Wins by runs
The smallest victory in terms of runs has been by 1 run when West Indies defeated Australia at Adelaide in a Test match that begun on 23rd January 1993. The second ranked occasion was when England beat Australia by 2 runs at Birmingham. This test match started on 4th August 2005. The third smallest triumph is by 3 runs. The test match commenced on 24th July 1902 at Manchester and England was defeated by Australia.
| Margin | Winning team | Losing team | Venue | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 runs | England | Australia | Melbourne | 26th December 1982 |
| 5 runs | South Africa | Australia | Sydney | 2nd January 1994 |
| 6 runs | Australia | England | Sydney | 20th February 1885 |
Wins by wickets
The least number of wickets by which a team has won a Test match is by 1 wicket. The first occasion of such an incidence was on 11th August 1902 at the Oval when England beat Australia. This was Test No. 74. The second time such a win occurred was on 2nd January 1906 in Test No. 88. In this match, South Africa defeated England at Johannesburg. The third instance of such a triumph was when England defeated Australia at Melbourne on 1st January 1908 in Test No. 97. Some other examples are furnished below.
| Test Number | Match Date | Venue | Winning team | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 149 | 1st January 1923 | Cape Town | England | South Africa |
| 345 | 31st December 1951 | Melbourne | Australia | West Indies |
| 873 | 8th February 1980 | Dunedin | New Zealand | West Indies |