England v South Africa this summer will be the 100th Test match held at the Kia Oval. The first test match was played in 1880 between England and Australia, and not surprisingly, there has been some iconic cricketing moments at the ground. To celebrate, we decided to revisit the top five highest innings ever to be scored at The Kia Oval, starting at number five.
5. Jiaved Miandad. 1987. England v Pakistan. 260 runs. In the final test of this series, Miandad himself scored 260 runs, more than the whole English team who posted a below average total of 232 in their first innings.
4. Bill Ponsford. 1934. England v Australia. 266 runs. Bill Ponsford alongside other greats such as Don Bradman took to The KIa Oval and accumulated 266 runs in this Test. Their pairing in the Australian team of the 1920’s and 1930’s is thought to be one of the best ever.
3. Vivian Richards. 1976. England v West Indies. 291 runs. Vivian Richards hit 38 boundaries during this innings of 291 at The Kia Oval in which he is thought of as one of the best cricketers of all time due to his prowess with the bat.
2. Hashim Amla. 2012. England v South Africa. 311 runs not out. More recently, Amla racked up another huge total of 311 not out as he became the first ever South African to score a triple-century after spending more than 13 hours at the crease.
1. Len Hutton. 1938. England v Australia. 364 runs. Hutton holds the record for the highest innings at The Kia Oval after hitting a remarkable score of 364 in this test in which England posted a giant total of 903, the second highest innings score ever.
There have been many great innings at The Kia oval however it’s these above that hold the records. Interestingly, Hutton is the only Englishman to have a place in the top five innings at The Kia Oval. The 100th Test match this summer between England and South Africa would be a fitting time for this to change!