AustraliaTest and ODI ground1877 to 2024
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground records at a glance
At Melbourne Cricket Ground, the highest Test team total is 624/8 by Australia in 2016; the highest individual score is 307 by Bob Cowper in 1966; the highest successful chase is 332/7 by England in 1928.
At Melbourne Cricket Ground, the highest ODI team total is 355/5 by Australia in 2022; the highest individual score is 180 by Jason Roy in 2018; the highest successful chase is 308/5 by England in 2018.
| Record | Test | ODI |
|---|---|---|
| Highest team total | 624/8 (Australia, 2016) | 355/5 (Australia, 2022) |
| Lowest completed total | 36 (South Africa, 1932) | 94 (England, 1979) |
| Highest successful chase | 332/7 (England, 1928) | 308/5 (England, 2018) |
| Highest individual score | Bob Cowper 307 (1966) | Jason Roy 180 (2018) |
| Best bowling | Sarfraz Nawaz 9/86 (1979) | Ajit Agarkar 6/42 (2004) |
| Most runs at the ground | Donald Bradman 1,671 | Ricky Ponting 2,108 |
| Most wickets at the ground | Dennis Lillee 82 | Shane Warne 46 |
| Average first-innings total | 309 | 223 |
About Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground staged the first Test match, between Australia and England in March 1877, and the first one-day international, in January 1971, when a washed-out Test was replaced by a one-day game. No other ground can claim both. The Boxing Day Test has made the MCG the centre of the Australian summer, and its vast crowds have watched many of the game's biggest occasions, including the World Cup finals of 1992 and 2015. Don Bradman scored 1,671 Test runs here, more than anyone, and Dennis Lillee took 82 Test wickets, a ground record by a distance. The extremes are wide: Bob Cowper's 307 against England in 1966 is the highest Test score at the ground, and South Africa's 36 all out in 1932 the lowest total. In one-day cricket the ground has been almost perfectly even, with 73 wins for the side batting first and 75 for the side chasing.
Melbourne Cricket Ground in numbers
Melbourne Cricket Ground, in Melbourne, Australia, has staged 116 Tests and 152 one-day internationals in CricArcade's archives. The first was a Test between Australia and England in 1877, and the most recent international here was in 2024. Its Tests span 140 years and more.
In Tests
Of the 116 Tests played at Melbourne Cricket Ground, 17 were drawn (15%), 57 won by the side batting first and 42 by the side batting second. That is 58% of decided Tests to the side batting first, a ground where setting the pace has paid. Australia have played 116 of those Tests and won 67, lost 32 and drawn or tied 17, a win rate of 58%. The most frequent visitors have been England (57) and West Indies (15).
The average first-innings total was 160 in the 1870s (3 Tests) and 222 in the 2020s (4 Tests), peaking at 475 in the 1920s. Its busiest decade was the 1970s, with 13 Tests, against 12 in the 1980s.
Donald Bradman has made more Test runs here than anyone, 1,671 in 17 innings with 9 hundreds, and Dennis Lillee has taken the most wickets, 82 in 14 Tests.
- Highest total: Australia's 624 for 8 (2016)
- Lowest completed innings: South Africa's 36 (1932)
- Highest individual score: Bob Cowper, 307 against England (1966)
- Best bowling: Sarfraz Nawaz, 9 for 86 (1979)
- Heaviest defeat: Australia, by an innings and 225 runs against England (1912)
- Closest finishes: England won by 3 runs (1982) and Australia won by 1 wicket (1951)
In one-day internationals
Of the 152 ODIs played at Melbourne Cricket Ground, sides batting first have won 73 and chasing sides 75, with 1 tie; 3 produced no result. Decided ODIs have split close to evenly between the side batting first and the side batting second. Australia have played 127 of those ODIs and won 77, lost 46 and tied or had no result in 4, a win rate of 61%. The most frequent visitors have been West Indies (39) and England (32).
The average first-innings total was 181 in the 1970s (7 ODIs) and 263 in the 2020s (3 ODIs), peaking at 273 in the 2010s. Its busiest decade was the 1980s, with 55 ODIs, against 38 in the 1990s.
Ricky Ponting has made more ODI runs here than anyone, 2,108 in 41 innings with 7 hundreds, and Shane Warne has taken the most wickets, 46 in 28 ODIs.
