Cricket
Most Successful Test Team at Lord’s: A Data-Driven Ranking
Despite holding the dubious honour of being one of the world’s smallest cricket stadiums, Lord’s is widely perceived as the “Home of Cricket”. Representing the holy grail for visiting Test cricket teams, there is a certain level of prestige attached to success in the longest format at this iconic venue. Keeping ball lengths tight and making hay with the bat when the conditions are kind remain critical factors in winning Test matches at Lord’s, and the significance of this achievement can never be overstated. Who is the most successful Test team at Lord’s? Which visiting teams have the best records at Lord’s? At SportsBoom, we have plunged into the stats to uncover the teams that have contributed the most to Test match results at Lord’s. Our trusted methodology will give you a conclusive answer.
Ben Stokes with his team/Getty Images
SB Market Index: How We Evaluate Team Success at Lord’s
Our evaluation of the best Test record at Lord’s was thorough. We combined a statistical analysis of each team’s win percentage at Lord’s with expert and media perception to provide a comprehensive ranking. Fusing these two aspects supplied the ‘SB Market Index’, ensuring fairness and transparency across the results.
Industry Insights
A curated analysis of Lord’s Cricket Ground stats emanated from the top 10 cricketing and sporting media sources. This measured how prominently each team’s success (or struggles) at Lord’s is featured in historical and statistical discussions.
Industry Insights
| Source Name | Australia | England | South Africa | Pakistan | West Indies | India | New Zealand |
| ESPNcricinfo – Lord’s team results summary (win %) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cricket.com.au – “Stats that matter” for WTC Final (Australia best %) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cricbuzz – WTC final: Australia’s advantage at Lord’s | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reuters/News – India’s record at Lord’s (only three wins) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guardian – West Indies historic first win 75 years ago | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wikipedia – Lord’s Test ground records | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Times – West Indies’ 1984 dominance tour mention | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Howstat – Ground home/away win percentage at Lord’s | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Times of India – India has only 3 wins record | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reuters/BBC – Jofra Archer & India toil piece (context only) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
SB Score
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Win % | SB Score |
| Australia | 41 | 18 | 8 | 43.90% | 1.000 |
| England | 146 | 60 | 35 | 41.09% | 0.936 |
| South Africa | 19 | 7 | 8 | 36.84% | 0.839 |
| Pakistan | 16 | 5 | 5 | 31.25% | 0.712 |
| West Indies | 22 | 4 | 11 | 18.18% | 0.414 |
| India | 20 | 3 | 13 | 15.00% | 0.342 |
| New Zealand | 19 | 1 | 9 | 5.26% | 0.120 |
This score is calculated based on the team’s overall win percentage in Test matches at Lord’s Cricket Ground (100% weightage). The raw stats were then used to calculate the final ‘SB Score’.
SB Market Index
| Rank | Team | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | Australia | 1.000 | 6 | 5.000 |
| 2 | West Indies | 0.414 | 2 | 1.663 |
| 3 | South Africa | 0.839 | 1 | 0.968 |
| 4 | England | 0.936 | 0 | 0.187 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 0.712 | 0 | 0.142 |
| 6 | India | 0.342 | 0 | 0.068 |
| 7 | New Zealand | 0.120 | 0 | 0.024 |
Australia: The Undisputed Kings of Lord’s
Australia’s record at Lord’s suggests they are the undisputed kings, and they have built a strong legacy, which has been partly down to their performances in the Ashes. Their unyielding competitive spirit is noticeable, and in the past, they could rely on the late king of spin Shane Warne to rescue them with some devilish spin bowling.
Lord’s has almost been a home from home for the Aussies, who delivered the best SB Score and a superb Industry Insights score, which underpins the respect they gathered from the media.
The Curious Case of England and the West Indies
While England have been blessed with some master Test batters over the years, including Joe Root, as well as calling upon fabulous opening partnerships to set the tone, England’s win percentage at Lord’s indicates they have gone through peaks and troughs. Although they received a high ‘SB Score’, perhaps home advantage has been slightly exaggerated, and this was reflected by the poor ‘Industry Insights’ score.
West Indies, meanwhile, were a dominant force in Test cricket during the 1980s, but their decline has been a sorry sight. Given their historical impact, this contributed to their higher ‘Industry Insights’ score, which belies a smaller win percentage.
The Chasing Pack: South Africa and Pakistan’s Solid Records
South Africa’s recent World Test Championship win at Lord’s was a seminal moment, and like Pakistan, they boast a respectable record. Both sides have contributed to the narrative of Test cricket at Lord’s, although South Africa slightly edged things in the final ranking due to their solitary ‘Industry Insights’ mention.
Conclusion on Conquering the Home of Cricket
In summary, the Home of Cricket stats make for fascinating reading, but Australia have been by far the most successful touring side at Lord’s based on the detailed results of our model. A superb ‘SB Score’ combined with an overwhelming ‘Industry Insights’ return meant they put their rivals into the shade.
Australia’s perceived dominance has been underlined by the bold and aggressive approach adopted in their style of cricket. Whenever they have pitched up at Lord’s, they have been more intimidating. This has been underlined with terrific bowling spells and mammoth run totals posted.
Indeed, their standing in the game isn’t a fluke, and they have been the benchmark by which other Test teams have measured themselves. For now, Australia remains a beacon of Test cricket at Lord’s.
Charles Perrin is a highly experienced sports betting content writer with over six years of working with some of the leading sportsbooks in the UK, including bet365 and William Hill.