South Africa’s hard-fought victory against England on Sunday marked the end of an unprecedented decade for Test cricket. Although success with the red ball continues to be the holy grail for most players, the longest format of the game has still had to fight a tough battle for survival.

The start of the decade saw T20 cricket grow from strength to strength. The shortest format now has plenty of leagues across the world and continues to draw the biggest crowds. And with three One-Day International World Cups played as well over the past nine years, white ball cricket consolidated its position as the centerpiece of the sport.

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Also read – Data Check: The decade in men’s T20I saw inconsistent West Indies shine and Kohli find consistency

This left Test matches with a mighty battle to remain relevant. In order to sustain fans’ interest in the format and see better turnouts in stadiums, three major changes were introduced: the ICC World Test Championship, day-night Test matches with pink balls, and name and numbers on the back of players’ jerseys. These steps surely managed to grab attention, but time will tell how meaningful they really are.

Over the past ten years, Test cricket has faced a constant predicament. While it struggled to attract viewership (outside, perhaps, England and Australia), it still managed to be the priority for top players like Virat Kohli.

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Also read – Data check for the decade in men’s ODI cricket: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma dominate batting charts

At the end of it all, Test matches in the 2010s will definitely be remembered for some fascinating battles on the field. Several modern day greats came into their own in this decade and there was a lot to be hopeful about for the purists.

Here is a look back at the decade gone by in men’s Test cricket:

(Note: All numbers in this article are for men’s Test matches after January 1, 2010, till December 29, 2019, and sourced from ESPNCricinfo’s Statsguru. To view the tables in full swipe left or scroll right on your mobile/computer screens).

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Also read – Data check for decade in women’s cricket: Australia dominate, Mithali Raj leads the way for India

Team records

In terms of win/loss ratio, India were the most successful team in Test cricket in the 2010s. First under Mahendra Singh Dhoni and then with Kohli as captain, India continued to be dominant at home. A historic series win in Australia and several other overseas victories helped India consolidate their position as the No 1 side in the rankings.

Another formidable team in this decade was South Africa. They may be going through a difficult phase at the moment but for the better part of the past ten years, under the leadership of Graeme Smith, the Proteas won much more than they lost.

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Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies, though, were three big teams who struggled to find success on the field, with each of them notching up more defeats than victories.

Best overall win/loss ratio this decade

Team Matches Won Lost Draw W/L
India 107 56 29 22 1.931
South Africa 90 45 25 20 1.800
Australia 112 57 38 17 1.500
England 126 57 46 23 1.239
New Zealand 83 32 31 20 1.032
Afghanistan 4 2 2 0 1.000
Pakistan 83 33 37 13 0.891
Sri Lanka 95 31 40 24 0.775
West Indies 83 22 43 18 0.511
Bangladesh 56 10 36 10 0.277
Zimbabwe 24 4 19 1 0.210
Ireland 3 0 3 0 0.000

As mentioned above, India were almost indomitable at home in this decade and continue to be the final frontier for most teams and players. Kohli and Co have won a record 11 home Test series in a row now and have defeated every top team while playing in India. Their win/loss ratio in home Test matches is by far the best and more than twice as good as that of second-placed Australia.

Best win/loss ratio at home this decade

Team Matches Won Lost Draw W/L
India 50 37 4 9 9.250
Australia 55 37 9 9 4.111
New Zealand 40 20 7 13 2.857
South Africa 48 31 11 6 2.818
England 67 41 16 10 2.562
Pakistan 33 16 8 9 2.000
Sri Lanka 46 19 17 10 1.117
West Indies 42 15 19 8 0.789
Bangladesh 33 8 16 9 0.500
Zimbabwe 14 3 10 1 0.300
Ireland 1 0 1 0 0.000

The biggest challenge for any side, of course, is achieving success in Test matches that are played away from home. And in this regard, South Africa have the best win/loss ratio for the decade that’s about to end. Afghanistan may be at the top of the list below, but it was the Proteas, with Smith as captain, who were the most consistent among the big teams. India, too, will be encouraged by their third-place finish on this list. There is little doubt that their overseas performances have seen a steady growth.

Best win/loss ratio away from home this decade

Team Matches Won Lost Draw W/L
Afghanistan 4 2 2 0 1.000
South Africa 42 14 14 14 1.000
India 57 19 25 13 0.760
Australia 57 20 29 8 0.689
Pakistan 50 17 29 4 0.586
England 59 16 30 13 0.533
Sri Lanka 49 12 23 14 0.521
New Zealand 43 12 24 7 0.500
West Indies 41 7 24 10 0.291
Zimbabwe 10 1 9 0 0.111
Bangladesh 23 2 20 1 0.100
Ireland 2 0 2 0 0.000

Batting records

The 2010s saw a handful of batsmen set themselves apart from the rest of the pack in the longest format. While the ‘big four’ – Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson – emerged as the leaders, there were a few others, like the now-retired Alastrair Cook, Australia’s flamboyant opener David Warner, and South African great Hashim Amla, who stood out as well.

