Shortest ever Test matches: Full list of two-day men's Tests

Nov 22, 2025 4 minute read The Ashes, 2025/26

Travis Head of Australia raises his bat after scoring 100 runs during day two of the First 2025/26 Ashes Series Test Match between Australia and England at Perth Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Perth, Australia

Here is the list of all the men's Test matches in history that have ended in two days.We have curated the list of shortest ever test matches that ended in two days.

The opening Test of the 2025/26 Ashes finished inside two days, with Australia competing the chase with eight wickets to spare. Such contests have been rare, at least post-World War II.

1st Test, Australia vs England

Recent

Australia vs England | England tour of Australia, 2025/26 | 1st Test

Perth Stadium, Perth

Friday, November 21st, 2025 02:20am (UTC:+0000)

AUS Australia

132

(45.2) RR: 2.91

205/2

(28.2) RR: 7.24

vs

ENG England

172

(32.5) RR: 5.24

164

(34.4) RR: 4.73

Australia beat England by 8 wickets

Out of 27 men's Tests to finish in two days, nine have been in England with the last one happening in August 2000. That remains the only two-day Test to take place in the country since 1921. South Africa have hosted eight two-day Tests, while Australia have hosted four and India two. The 1888-89 season stands out for producing five two-day Tests in a row, and six in seven matches.

List of men's Test matches to finish in two days

August 28, 1882: Australia 63 (Barlow 5-19) & 122 (Massie 55) BEAT England 101 (Spofforth 7-46) & 77 (Spofforth 7-44) by seven runs
July 16, 1888: Australia 116 (Peel 4-36) & 60 (Peel 4-14) BEAT England 53 (Turner 5-27) & 62 (Ferris 5-26) by 61 runs
August 13, 1888: Australia 80 (Briggs 5-25) & 100 (Barnes 5-32) LOST to England 317 (Abel 70) by an innings and 137 runs
August 30, 1888: England 172 (Turner 5-86) BEAT Australia 81 (Peel 7-31) & 70 (Peel 4-37) by an innings and 21 runs
March 12, 1889: South Africa 84 (Smith 5-19) & 129 (Fothergill 4-19) LOST to England 148 (Rose-Innes 5-43) & 67-2 (Abel 23*) by eight wickets
March 25, 1889: England 292 (Abel 120) BEAT South Africa 47 (Briggs 7-17) & 43 (Briggs 8-11) by an innings and 202 runs
August 11, 1890: Australia 92 (Martin 6-50) & 102 (Martin 6-52) LOST to England 100 (Ferris 4-25) & 95-8 (Read 35) by two wickets
February 13, 1896: England 185 (Middleton 5-64) & 226 (Woods 53) BEAT South Africa 93 (Lohmann 7-38) & 30 (Lohmann 8-7) by 288 runs
March 21, 1896: South Africa 115 (Lohmann 7-42) & 117 (Hill 4-8) LOST to England 265 (Hill 124) by an innings and 33 runs
May 27, 1912: Australia 448 (Bardsley 121) BEAT South Africa 265 (Faulkner 122*) & 95 (Kelleway 5-33) by an innings and 88 runs
August 12, 1912: South Africa 95 (Barnes 5-28) & 93 (Barnes 8-29) LOST to England 176 (Hobbs 68) & 14-0 (Hobbs 9*) by 10 wickets
May 28, 1921: England 112 (Gregory 6-58) & 147 (McDonald 5-32) LOST to Australia 232 (Bardsley 66) & 30-0 (Macartney 22*) by 10 wickets
February 13, 1931: West Indies 99 (Ironmonger 7-23) & 107 (Fairfax 4-31) LOST to Australia 328-8d (Bradman 152) by an innings and 122 runs
February 15, 1936: South Africa 157 (O'Reilly 5-20) & 98 (Grimmett 7-40) LOST to Australia 439 (Fingleton 108) by an innings and 84 runs
March 29, 1946: New Zealand 42 (O'Reilly 5-14) & 54 (O'Reilly 3-19) LOST to Australia 199-8d (Barnes 54) by an innings and 103 runs
August 17, 2000: West Indies 172 (White 5-57) & 61 (Caddick 5-14) LOST to England 272 (Vaughan 76) by an innings and 39 runs
October 11, 2002: Pakistan 59 (Warne 4-11) & 53 (Warne 4-13) LOST to Australia 310 (Hayden 119) by an innings and 198 runs
March 4, 2005: Zimbabwe 54 (Kallis 4-13) & 265 (Ebrahim 72) LOST to South Africa 340-3d (Smith 121) by an innings and 21 runs
August 7, 2005: New Zealand 452-9d (Vettori 127) BEAT Zimbabwe 59 (Franklin 3-11) & 99 (Vettori 4-28) by an innings and 294 runs
December 26, 2017: South Africa 309-9d (Markram 125) BEAT Zimbabwe 68 (Morkel 5-21) & 121 (Maharaj 5-29) by an innings and 120 runs
June 14, 2018: India 474 (Dhawan 107) BEAT Afghanistan 109 (Ashwin 4-27) & 103 (Jadeja 4-17) by an innings and 262 runs
February 24, 2021: England 112 (Patel 6-38) & 81 (Patel 5-32) LOST to India 145 (Root 5-8) & 49-0 (Sharma 25*) by 10 wickets
March 2, 2021: Afghanistan 131 (Muzarabani 4-48) & 135 (Zadran 76) LOST to Zimbabwe 250 (Williams 105) & 17-0 (Kasuza 11*) by 10 wickets
December 17, 2022: South Africa 152 (Verreynne 64) & 99 (Cummins 5-42) LOST to Australia 218 (Head 92) & 35-4 (Rabada 4-13) by six wickets
January 3, 2024: South Africa 55 (Siraj 6-15) & 176 (Markram 106) LOST to India 153 (Kohli 46) & 80-3 (Jaiswal 28) by seven wickets
November 21, 2025: England 172 (Brook, Starc 7-58) & 164 (Boland 4-33) LOST to Australia 132 (Stokes 5-23) & 205-2 (Head 123) by eight wickets.

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