What are the highest successful chases in Test cricket history? England eye mammoth Ashes task
Highlights: Archer excels with the bat before more Head magic puts Australia in control
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England face a colossal challenge to save the 2025/26 NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes, requiring an unprecedented target that is also much higher than Brendon McCullum’s side have managed so far this series.Despite a determined rearguard effort by Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer with the bat at the start of Day 3, Travis Head’s score of 170 combined with another strong innings by Alex Carey on his home ground left England facing a record-breaking target with up to five full sessions left.
Australia set England 434 to win, which is more than they scored in total in the first Test and 200 more than their highest score of the Ashes so far – 334 in Brisbane, fired by Joe Root’s century.
But just what is the scale of the task facing England’s batsmen?
What is the highest fourth innings run chase in Test history?
If England are looking for good omens, then they can look no further than the two highest ever run chases in Test cricket history – which both came against Australia.
The record-holders are West Indies, who chased down their target of 418 at the Antigua Recreation Ground in 2003.
Against a star-studded bowling attack of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Stuart MacGill, West Indies got home safely with three wickets in hand, as centuries from Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul formed the backbone of the chase.
Carey goes as Stokes takes milestone 50th Ashes wicket
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The hosts’ top order actually failed to fire as Chris Gayle, Devon Smith and Darren Ganga managed just 50 between them, but Brian Lara and Omari Banks put up a 107 partnership to win the fourth and final Test and prevent an Australia whitewash.
“It was a great Test match,” Gillespie said as a pundit on TNT Sports’ Ashes coverage. “Fair play to the West Indies, they were too good for us.”
South Africa achieved the arguably more impressive feat of chasing down 414 against Australia five months later at the WACA Ground for the loss of only four wickets.
Only one of The Proteas’ top six batsmen failed to reach 50 as an unbeaten partnership of 111 between AB de Villiers and JP Duminy saw the tourists home against an attack of Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Jason Krejza.
What is the highest fourth innings run chase in Ashes history?
Australia boast the biggest run chase in the Ashes, as they reached their target of 404 for the loss of just three wickets at Headingley in 1948.
Don Bradman and Arthur Morris posted a second-wicket partnership of 301 and ‘The Don’ remained at the crease until the end, finishing on an unbeaten 173.
England’s 359-run chase in 2019, also at Headingley, is second on that list, an immortal innings powered by Ben Stokes and Jack Leach. Root and Archer are the other survivors from that team in Adelaide.
Head passes 150 mark to leave England in huge trouble
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What is England’s highest-ever fourth innings run chase?
That famous day in Leeds is England’s third-greatest chase in the final innings, with the top three all coming in the 21st century.
Indeed, they are all from the last seven years, providing more hope for English fans watching the action in Adelaide.
India’s tour of England in 2022 is what kickstarted ‘Bazball’, capped by England’s seven-wicket victory in the final Test at Edgbaston that sealed a 2-2 draw.
And they achieved it in spectacular fashion, with their record chase of 378 thanks to a first-wicket stand of 107 and a pair of unbeaten centuries for Root and Jonny Bairstow.
McCullum’s side reached the target in just 460 balls at a strike rate of 82.17, and they replicated that feat this summer at Headingley, thanks in large part to an even better opening partnership of 188.
England chased 371 against India with Root and Jamie Smith steering the hosts home.
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What is the highest ever fourth innings run chase at the Adelaide Oval?
In a rather worse omen, there have only been 11 successful three-figure run chases at the Adelaide Oval, with England’s best effort coming in 1912 with a chase of 109.
Australia hold the record at the ground, running down a target of 315 in 1902, and the second-highest on the list is 236.
Meanwhile, in the last 20 years, the best chase has been 187. So history goes against England, but should Stokes’ side write themselves into the history books, you can watch it live on TNT Sports and discovery+.Watch every ball of the 2025/26 Ashes on TNT Sports and discovery+