Top 10 run-getters in Tests this decade

Player Matches Innings Runs Highest Ave SR 100s 50s
Alastair Cook (Eng) 111 201 8818 294 46.41 46.93 23 37
Joe Root (Eng) 89 164 7359 254 48.41 54.37 17 45
Virat Kohli (Ind) 84 141 7202 254* 54.97 57.81 27 22
Steve Smith (Aus) 72 130 7164 239 62.84 55.59 26 28
David Warner (Aus) 83 153 7088 335* 48.21 73.04 23 30
Hashim Amla (SA) 85 146 6695 311* 49.96 50.48 21 27
Kane Williamson (NZ) 78 137 6379 242* 51.44 51.55 21 31
Azhar Ali (Pak) 77 146 5885 302* 42.64 41.82 16 31
Cheteshwar Pujara (Ind) 75 124 5740 206* 49.48 46.69 18 24
Ross Taylor (NZ) 76 133 5486 290 48.12 60.12 15 25

There were as many as eight triple-centuries hit in this decade. The highest individual score in the last ten years, though, came just over a month ago from the bat of Warner. The left-handed opener pummeled a young Pakistani attack and remained not-out on 335. No surprises that there are some greats of the game mentioned in the list below.

10 highest individual Test scores this decade

Player Score Opposition Venue Date
David Warner (Aus) 335* Pakistan Adelaide Nov 29, 2019
Chris Gayle (WI) 333 Sri Lanka Galle Nov 15, 2010
Michael Clarke (Aus) 329* India Sydney Jan 3, 2012
Kumar Sangakkara (SL) 319 Bangladesh Chattogram Feb 4, 2014
Hashim Amla (SA) 311* England The Oval Jul 19, 2012
Karun Nair (Ind) 303* England Chennai Dec 16, 2016
Azhar Ali (Pak) 302* West Indies Dubai (DSC) Oct 13, 2016
Brendon McCullum (NZ) 302 India Wellington Feb 14, 2014
Alastair Cook (Eng) 294 India Birmingham Aug 10, 2011
Ross Taylor (NZ) 290 Australia Perth Nov 13, 2015

When it comes to most centuries hit in Test matches in this decade, it’s none other than Kohli and Steve Smith, arguably the two greatest batsmen of this generation, who top the list. And it isn’t just the total number of hundreds hit by them that is staggering, it’s their consistency and conversion rate from 50s to 100s that truly sets them apart.

Most centuries hit in Tests this decade

Player Innings 100s Fifty-plus scores Conversion rate from 50s Innings taken per 50 Innings taken per 100
Virat Kohli (Ind) 141 27 49 55.10% 2.88 5.22
Steve Smith (Aus) 130 26 54 48.15% 2.41 5.00
Alastair Cook (Eng) 201 23 60 38.33% 3.35 8.74
David Warner (Aus) 153 23 53 43.40% 2.89 6.65
Kane Williamson (NZ) 137 21 52 40.38% 2.63 6.52
Hashim Amla (SA) 146 21 48 43.75% 3.04 6.95
Cheteshwar Pujara (Ind) 124 18 42 42.86% 2.95 6.89
Joe Root (Eng) 164 17 62 27.42% 2.65 9.65
Azhar Ali (Pak) 146 16 47 34.04% 3.11 9.13
Misbah-ul-Haq (Pak) 101 8 43 18.60% 2.35 12.63

Bowling records

England’s new-ball bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad were the top two highest wicket-takers in this decade. They are followed in this list by the spin trio of Nathan Lyon, Rangana Herath and Ravichandran Ashwin, who were all simply phenomenal in home Tests. These three however, are the only spinners in the list below.

Top 10 wicket-takers in Tests this decade

Player Innings Wickets Ave Econ SR 5-fors 10-fors
James Anderson (Eng) 200 429 24.35 2.65 54.9 20 3
Stuart Broad (Eng) 207 403 27.65 2.92 56.6 14 2
Nathan Lyon (Aus) 182 380 32.11 3.01 63.9 16 2
Rangana Herath (SL) 133 363 26.41 2.75 57.5 30 9
R Ashwin (Ind) 131 362 25.36 2.83 53.6 27 7
Dale Steyn (SA) 108 267 22.29 3.04 43.9 15 2
Trent Boult (NZ) 123 256 28.01 2.97 56.4 8 1
Tim Southee (NZ) 122 255 28.83 2.98 57.9 8 1
Morne Morkel (SA) 125 248 25.99 2.98 52.3 7 0
Mitchell Starc (Aus) 107 240 27.08 3.37 48.2 13 2

Herath, with a sensational nine-for against Pakistan in 2014, registered the best bowling figures in an innings in this decade. The now-retired Sri Lankan left-arm spinner also got an eight-for against Zimbabwe in 2016. South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, another left-arm spinner, was the only other bowler to bag an eight-wicket haul in an innings over the past ten years. No Indian managed to make it to the top ten list below.

