List of Batsmen Who Have Faced Most Balls In Test Cricket

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Top 10 Most Balls Faced In Test Cricket

List of Batsmen Who Have Faced Most Balls In Test Cricket : As the pace of this day and age warrants that limited-overs cricket is budging its way into prominence towards the public eye, the undiluted truth is that Test cricket is much more than just a huddling crowd of millions and large monetary figures. To call Test cricket the superior form might sound like a purist slogan to the current generation, but it is called a ‘test’ because it is not only cricket but sports in its purest essence – a platform that tests the mettle of all concerned.

It is an age-old bowling strategy to frustrate the batsman with unserviceable balls to agitate him, so he slips up in desperation for runs and opens up his vulnerabilities. In Test cricket, the equation is inverted. It will put a bowler’s resilience to be consistent, as strike rate is no longer a pressing concern for the batsman.

On the flip side, a great batsman can frustrate a bowler as the innings go on and on with each passing day – Test is won with the 20 wickets that must be guarded like treasures, and thus by the batsman’s defensive abilities, a skill set that allows him to focus not on scoring boundaries, but holding the pitch for hours on end.

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List of Batsmen Who Have faced Most Balls In Test Cricket

Batsmen	Test Matches Played	Total Balls Faced
Rahul Dravid	164	31258
Sachin Tendulkar	200	29437
Jacques Kallis	166	28903
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	164	27395
Allan Border	156	27002

Here are the world’s top batsmen who have proven their ability to do just that – hold the pitch and as well as the record of Most Balls Faced in Test Cricket:

#1 Rahul Dravid

The virtually unbeatable top of the chart and the laurel of the only player to play over 30,000 Test balls goes to none other than Rahul Dravid. The statistics makes the legitimacy of his sobriquet of ‘The Wall’ immediately apparent : Dravid has starred in 164 international Tests wearing Indian colors – a figure close to other contenders in this list, like Jaques Kallis or Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but he takes a significant lead ahead of them with the number of balls he has faced. Only his compatriot, Sachin, comes close, but with 36 more match than Dravid, which amps up the figures.

In his long career spanning from 1996 to 2012, Dravid has been the indisputable king all along when the name of the game is technique. Dravid’s technical knowledge of the game beats the best players of the world, seen time and time again as he mastered every possible pitch and condition that stacked up against him, averaging more than five runs more in away matches. He had teamed up with the world’s best, too – Sachin, hailed the God of Cricket, Saurav, the master of the offside, but Dravid took sportsmanship to artistry by the grace with which he could execute every shot possible in cricket, and not to forget – his unmatched, impeccable patience.

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#2 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is the only batsman to come close to Dravid, only about 500 balls shy of the 30000 marks. At any rate, Sachin’s reputation needs no emphasis – the name of the Bharat Ratna wielder reverberates throughout the cricket world for his outstanding achievements, including the only player to have more than 30,000 runs to his name in international cricket, and the only player ever to score a hundred centuries. Sachin is the single biggest factor behind the skyrocketing of cricket’s popularity in the 90’s India, as a result of which the Indian cricket board is one of the richest sports boards across the globe. Sachin has played 200 Test matches, in which he has scored 15921 total runs out of 29437 balls faced.

#3 Jacques Kallis

Most Balls Faced in Test Cricket: One of the greatest all-rounders to come out of the Proteas’ long line of great players, Jacques Kallis has played 166 Test matches in his career spanning from 1995 to 2013, and currently holds the world record for winning the largest number of man of the match awards – 23. Kallis is another technical prodigy, able to withstand every possible crease and weather, and the numbers speak for him. In his280 innings played, he has faced a total of 28903 balls, out of which he scored 13289 runs.

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#4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul

The Guyanese left-handed middle-order batsman known for his eccentric forward-facing batting stance was the first Indo-Caribbean to play one hundred tests in Windies colors. When he was appointed into an international level in 1993, it would seem counterintuitive that a player chosen for his aggressive cricket would evolve to garner a solid defensive play. But then here we are, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul starring in 164 Test matches and 27395 balls faced in the 280 innings.

#5 Allan Border

The long-time former captain of the Saffas, Allan Border had held the world record for having played in 153 consecutive test matches until very recently – and having consecutively captained 93 of them. Border had pulled the Australian cricket into prominence in a time when he had to lose his initial knack for attacking play to evolve according to the needs of a team that gave him no supporting cast to suit that kind of aggression. He holds the fifth place for most balls faced – having played 27002 balls in 156 matches.

#6 Alastair Cook

Most Balls Faced in Test Cricket: The English gem needs no singing of praises to introduce his unusual antics. Alastair Cook is the most well-known and unanimously admired English cricketer of the current generation. Stepping down at the apex of his career in the recent 2018 tour of India, Cook had earlier surpassed Border’s world record by starring in 156 consecutive Test matches. He has averaged 45.35 Test runs, having faced 26562 balls in 161 matches.

#7 Mahela Jayawardene

Known for his mastery of handling spin, Mahela Jayawardene’s record of the highest individual Test score of 374 among all his compatriots – also a world record if only right-handed batsmen are taken into account -speaks for him. Jayawardene has played 149 Test matches Representing Sri Lanka and has faced 22959 balls in the 252 innings played.

#8 Kumar Sangakkara

Mahela’s most common batting partner comes right next to him for his defensive play. Their legendary partnership yet becomes secondary to the fact that Kumar Sangakkara had dominated the top spot in ICC Test Rankings as a batsman from 2005 to 2015. Sangakkara has played 134 Test matches on the international field and scored 12400 runs out of 22882 balls played.

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#9 Riczy Ponting

Australia’s most successful captain of Australia’s Golden Era, Ricky Ponting has played 168 international Test matches (287 innings) in his long careers – and faced a total of 22782 balls.

#10 Steve Waugh

Most Balls Faced in Test Cricket: The living image of true Australian grit, Steve Waugh was at one point of his career underestimated and swapped out for his brother Mark from the roster. But he went on to prove that paradigm wrong with his resilience as a batsman, going on to win Australia the 1999 World Cup, as well as captaining a record fifteen consecutive Test series victories. In the 168 matches (260 innings) he has played, Waugh has faced 22461 balls.