Many fans regard Test cricket as the supreme form of the sport because only the excellent quality players can thrive in Tests. The players need to have proper stamina levels and appropriate cricketing skills to succeed in this format. ‘Bits and pieces’ players who can do well in T10s and T20s often struggle in Tests.
The reason behind it is that patience is the key to success in Tests. A batsman with no patience would lose his wicket early in the 5-day match, whereas a bowler lacking patience would never be able to take wickets in Tests. Talking about patience, there needs to be a proper balance between defense and offense.
This listicle features the one batsman from each team who focused only on defense and had the lowest scoring rate in Tests.
(Note – This list considers current batsmen with a minimum of 3,000 Test runs only.)
8. West Indies – Kraigg Brathwaite
West Indies cricket team’s Test specialist Kraigg Brathwaite is not like teammates when it comes to batting style. He prefers to defend many deliveries and attack only a few.
Brathwaite has played 64 Test matches for the Caribbean team since 2011. In the 122 innings he has batted, Kraigg has scored 3,727 runs at a scoring rate of 40.85.
7. Pakistan – Azhar Ali
Pakistan’s former Test captain Azhar Ali has a triple hundred to his name in international cricket. Very few batsmen can brag about that achievement.
However, Ali’s strike rate has not been up to the mark. Azhar has represented his nation in 81 matches, batting in 152 innings. His scoring rate while aggregating 6129 runs has been 41.81.
6. New Zealand – BJ Watling
New Zealand’s wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling is another Test specialist to appear on this list. Watling has kept the wickets for the Blackcaps in Tests since 2009.
Speaking of his numbers in the batting department, Watling has scored 3688 runs at a strike rate of 42.45. He has registered eight centuries and 18 fifties.
5. South Africa – Faf du Plessis
Former South African skipper Faf du Plessis will go down as one of the modern era’s best batsmen. The right-handed batsman has scored 3,901 runs in Test cricket.
Playing 65 Tests for his country, du Plessis has recorded nine centuries and 21 fifties. While he is an aggressive batsman in white-ball cricket, his strike rate in the red-ball arena is 45.46.
4. India – Cheteshwar Pujara
Indian cricket team’s number 3 batsman in Tests, Cheteshwar Pujara, has earned the nickname of The Wall 2.0 because of his defensive technique. He has been incredibly successful in Tests.
Shedding some light on his numbers, Pujara has scored 5,883 runs in 129 Test innings. The right-handed batsman has 18 centuries and 25 fifties at a strike rate of 45.95.
3. Sri Lanka – Angelo Mathews
Sri Lankan Test team is slowly improving in the game’s most extended format. All-rounder Angelo Mathews is the most experienced name in the current Sri Lankan squad.
Mathews has struggled with his injury problems. Still, the former Sri Lankan skipper has scored 5981 runs for his country at a strike rate of 48.63.
2. Australia – Steve Smith
Former Australian cricket team captain Steve Smith is one of the top batsmen in global cricket now. Smith has made a name for himself with his brilliant performances in all formats.
The right-handed batsman is a part of the Fab 4 group. Still, his strike rate of 55.30 is the lowest among all the current members of the Australian Test team with 3,000 runs.
- England – Joe Root
Talking about the Fab 4 group of the modern era, another batsman from that elite section to feature on this list is Joe Root. The English Test skipper has played Test cricket for his country since 2012.
Root has aggregated 7,823 runs for England in Tests. He has 17 centuries and 49 fifties to his name, with his strike rate in Tests being 54.49.
