Top 5 shortest Test Matches in Cricket history

India won the second test against South Africa at Cape Town by 7 wickets under five sessions. After a humiliating loss in the first test by an innings and 32 runs, India made a sensational comeback and won the second test on the back of a sensational performance from its bowlers.

But it turned out to be a historic test as it got over in just 107 overs making it the shortest-ever test match in history in terms of balls bowled in the match. Earlier test matches used to be timeless till one team won or lost but with time it got limited to days.

Now with the advent of T20 cricket, it resulted in fast-paced test matches too and now seldom matches even go to five days. Let’s explore the shortest test matches in the history of test matches in terms of balls bowled: 

1)      India vs South Africa, Cape Town 2024 (107 overs)

The second test of the series between India and South Africa that took place at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town got over in just 107 overs. The wickets at the Newlands stadium were spicy wickets with steep bounce and enough movement to make life difficult for batters. 

South Africa batting first on the wicket got out at a paltry score of 55 in the first innings which led to them losing the match by 7 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj took six wickets each in the 2^nd and 4^th innings respectively. Fast bowlers dominated the match by taking all the wickets that fell in the match playing a pivotal role in making it the shortest test match in history. 

2)      Australia vs Melbourne, Melbourne 1932/33 (109.2 overs)

Australia crushed South Africa faster than a lightning bolt in one of the craziest cricket matches ever! They stormed to victory in less than half a day. Australia scored a decent 153, which wasn't even their best, but it felt like a mountain against South Africa's 36 and 45 runs in both the innings.

Australia didn't even need their two biggest weapons! Their superstar batter, Don Bradman, wasn't even fit to play, and their champion bowler, Clarrie Grimmett, didn't even have to bowl a single ball. Bert Ironmonger, a crafty left-arm spinner nearing his 50th birthday! He just spun magic, bamboozling the South African batsmen and taking a whopping 11 wickets in the entire match.

3)      West Indies vs England, Bridgetown, 1934-35 (112 overs)

Playing on uncovered and tricky pitches was a common thing in the past. This particular match between England and the West Indies was a prime example. West Indies batted first and managed a decent score of 102, but the pitch was getting rough and tricky.

Seeing this, England declared their innings at just 81 runs, even though they lost 7 wickets as they wanted to trap the West Indies on the difficult pitch before it got worse. West Indies decided to play safe and closed their innings at 51 runs, losing 6 wickets in the process.

So, England only needed to chase 73 runs to win. But the tricky pitch had become even worse, and they lost 6 wickets trying to get those runs. Luckily, they had a superhero named Wally Hammond! He scored 43 runs in the first innings and then calmly guided England to victory with an unbeaten 29 in the second innings.  

4)      England vs Australia, Manchester, 1888 (788 balls)

Rain couldn't dampen England's spirits as they piled up a decent 172 runs on day 1. Australia started well too, reaching 32-2. But then, the sun turned the wet pitch into a sticky nightmare handing the advantage to England's left-arm wizard, Bobby Peel.

Peel absolutely spun a web of destruction, taking an incredible 7 wickets for only 31 runs in Australia's first innings! They stumbled for a measly 81. In the second innings, the pitch was even nastier, and Peel repeated his magic, snatching 4 more wickets for 37 runs. Australia collapsed at 72. 

5)      England vs Australia, Lords, 1888 (792 balls)

A month and a half prior to the match in Manchester, there was another match at Lord’s where 27 wickets tumbled on the second day – still holding the world record for the most wickets in a single day of Test cricket. Persistent bad weather had delayed the start of play, and England had Australia at 82-9 before the last pair added 34, leaving England at 18-3 by stumps.

During the second day, England slumped to 26-7 before somehow managing to reach 53 against the formidable duo of Charlie Turner (5-27) and JJ Ferris (3-19). Subsequently, Australia posted a score of 60 as Ferris, following his 14, contributed 20 not out.

Despite the daunting task of chasing 124, England held their ground until the entry of 40-year-old WG Grace (24). However, they eventually collapsed from 29-0 to 62 all out against Turner (5-36) and Ferris (5-26). With a striking rate of 30.1 balls per wicket, the three-match 1888 Ashes series stands as the record holder for the best bowling strike rate in any series comprising two or more Tests."