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This list features a lot of recognisable names in cricket. That’s because most of them are greats in the sport.
The question is, which great made the most runs at number five in Test cricket? How high is Bradman? Does AB de Villiers make the top seven? What about Brendon McCullum?
1. Michael Clarke
- Australia
- 329 not out
This is one of my favourite Michael Clarke stories. When Pup, as Clarke is known, was a young dog, he had a tendency of being dismissed soon after he reached his century. Clarke suffered from milestone fatigue.
Like many batters, his subconscious mind registered that he had done his job when he reached 100 runs, so his concentration lapsed and he lost his wicket.
It wasn’t until he had a chat with Steve Waugh that his mindset changed. Waugh helped him realise that reaching a century didn’t mean that his job was done.
From then on, he started making big hundreds. Since changing his mindset, Clarke has scores north of 150 in three positions. However, his highest scores have come at number five, where he has 20 centuries, three of which are double centuries, and one a triple ton.
Clarke’s unbeaten 329 against India at home in 2012 is his highest score at number five.
2. Harry Brook
- England
- 317
Brook is at the forefront of the number five revolution. He is part of the new breed of number fives that has abandoned the mindset espoused by past masters like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who rolled their sleeves and patiently accumulated runs at a slow pace.
Brook is alongside Rishabh Pant as one of the number fives who move the game forward.
Brook pushes the game forward so much that he scores at a rate that some go by in ODIs. He has scored 2761 runs for an average of 61 at a strike rate of 87. He has scored 10 centuries in the position, with the highest being 317 against Pakistan in 2024.
Also read: Rated – The 9 best death bowlers in world cricket
3. Don Bradman
- Australia
- 304
Bradman batted in five positions in his 20-year career. However, Bradman preferred to come in at first drop, and he appeared at number three 40 times. That was his preferred position, but the don wasn’t afraid of moving down the order if conditions demanded.
The Australian great featured at number five only three times, and it’s safe to say that he conquered the position. Bradman scored 213 in his first outing in 1929. He waited five years before he got another chance at number five and made 304.
His last appearance at five was in 1936, and like in his final Test for Australia, he didn’t score a single run.
Bradman’s 304 came against England in Leeds.
4. Karun Nair
- India
- 303 not out
Nair will probably never reach the heights he climbed in his maiden run in the Indian Test cricket team. That’s probably because he spent his peak years playing domestic cricket. Nair was 25 and on the verge of his best years when he made his debut for India.
He played six Tests and made 374 runs in seven innings for an average of 62, with a high score of 303, and was discarded on the pile of surplus requirements.
Nair made a return to international cricket at 33, an age where most batters start thinking about their future outside of cricket. Unless you are an outlier, 33 is the beginning of the end.
Unsurprisingly, Nair’s return has been a little muted. He has managed 205 runs at an average of 25.6 in eight innings. His highest score since his return to Test cricket after an eight-year break was 57 against England at the Oval.
Nair’s highest score in Test cricket came in December 2016, when Nair made an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai.
5. Brendon McCullum
- New Zealand
- 302
It is not hyperbole to suggest that McCullum sees a version of a younger him when he watches Harry Brook bat in whites. Like Brook, McCullum was a master at attacking the opposition from number five.
However, he wasn’t a one-dimensional player. McCullum had a rarely seen side to his game, a side that he put on full view against India in February 2014.
The former New Zealand walked into the third innings carrying a myriad of niggles and would have been forgiven if he had been at the crease for a good time, and not a long time. Instead, he reined in his natural game and batted for nearly two days, accumulating 302 in 559 balls.
6. RE Foster
- England
- 287
Foster had six brothers who played cricket at a high level, but none was as good as he was. Foster caught everyone’s eye when he smashed 171 for Oxford against Cambridge in a Varsity match.
Shortly afterwards, he scored centuries in both innings in a match pitting Gentlemen and Players. He was on the fast track to stardom, and the MCC didn’t miss the opportunity to pick him for the 1903-04 tour to Australia.
Foster repaid the selectors with a 287 on debut. That match was one of only eight matches he played for England in four years.
The records that I have pored over suggest that he was one of the best talents of his period; however, his business commitments, other sporting hobbies and diabetes meant that he didn’t play as much cricket.
7. AB de Villiers
- South Africa
- 278 not out
One of the best things about De Villiers is that South Africa could slot him in anywhere and he would deliver.
The retired star batted everywhere from position one to eight and has half-centuries in every spot except for the number seven slot, where he featured in five innings.
De Villiers was asked to open the batting in 16 Tests between 2004 and 2007. He made 689 runs at an average of 38. He also batted at number two in 17 innings between 2004 and 2008.
His returns? 576 runs at an average of 33. He also showed that he could bat at three and four, and made cameos at seven and eight.
However, De Villiers’ best position was at five. Yes, he could have made number six his own; the retired superstar has a top score of 217 at six. His top score at number five was a masterful, unbeaten 278 against Pakistan in 2010.
Highest Test scores at No. 5 – summary list
1. Michael Clarke: 329 not out
2. Harry Brook: 317
3. Don Bradman: 304
4. Karun Nair: 303 not out
5. Brendon McCullum: 302
6. RE Foster: 287
7. AB de Villiers: 278 not out
Read next: Did Chris Gayle get named in this West Indies’ best Test XI of the past 40 years?
The post The 7 best Test scores by No. 5s: Harry Brook 2nd, so who’s No.1? appeared first on Cricket365.
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