24 fifties and a top score of unbeaten 336. He also scored a whopping 50,551 runs in first-class cricket, with 167 hundreds and 185 fifties in 634 matches. In the 1928/29 series against Australia, he scored 905 runs in nine innings with four hundreds and a top score of 251, and at an average of 113.12.
1) 974 runs- Don Bradman (Australia) vs England in 1930
Sir Donald George Bradman, one of the greatest cricketers of all time and a holder of a number of batting records, unsurprisingly makes this list. The cricketing icon played for Australia during 1928-48, appearing in 52 Test matches.
Bradman scored a staggering 6,996 runs in 80 innings at an average of 99.94 with 29 hundreds and 13 fifties, including 12 double hundreds and two triple hundreds. In 1930, he played a total of six matches, and scored 974 runs in eight innings with four hundreds and an average of 122.25. He also brought up his highest score of 334 that year.
