After another exhilarating year of cricket, Wisden's editorial team have picked the top five men's Test innings of 2025.
No.5: Justin Greaves 202* vs New Zealand, Christchurch
Greaves had scored four centuries in 57 first-class matches before this knock, and none of them were in excess of 124. It was a knock truly out of the blue (or maroon, if one prefers) at Christchurch.
During Greaves’ 196-run stand with Shai Hope, there was a feeling that the West Indies could even attempt to chase down the 531 before them, since New Zealand were two fast bowlers down.
But after Hope and Tevin Imlach were dismissed in quick succession, the last two and a half sessions of the match turned into an old-fashioned blockathon. The players shook hands on a draw just after Greaves made it past 200.
A special mention goes to fast bowler Kemar Roach who made a maiden Test fifty in his 130th innings, and played 73 consecutive dots during the course of his partnership with Greaves.
No.4: Shubman Gill 269 vs England, Birmingham
Gill had already excelled in Leeds, with 147 in his first innings as a Test captain. It only got better in the following game at Edgbaston.
The track was good for batting, but India’s skipper still pushed himself well above his teammates. Coming in at 95-2 on day one, he made it to a century by the close of play, with India 310-5. Day two was when he cashed in; moving from 150 to 200 in 48 balls, and 200 to 250 in 37 deliveries.
There were three further centuries in the match, one of them from his bat – 161 in the second dig. His 430 runs in the contest are second only to Graham Gooch’s 333 & 123 (456) in 1990. India’s quicks, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj went on to win them the Test and level the series.
No.3: Temba Bavuma 55* vs India, Kolkata
Out of 2,616 men’s Test matches, only 52 have seen a fifty-plus score from only one player. The latest one came in November 2025 at the Eden Gardens. A treacherous wicket spun from day one and had inconsistent bounce throughout.
The first innings scores were 159 and 189 – when Bavuma came to the crease in the third innings, South Africa were two down and five runs away from levelling the scores, never mind building a lead. At the end of day two, the skipper was on 29, and South Africa were 93-7, leading by just 63.
But alongside Corbin Bosch, Bavuma squeezed out every last run he could on the third morning, making it past 50 and only stopping after he ran out of partners. South Africa went on to defend 124, and then win the series 2-0 in Guwahati.
No.2: Travis Head 123 vs England, Perth
The Ashes opener in Perth looked like it could be close after England set Australia 205 to win on a wicket where the highest score thus far was 172. Australia did not have Usman Khawaja available either, the opener having tweaked his back while fielding. Enter Travis Head.
He started cautiously, with 16 off his first 20 balls before a six and a four of Brydon Carse. Head then raced to a half-century off 36 deliveries. The century – the second-quickest in Ashes history – only took another 33 to arrive, as he made mincemeat of the bowling. He was out 13 runs shy of the target, which Australia duly went on to make.
That knock set the tone for the hosts to stick with him at the top, and he returned the trust with over 600 runs in his trademark style, striking at over 85.
No.1: Aiden Markram 136 vs Australia, Lord’s
Aiden Markram's 136 vs Australia was named Wisden Cricket Monthly's men's Test innings of the year in issue 94, available to buy here.
For the second year in a row, Markram finds himself at top spot on this list. Last time, it was a lone knock on a borderline dangerous wicket against India and this time an innings that led to the highlight of South Africa’s year.
The Proteas were 74 runs behind in the WTC final at Lord’s, and eventually set 282 to win against the bowling attack of Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon. Markram and Bavuma came together at 70-2 and did not look back.
He was 102 not out overnight on day two, and said later that he slept “horribly” before coming out the next day. His captain said later that Markram told him after every over that they had to ‘lock in’, and there was barely an acknowledgement when he got to three figures.
It was South Africa’s first ICC title at senior level, and a nice callback to 2014, when Markram, as skipper of the U19 side, top-scored in the final with an unbeaten 66.
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