Largest margin of victory by runs in First-Class cricket
First-class cricket witnesses a lot of records getting shattered in some way or the other each season as players come up with extraordinary performances. As far as collective batting performances are concerned, a few teams have also succeeded in registering memorable wins with the largest victory margin and have eventually gone on to etch their names in history books. Without further ado, here’s a look at three of the teams who have achieved this unique feat.
3. New South Wales vs South Australia, 638 runs 1920-21
The Sheffield Shield encounter of the 1920-21 season between New South Wales and South Australia at the Adelaide Oval saw a new record being broken in the first-class arena. Batting first, NSW posted 304 in their first innings and then bundled out the opposition for 265.
With a 39-run lead, NSW posted a mammoth 770 in their second innings and South Australia in reply could only manage 171 chasing 810. Thus, New South Wales registered a massive 638-run win.
2. New South Wales vs Queensland, 685 runs 1929-30
New South Wales yet again succeeded in finding their name in this elite list nine years later i.e. during the 1929-30 season of the Sheffield Shield. This time their opponents were Queensland and the venue was Sydney Cricket Ground.
Batting first, NSW were bundled out for 235 and then went on to dismiss Queensland for 227. Nonetheless, NSW showcased outstanding performance in the second innings and declared after posting a mammoth total of 761/8. Unfortunately for Queensland, they were simply clueless in their chase and were bundled out for a paltry 84. Thus, New South Wales won the contest by 685 runs.
1. Mumbai vs Uttarakhand, 725 runs 2021-22
The Ranji Trophy quarterfinal clash of the 2021-22 season between Mumbai and Uttarakhand takes the ‘Numero Uno’ spot in this category. This match was played at Alur in Karnataka.
Electing to bat first, Mumbai declared their innings at 647/8 courtesy of a brilliant 252 from Suved Parkar and 153 from Sarfaraz Khan. In reply, Uttarakhand could only manage 114. Mumbai in their second innings posted 261/3 riding on a solid 103 from youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal to set up a mammoth target of 795 for the opposition.
The Uttarakhand batters succumbed under pressure and were skittled out for just 69 as the 41-rime Ranji Trophy champions stormed into the quarterfinals with a humongous win margin of 725 runs.
