EnglandTest and ODI ground1880 to 2025
Kennington Oval
London, England
Kennington Oval records at a glance
At Kennington Oval, the highest Test team total is 903/7 by England in 1938; the highest individual score is 364 by Leonard Hutton in 1938; the highest successful chase is 263/9 by England in 1902.
At Kennington Oval, the highest ODI team total is 398/5 by New Zealand in 2015; the highest individual score is 182 by Ben Stokes in 2023; the highest successful chase is 322/3 by Sri Lanka in 2017.
| Record | Test | ODI |
|---|---|---|
| Highest team total | 903/7 (England, 1938) | 398/5 (New Zealand, 2015) |
| Lowest completed total | 44 (Australia, 1896) | 103 (England, 1999) |
| Highest successful chase | 263/9 (England, 1902) | 322/3 (Sri Lanka, 2017) |
| Highest individual score | Leonard Hutton 364 (1938) | Ben Stokes 182 (2023) |
| Best bowling | Devon Malcolm 9/57 (1994) | Jasprit Bumrah 6/19 (2022) |
| Most runs at the ground | Leonard Hutton 1,521 | Eoin Morgan 705 |
| Most wickets at the ground | Ian Botham 52 | James Anderson 30 |
| Average first-innings total | 346 | 251 |
About Kennington Oval
The Oval staged the first Test in England, in September 1880, and has traditionally hosted the last Test of the English summer ever since. Some of the game's most famous days happened here: England's first home defeat by Australia in 1882, which produced the mock obituary that gave the Ashes their name, and Don Bradman's duck in his last Test innings in 1948. Len Hutton's 364 against Australia in 1938, in England's 903 for 7 declared, remains both the highest score and the highest total at the ground, and Devon Malcolm's 9 for 57 against South Africa in 1994 is the best bowling. Hutton also leads the ground's run-scorers, with 1,521. Of the 106 Tests played here, England have won 45, and 37 have been drawn. England's win by an innings and 579 runs in that 1938 Test remains the largest in Test history. In one-day cricket Ben Stokes's 182 against New Zealand in 2023 is the ground's highest score.
Kennington Oval in numbers
Kennington Oval, in London, England, has staged 106 Tests and 77 one-day internationals in CricArcade's archives. The first was a Test between England and Australia in 1880, and the most recent international here was in 2025. Its Tests span 140 years and more.
In Tests
Of the 106 Tests played at Kennington Oval, 37 were drawn (35%), 40 won by the side batting first and 29 by the side batting second. That is 58% of decided Tests to the side batting first, a ground where setting the pace has paid. England have played 105 of those Tests and won 45, lost 23 and drawn or tied 37, a win rate of 43%. The most frequent visitors have been Australia (40) and South Africa (16).
The average first-innings total was 310 in the 1880s (5 Tests) and 265 in the 2020s (4 Tests), peaking at 476 in the 1930s. Its busiest decade was the 1950s, with 10 Tests, against 10 in the 1960s.
Leonard Hutton has made more Test runs here than anyone, 1,521 in 19 innings with 4 hundreds, and Ian Botham has taken the most wickets, 52 in 11 Tests.
- Highest total: England's 903 for 7 (1938)
- Lowest completed innings: Australia's 44 (1896)
- Highest individual score: Leonard Hutton, 364 against Australia (1938)
- Best bowling: Devon Malcolm, 9 for 57 (1994)
- Heaviest defeat: Australia, by an innings and 579 runs against England (1938)
- Closest finish: England won by 1 wicket (1902)
In one-day internationals
Of the 77 ODIs played at Kennington Oval, sides batting first have won 31 and chasing sides 43; 3 produced no result. Only 42% of decided ODIs have gone to the side batting first; chasing has been the stronger hand here. England have played 52 of those ODIs and won 32, lost 18 and tied or had no result in 2, a win rate of 62%. The most frequent visitors have been Australia (17) and India (17).
The average first-innings total was 228 in the 1970s (8 ODIs) and 243 in the 2020s (4 ODIs), peaking at 263 in the 2010s. Its busiest decade was the 2010s, with 29 ODIs, against 19 in the 2000s.
Eoin Morgan has made more ODI runs here than anyone, 705 in 15 innings, and James Anderson has taken the most wickets, 30 in 15 ODIs.