Best bowling figures in an innings this decade

Player Figures Opposition Venue Date
Rangana Herath (SL) 33.1-3-127-9 Pakistan Colombo (SSC) Aug 14, 2014
Keshav Maharaj (SA) 41.1-10-129-9 Sri Lanka Colombo (SSC) Jul 20, 2018
Stuart Broad (Eng) 9.3-5-15-8 Australia Nottingham Aug 6, 2015
Taijul Islam (Ban) 16.5-7-39-8 Zimbabwe Dhaka Oct 25, 2014
Yasir Shah (Pak) 12.3-1-41-8 New Zealand Dubai (DSC) Nov 24, 2018
Devendra Bishoo (WI) 13.5-1-49-8 Pakistan Dubai (DSC) Oct 13, 2016
Nathan Lyon (WI) 22.2-4-50-8 India Bengaluru Mar 4, 2017
Roston Chase (WI) 21.4-2-60-8 England Bridgetown Jan 23, 2019
Shannon Gabriel (WI) 20.4-6-62-8 Sri Lanka Gros Islet Jun 14, 2018
Rangana Herath (SL) 23-6-63-8 Zimbabwe Harare Nov 6, 2016

It was the pacers who struck most consistently over this decade. In the list below of top ten bowlers with best strike rates, not a single spinner features. Another surprise is the absence of Anderson and Broad, the highest wicket-takers of this decade. Mohammed Shami’s fifth-place finish on this list shows the kind of impact he has despite playing mostly on sub-continental pitches.

Best strike rates among top bowlers this decade

Player Innings Wickets SR 5-fors 10-fors
Kagiso Rabada (SA) 75 190 40.0 9 4
Dale Steyn (SA) 108 267 43.9 15 2
Pat Cummins (Aus) 55 139 47.2 5 1
Mitchell Starc (Aus) 107 240 48.2 13 2
Mohammed Shami (Ind) 91 175 49.1 5 0
Vernon Philander (SA) 114 220 49.9 13 2
Mitchell Johnson (Aus) 82 176 50.0 8 2
Umesh Yadav (Ind) 88 142 50.6 3 1
Ryan Harris (Aus) 52 113 50.7 5 0
Steven Finn (Eng) 66 125 51.2 5 0
(Minimum 100 wickets taken in the decade)

Once again, when it comes to most five-wicket hauls in this decade, it is Herath who tops the chart. He is followed closely by Ashwin, who has been consistent for India in home conditions. The top ten list below has an equal mix of spinners and fast bowlers.

Most 5-wicket hauls in Tests this decade

Player Innings Five-wicket hauls
Rangana Herath (SL) 133 30
R Ashwin (Ind) 131 27
James Anderson (Eng) 200 20
Nathan Lyon (Aus) 182 16
Yasir Shah (Pak) 71 16
Dale Steyn (SA) 108 15
Stuart Broad (Eng) 207 14
Vernon Philander (SA) 114 13
Shakib Al Hasan (Ban) 74 13
Mitchell Starc (Aus) 107 13

Best all-rounders

The top two all-rounders this decade, based on numbers, were Ravindra Jadeja and Shakib Al Hasan. While Jadeja excelled as a spinner in home conditions and also grew significantly as a batsman, Shakib emerged as one of the finest Bangladeshi batters and also continued to strike with the ball. This list, however, will be incomplete without the mention of England’s Ben Stokes, who is widely regarded as the best all-rounder in the world at the moment.

Top all-rounders this decade based on ave. diff

Player Matches Runs Bat Ave Wickets Bowl Ave Ave diff
Ravindra Jadeja (Ind) 48 1844 35.46 211 24.64 10.81
Shakib Al Hasan (Ban) 42 3147 42.52 162 31.97 10.55
Jason Holder (WI) 40 1898 32.72 106 26.37 6.34
R Ashwin (Ind) 70 2385 28.73 362 25.36 3.36
Vernon Philander (SA) 61 1700 24.63 220 21.99 2.64
Ben Stokes (Eng) 60 3787 35.72 139 33.13 2.58
Shane Watson (Aus) 44 2758 33.63 52 33.42 0.21
Average difference = batting ave. - bowling ave. (Criteria: Min 1000 runs scored, 50 wickets taken)

Wicket-keeping records

It may come as a surprise to some but BJ Watling has been the most successful Test wicketkeeper in this decade. The New Zealander, who tends to fly under the radar, has been consistent with both the gloves and the bat. South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, too, can be proud of his record behind the stumps since his debut in 2014.

Most wicket-keeping dismissals this decade

Player Innings Total dismissals Catches Stumpings
BJ Watling (NZ) 111 226 218 8
Matt Prior (Eng) 103 198 187 11
Quinton de Kock (SA) 79 187 176 11
Jonny Bairstow (Eng) 90 181 169 12
Brad Haddin (Aus) 83 180 174 6
MS Dhoni (Ind) 91 174 154 20
Sarfaraz Ahmed (Pak) 94 167 146 21
Tim Paine (Aus) 58 137 131 6
Wriddhiman Saha (Ind) 70 103 92 11
Niroshan Dickwella (SL) 61 100 80 20