[1] A Test match is scheduled to take place over a period of five days,[a][b] and is played by teams representing full member nations of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
As of January 2025[update], South Africa has played 472 Test matches resulting in 185 victories, 161 defeats and 126 draws for an overall winning percentage of 39.19.
[7] The highest innings total scored in Test cricket came in the series between Sri Lanka and India in August 1997.
This broke the longstanding record of 7/903d which England set against Australia in the final Test of the 1938 Ashes series at The Oval.
[11][12] South Africa's highest fourth innings total is 450/7 in an unsuccessful run chase against India at Johannesburg in December 2013.
[23] South Africa's narrowest win by runs was against Australia in the second Test of the 1993-94 tour at Sydney Cricket Ground.
Played at the Old Wanderers Stadium, the hosts won the match by a margin of one wicket, one of only fourteen one-wicket victories in Test cricket.
[22] The final Test of the 1938 Ashes saw England defeat the tourists by an innings and 579 runs, to the draw the series at one match all.
[28] South Africa's biggest defeat came at home during the Australian tour in 2002 when they lost by an innings and 360 runs at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.
[24] South Africa's biggest defeat by runs was against England in the fourth Test of the 1910-11 tour at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Bradman holds the Test record for the most double centuries scored with twelve, one ahead of Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara who finished his career with eleven.
England's Wally Hammond and Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka both scored seven double centuries.
[100] Glenn McGrath has scored the equal third-highest number of ducks in Test cricket behind Courtney Walsh with 43 and Chris Martin with 36.
[121] A bowler's bowling figures in a match is the sum of the wickets taken and the runs conceded over both innings.
Nineteenth century English medium pacer George Lohmann holds the record for the best career average in Test cricket with 10.75.
[99] English bowler William Attewell, who played 10 matches for England between 1884 and 1892, holds the Test record for the best career economy rate with 1.31.
[142] A ten-wicket haul refers to a bowler taking ten or more wickets in a match over two innings.
The wicket-keeper is a specialist fielder who stands behind the stumps being guarded by the batsman on strike and is the only member of the fielding side allowed to wear gloves and leg pads.
A fair catch is taken when the ball is caught fully within the field of play without it bouncing after the ball has touched the striker's bat or glove holding the bat,[158][159] while a stumping occurs when the wicket-keeper puts down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground and not attempting a run.
[160] South Africa's Mark Boucher holds the record for most dismissals in Test cricket as a designated wicket-keeper.
[163] Bert Oldfield, Australia's fifth-most capped wicket-keeper, holds the record for the most stumpings in Test cricket with 52.
[165] Four wicket-keepers have taken seven dismissals in a single innings in a Test match—Wasim Bari of Pakistan in 1979, Englishman Bob Taylor in 1980, New Zealand's Ian Smith in 1991 and most recently West Indian gloveman Ridley Jacobs against Australia in 2000.
[168] Three wicket-keepers have made 11 dismissals in a Test match, Englishman Jack Russell in 1995, South African AB de Villiers in 2013 and most recently India's Rishabh Pant against Australia in 2018.
[181] South Africa's Bruce Mitchell, Trevor Goddard and Bert Vogler are equal tenth with 12 catches taken during a series.
[188] Former English captain Alastair Cook holds the record for the most consecutive Test matches played with 159.
[192] The youngest player to play in a Test match is claimed to be Hasan Raza at the age of 14 years and 227 days.
Making his debut for Pakistan against Zimbabwe on 24 October 1996, there is some doubt as to the validity of Raza's age at the time.
Omar Henry is the oldest South African Test debutant in the 1992–93 series against India at Kingsmead Cricket Ground.
South Africa's Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar hold the 10th highest Test partnership with 429 made in 2003 against Bangladesh.
The current active Dar set the record in December 2019 overtaking Steve Bucknor from the West Indies mark of 128 matches.