- Highest total: New Zealand's 398 for 5 (2015)
- Lowest completed innings: England's 103 (1999)
- Highest individual score: Ben Stokes, 182 against New Zealand (2023)
- Best bowling: Jasprit Bumrah, 6 for 19 (2022)
- Widest win by runs: New Zealand, by 210 runs over United States (2004)
- Closest finish: New Zealand won by 1 wicket (2008)
Tests at Kennington Oval
106 Tests, 1880 to 2023. The first was England v Australia on 6 September 1880: England won by 5 wickets.
- Won batting first
- Won batting second
- Drawn / tied
First-innings totals by decade
| Decade | Tests | Average first-innings total |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 | 310 |
| 1890s | 4 | 324 |
| 1900s | 4 | 344 |
| 1910s | 2 | 170 |
| 1920s | 5 | 304 |
| 1930s | 9 | 476 |
| 1940s | 4 | 289 |
| 1950s | 10 | 255 |
| 1960s | 10 | 268 |
| 1970s | 9 | 403 |
| 1980s | 10 | 385 |
| 1990s | 10 | 359 |
| 2000s | 10 | 413 |
| 2010s | 10 | 364 |
| 2020s | 4 | 265 |
Most runs
| Batter | Team | Inns | Runs | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leonard Hutton | England | 19 | 1,521 | 4 |
| Alastair Cook | England | 24 | 1,217 | 3 |
| Graham Gooch | England | 22 | 1,097 | 1 |
| Wally Hammond | England | 17 | 930 | 4 |
| Herbert Sutcliffe | England | 11 | 916 | 5 |
Most wickets
| Bowler | Team | Tests | Wkts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Botham | England | 11 | 52 |
| James Anderson | England | 16 | 50 |
| Derek Underwood | England | 10 | 45 |
| Stuart Broad | England | 14 | 45 |
| Jim Laker | England | 8 | 40 |
Test records
- Highest total
- 903/7
- Lowest completed total
- 44
- Highest score
- 364 · Leonard Hutton
- Best bowling
- 9/57 · Devon Malcolm
- Biggest innings win
- Inns & 579
- Biggest win by runs
- 562 runs
Closest finishes
- England won by 1 wicket (1902)
ODIs at Kennington Oval
77 ODIs, 1973 to 2025. The first was England v West Indies on 7 September 1973: West Indies won by 8 wickets (with 76 balls remaining).
- Won batting first
- Won batting second
- Tied / NR
First-innings totals by decade
| Decade | ODIs | Average first-innings total |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8 | 228 |
| 1980s | 8 | 244 |
| 1990s | 9 | 262 |
| 2000s | 19 | 243 |
| 2010s | 29 | 263 |
| 2020s | 4 | 243 |
Most runs
| Batter | Team | Inns | Runs | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eoin Morgan | England | 15 | 705 | 0 |
| Joe Root | England | 13 | 596 | 1 |
| Marcus Trescothick | England | 10 | 528 | 3 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | India | 6 | 474 | 3 |
| Ian Bell | England | 12 | 473 | 0 |
Most wickets
| Bowler | Team | ODIs | Wkts |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Anderson | England | 15 | 30 |
| Darren Gough | England | 13 | 13 |
| Andrew Flintoff | England | 10 | 12 |
| Liam Plunkett | England | 8 | 12 |
| Andy Roberts | West Indies | 5 | 11 |
ODI records
- Highest total
- 398/5
- Lowest completed total
- 103
- Highest score
- 182 · Ben Stokes
- Best bowling
- 6/19 · Jasprit Bumrah
- Biggest win by runs
- 210 runs
Closest finishes
Most recent matches
- West Indies v England (ODI, 3 June 2025): England won by 7 wickets
- England v New Zealand (ODI, 13 September 2023): England won by 181 runs
- England v Australia (Test, 27 July 2023): England won by 49 runs
- Australia v India (Test, 7 June 2023): Australia won by 209 runs
- South Africa v England (Test, 8 September 2022): England won by 9 wickets
- England v India (ODI, 12 July 2022): India won by 10 wickets (with 188 balls remaining)
- India v England (Test, 2 September 2021): India won by 157 runs
- Sri Lanka v England (ODI, 1 July 2021): England won by 8 wickets (with 42 balls remaining)
- England v Australia (Test, 12 September 2019): England won by 135 runs
- Australia v Sri Lanka (ODI, 15 June 2019): Australia won by 87 runs
Sources
- CricArcade Test archive: 106 scorecards at this ground
- CricArcade ODI archive: 77 scorecards at this ground
- Figures compiled from the official match scorecards in CricArcade's archive