- Highest total: Australia's 355 for 5 (2022)
- Lowest completed innings: England's 94 (1979)
- Highest individual score: Jason Roy, 180 against Australia (2018)
- Best bowling: Ajit Agarkar, 6 for 42 (2004)
- Widest win by runs: Australia, by 221 runs over England (2022)
- Closest finishes: Sri Lanka won by 1 wicket (2010) and Australia won by 2 runs (1989)
Tests at Melbourne Cricket Ground
116 Tests, 1877 to 2023. The first was Australia v England on 15 March 1877: Australia won by 45 runs.
- Won batting first
- Won batting second
- Drawn / tied
First-innings totals by decade
| Decade | Tests | Average first-innings total |
|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3 | 160 |
| 1880s | 6 | 292 |
| 1890s | 5 | 314 |
| 1900s | 6 | 216 |
| 1910s | 4 | 263 |
| 1920s | 6 | 475 |
| 1930s | 6 | 228 |
| 1940s | 3 | 445 |
| 1950s | 8 | 261 |
| 1960s | 9 | 304 |
| 1970s | 13 | 299 |
| 1980s | 12 | 316 |
| 1990s | 11 | 323 |
| 2000s | 10 | 360 |
| 2010s | 10 | 360 |
| 2020s | 4 | 222 |
Most runs
| Batter | Team | Inns | Runs | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Bradman | Australia | 17 | 1,671 | 9 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 28 | 1,338 | 4 |
| Steve Waugh | Australia | 30 | 1,284 | 3 |
| Allan Border | Australia | 36 | 1,272 | 4 |
| Greg Chappell | Australia | 31 | 1,257 | 4 |
Most wickets
| Bowler | Team | Tests | Wkts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Lillee | Australia | 14 | 82 |
| Shane Warne | Australia | 11 | 56 |
| Hugh Trumble | Australia | 7 | 46 |
| Graham McKenzie | Australia | 7 | 45 |
| Nathan Lyon | Australia | 13 | 45 |
Test records
- Highest total
- 624/8
- Lowest completed total
- 36
- Highest score
- 307 · Bob Cowper
- Best bowling
- 9/86 · Sarfraz Nawaz
- Biggest innings win
- Inns & 225
- Biggest win by runs
- 530 runs
Closest finishes
- England won by 3 runs (1982)
- Australia won by 1 wicket (1951)
- England won by 1 wicket (1908)
ODIs at Melbourne Cricket Ground
152 ODIs, 1971 to 2024. The first was England v Australia on 5 January 1971: Australia won by 5 wickets (with 42 balls remaining).
- Won batting first
- Won batting second
- Tied / NR
First-innings totals by decade
| Decade | ODIs | Average first-innings total |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7 | 181 |
| 1980s | 55 | 209 |
| 1990s | 38 | 206 |
| 2000s | 28 | 242 |
| 2010s | 21 | 273 |
| 2020s | 3 | 263 |
Most runs
| Batter | Team | Inns | Runs | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 41 | 2,108 | 7 |
| Allan Border | Australia | 55 | 1,516 | 0 |
| Dean Jones | Australia | 34 | 1,287 | 0 |
| Steve Waugh | Australia | 45 | 1,155 | 1 |
| David Boon | Australia | 31 | 995 | 1 |
Most wickets
| Bowler | Team | ODIs | Wkts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Warne | Australia | 28 | 46 |
| Craig McDermott | Australia | 29 | 43 |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 22 | 38 |
| Brett Lee | Australia | 18 | 37 |
| Peter Taylor | Australia | 21 | 30 |
ODI records
- Highest total
- 355/5
- Lowest completed total
- 94
- Highest score
- 180 · Jason Roy
- Best bowling
- 6/42 · Ajit Agarkar
- Biggest win by runs
- 221 runs
Closest finishes
- Sri Lanka won by 1 wicket (with 34 balls remaining) (2010)
- Australia won by 2 runs (1989)
- Match tied (1984)
- New Zealand won by 2 runs (1983)
- West Indies won by 2 runs (1980)
Most recent matches
- Pakistan v Australia (ODI, 4 November 2024): Australia won by 2 wickets
- West Indies v Australia (ODI, 2 February 2024): Australia won by 8 wickets (with 69 balls remaining)
- Australia v Pakistan (Test, 26 December 2023): Australia won by 79 runs
- South Africa v Australia (Test, 26 December 2022): Australia won by an innings and 182 runs
- Australia v England (ODI, 22 November 2022): Australia won by 221 runs (D/L method)
- England v Australia (Test, 26 December 2021): Australia won by an innings and 14 runs
- Australia v India (Test, 26 December 2020): India won by 8 wickets
- Australia v New Zealand (Test, 26 December 2019): Australia won by 247 runs
- Australia v India (ODI, 18 January 2019): India won by 7 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
- India v Australia (Test, 26 December 2018): India won by 137 runs
Sources
- CricArcade Test archive: 116 scorecards at this ground
- CricArcade ODI archive: 152 scorecards at this ground
- Figures compiled from the official match scorecards in CricArcade's archive