5 shortest Test matches (by balls) where result came

As Australia and England produced the shortest Boxing Day Test, here are the top 5 shortest Tests in cricket history when result came. India's win over South Africa in Cape Town in 2024 tops the list.

England's win over Australia in the MCG Test is now the shortest Boxing Day Test ever. Image | ICC

The cricketing world has been left reeling following the conclusion of the 2025 Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). In a dramatic turn of events, England secured a four-wicket victory over Australia in a match that lasted just 852 balls (142 overs) officially making it the shortest-ever Boxing Day Test and one of the fastest results in the 148-year history of the format.

5 shortest Test matches in cricket history where the result came

Despite the chaos in Melbourne, the world record for the shortest completed Test remains with the January 2024 Newlands Test between South Africa and India. That match concluded in just 107 overs (642 balls). India emerged victorious in Cape Town after 33 wickets fell across less than five sessions of play.

Here is how the shortest completed matches in history compare:

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Ashes 2025-26 has already seen two of the shortest Test matches of the modern era

The current Ashes series has been an anomaly for modern fans. Usually a grueling test of endurance, the 2025/26 series has seen the ball dominate to an extreme degree.

In the Perth Test (November 2025), the game ended in 847 balls, with Mitchell Starc wreaking havoc. Just weeks later at the MCG the trend continued. On a surface that former England captain Michael Vaughan described as "a lottery," no batter managed to score a half-century, the first time this has happened in an Australian Test match since 1932.

England's Josh Tongue was the hero of the hour, claiming match figures of 7/89 while the Australian batting lineup collapsed for 152 and 132.

England's "Bazball" approach proved decisive in the chase, as they hunted down 175 in just 32.2 overs to end an 18-match winless streak on Australian soil.

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While fans at the MCG enjoyed the breakneck speed of the contest, administrators are less pleased. Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg was blunt in his assessment, stating that "short Tests are bad for business," citing the millions of dollars lost in ticket sales and broadcasting revenue when matches fail to reach Day 3 or Day 4.

With the series now standing at 3-1 in favour of Australia, the focus shifts to the New Year’s Test in Sydney. Curators there will be under immense pressure to provide a surface that lasts the full five days, lest the record books be rewritten once again.

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