Triple hundreds in Test cricket: A statistical breakdown

SA players congratulate Sehwag on his 300

A triple hundred is considered to be one of the biggest individual achievements in Test cricket.

Out of the 57595 innings played in Test cricket by players batting in positions 1 to 7, there have been only 31 instances of an individual scoring a triple ton- once in almost 1857 innings.

England's Andy Sandham was the first triple centurion in international cricket, and David Warner became the latest entrant on the list with his 335* against Pakistan.

Here, we take a detailed look at some of the interesting facts and stats regarding triple hundreds in Test cricket:

Test cricket 300s: A statistical breakdown

Distribution by country: England have been involved in most triple hundreds in Test cricket (14); 4 scored and 9 conceded. Australia have scored the most triple hundreds in Test cricket, with Bangladesh and Zimbabwe being the only nations with more than 10 Tests yet to score an individual 300-plus score.

Distribution by decade: Almost two-thirds of the triple hundreds (20 out of 31) in Test cricket have been scored in the last three decades. The 2000s and the 2010s witnessed 8 triple tons each, while the 1930s come third in the list with 5 triple hundreds.
Oldest and youngest to score a triple hundred: England's Andy Sandham is the oldest player to achieve the feat (39 years and 271 days), while Sir Garry Sobers became the youngest player to reach the 300-mark when he scored 365* against Pakistan, aged 21 years and 213 days.
Distribution by batting positions: More than 50% of the triple hundreds (16 out of 31) have been scored by openers. 8 have been scored by players batting at number three, 3 from number four and 4 from number five.
Distribution by venue: England and West Indies have been witnesses of seven triple tons each, while 4 each have been scored in Australia and Pakistan. Headingley and Antigua Recreation Ground have seen three triple hundreds each. Sri Lanka has witnessed the feat thrice, India and New Zealand twice each, and Bangladesh and UAE once each.

Home and away distribution: 20 out of 31 triple tons have been scored in home conditions (considering the UAE as Pakistan's home). Hanif Mohammad's 337 against West Indies is the highest overseas Test score, while Hashim Amla's 311* against England is the highest overseas Test score in a winning cause.
Win-loss distribution: 13 triple hundreds have resulted in wins, while 18 have been scored on drawn occasions. No team has lost after one of their batsmen scored a triple hundred.
Lefties and righties: 12 of the 31 triple hundreds in Test cricket have been scored by left handers. Left handers have held the record for highest individual Test score, ever since Garry Sobers' 365* in 1957-58.
The fastest tons: Virender Sehwag holds the record for the fastest triple ton in terms of balls faced. He reached the 300-run mark in just 278 balls against South Africa in 2008. In terms of minutes, the record belongs to Wally Hammond, who reached his triple hundred in 288 minutes en-route his 336*.
Triple tons by captains: There have been eight instances when a captain scored a triple hundred in Test cricket. Bob Simpson was the first skipper to achieve the feat, followed by Graham Gooch, Mark Taylor, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene, Younis Khan, Michael Clarke and Brendon McCullum.
Multiple triple tons: There are four players with two triple hundreds to their names; Don Bradman (334 in 1930 and 304 in 1934), Brian Lara (375 in 1993-94 and 400* in 2003-04), Virender Sehwag (309 in 2003-04 and 319 in 2008) and Chris Gayle (317 in 2004-05 and 333 in 2010-11). Virender Sehwag and Don Bradman also have scores in the 290s to their names.

There have been a few heartbreaking near misses- seven instances to be precise- when a batsman was stranded between 290 and 300. Of the seven instances, Don Bradman's 299* against South Africa is the only time the batsman remained unbeaten.