Cricket
Best Teams to Bet on in Test Match Dominance
While Australia has historically dominated with a 47.8% win rate, and India has been the top performer over the last decade with a 56% win rate, bettors should also consider factors like odds, venue, team news, weather, and recent form to make informed wagers.
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All the best sports betting sites will lay odds on Test matches, viewed by many as the ultimate form of the game of cricket. If you’re considering some wagers of your own on Test cricket, here are some stats to be aware of regarding which teams win most often. However, as we explain at the end, betting on Test cricket is not quite as simple as that…
Australia the long-term dominant force in Test cricket
The First Test match was played in 1877, which is 147 years ago, between a touring England side and Australia. Unsurprisingly, England and Australia are the sides to have played the most Test matches ever; 1074 and 866 matches respectively.
With 414 wins from those 866 matches, the Australians have won more than anyone else, including next-best England (395 wins). And this despite the fact that England have played 208 more matches than them over the years!
Australia’s win rate since Test matches began therefore stands at 47.8%, also the best record when using this metric.
Ignoring the number of wins and focusing instead on the win rate (remembering South Africa only started playing in 1889 and didn’t play for 21 years because they were banned from international cricket due to their Apartheid regime), it’s precisely South Africa who come next with a win rate of 38.27% with 178 wins from 465 matches.
After that it’s England, with a win rate of 36.77%, which is 395 victories from those 1074 games.
For interest’s sake, Zimbabwe are bottom of the pile with a win rate of just 11.01%, with Bangladesh not much better: 13.38%.
India the most consistent winners over the last 10 years
However, when betting on a Test match in 2024, it may be more relevant to consider win rates from the last 10 years. They’re a better reflection of where the teams are now than records that include matches from almost 150 years ago.
Looking at results between March 2014 and March 2024, and we have a new champion in Test matches: India. Having started life in Test matches slowly, they’ve improved in all three disciplines, started winning more matches away while still being very strong at home and have better-balanced teams than ever before. All reasons that explain why their win rate of 56% over the past 10 years is the best of anyone.
Australia, always strong, aren’t too far behind with a win rate of 53.5%, which of course is better than their overall win rate, partly reflecting the fact that there are far less draws in Test cricket these days. The surprise package though are New Zealand, with a win rate of 50%- 40 wins from 79 matches.
Long-terms stats not the only consideration
But if only Test cricket betting was as simple as just looking at long-terms stats in terms of win rates. It’s not. They’re useful and even more so when looking at figures from the last 10 years but they’re only a part of your research and betting choices, with other factors being:
• Odds- As with all betting on any sport, placing good-value bets is the most important factor of all.
• Venue- The country, and more specifically the ground itself where the match is being played, is of huge importance.
• Team News- Injuries or players missing for other reasons make a massive difference.
• Weather forecast- Even the best team in the world can’t win if rain means two or three days are washed out as the match is highly likely to end in a draw.
• Recent Form- The recent form of the teams themselves and their key players are an important consideration.
James has been writing about cricket, football and tennis betting for the best part of 20 years for some of the biggest operators, websites and publications in the industry. Heroes and heroines include Paul Scholes, Chris DiMarco, Anastasia Myskina, Richard Gasquet, Nat-Sciver Brunt and Kumar Sangakarra.