Highest Batting Average in Women’s Test Cricket History

Test cricket demands something special from a batter.

You’re not just dealing with a fast bowler’s spell. You’re handling the mental grind of five days.

The pitch changes. The ball swings differently under clouds. The opposition sets traps across sessions.

And every dismissal gets magnified.

That’s why maintaining a high batting average in Test cricket separates good players from truly exceptional ones.

A Test average above 50 puts you in elite territory. Above 60? You’re rare company.

And when we look at the highest batting average in women’s Test cricket history, we’re talking about players who’ve mastered the format’s toughest challenges.

Highest Batting Average in Women’s Test Cricket History

The Elite Eight: Top Batting Averages in Women’s Test Cricket

Only eight players have maintained Test averages above 57 across their careers. These aren’t flukes built on one or two good innings. These are sustained performances that held up against different opponents, different conditions, and different pressures.

Player	Country	Matches	Average	Runs	Highest Score
Denise Annetts	Australia	10	81.90	819	193
Shafali Verma	India	5	63.00	567	205
Lorraine Hill	Australia	7	62.37	499	118*
Enid Bakewell	England	12	59.88	1,078	124
Belinda Haggett	Australia	10	58.61	762	144
Ellyse Perry	Australia	14	58.12	930	213*
Betty Wilson	Australia	11	57.46	862	127
Smriti Mandhana	India	7	57.18	629	149

Denise Annetts: The Record That Still Stands

Denise Annetts holds the highest batting average in women’s Test cricket history at 81.90. Between 1987 and 1992, she played just 10 matches but scored 819 runs across 13 innings, remaining not out three times.
Think about that average for a moment. It means she failed rarely. Eight of her thirteen innings resulted in scores over 50—two centuries and six half-centuries. Her highest score of 193 came when Test cricket still felt like a specialist’s game, demanding patience and technique that many couldn’t maintain.
What’s remarkable isn’t just the number. It’s the consistency. Annetts didn’t rely on one massive innings to inflate her average. She built it across different series, different opponents, and different conditions over five years.

Shafali Verma: India’s Modern Powerhouse

Shafali Verma represents a different era of Test cricket. Her average of 63.00 comes with a strike rate of 74.31—aggressive batting in a format traditionally built on caution. She’s scored 567 runs in just five matches, including a double century of 205.
Here’s what stands out: fourteen sixes in Test cricket. That’s not how most batters approach the longest format. But Verma’s shown you don’t have to abandon aggression to build Test innings. When India faced England at Mumbai in 2021, she took apart their bowling attack, driving the score forward without compromising her wicket cheaply.
She’s still early in her Test career. If she plays more matches and maintains this form, we could be watching someone chase Annetts’ record.

Understanding Test Cricket Averages Compared to Limited Overs

The demands shift dramatically across formats. In ODIs and T20s, batters often prioritize strike rate. They know they have limited deliveries. Taking risks becomes calculated necessity.
Test cricket flips that equation. You’ve got time.
The opposition can set defensive fields for hours.
The pitch deteriorates across days. That’s why the highest average in women’s ODI cricket and T20 cricket often belongs to players with slightly different skill sets than Test specialists.
For reference, some of the top 10 highest batting average in ODI include players who rotate strike efficiently and capitalize on fielding restrictions.
In T20s, the highest average in women’s T20 cricket typically features batters who can accelerate quickly without losing their wicket to rash shots.
But Test cricket? It reveals who can occupy the crease when there’s nowhere to hide.

Most Runs in Women’s Test Cricket for India

When we look at Indian women’s Test cricket records specifically, both Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma feature prominently. India hasn’t played as many Test matches as Australia or England historically, which makes their achievements more impressive.
Mandhana’s 629 runs at an average of 57.18 include two centuries and three half-centuries. She’s hit 108 fours across just seven matches. That’s boundary-hitting consistency even when opportunities are limited.
The challenge for Indian batters has always been converting rare Test opportunities into meaningful performances. Both Mandhana and Verma have done exactly that.

Players Who Dominated Across Different Eras

Enid Bakewell (1968-1979)

Bakewell scored 1,078 runs at 59.88 during an era when women’s cricket barely received support. Four centuries in Test cricket during the late 1960s and 1970s demonstrated skill that transcended limited resources and poor pitch conditions.

Ellyse Perry (2008-2025)

Perry’s 58.12 average across seventeen years shows sustained excellence. Her highest score of 213 not out ranks among the highest scores in women’s Test cricket by any player. And she’s not just a batter—she’s a frontline bowler. Managing a Test average above 50 while carrying bowling workload is genuinely rare.

Betty Wilson (1948-1958)

Wilson’s 57.46 average came when cricket equipment was basic and pitches were unpredictable. Three centuries during that period mark her as one of the game’s pioneering all-rounders.

What These Averages Actually Mean

An average above 50 in Test cricket means you’re dismissed roughly once every hundred runs scored. That level of consistency requires:

Reading the game across sessions
Adapting to pitch changes
Handling different bowling strategies
Maintaining concentration for hours
Knowing when to attack and when to defend

It’s one thing to play a brilliant 80-run knock. It’s another to do it repeatedly across different matches, different years, and different opponents.

Expert Insight: Why Test Averages Matter More Than Strike Rates

Test cricket averages reveal a batter’s core reliability.
Strike rates fluctuate based on match situations.
Sometimes you defend for an hour to see off the new ball. Sometimes you accelerate before declarations.
But your average? That’s the brutal truth of how often you get out relative to runs scored.
It strips away excuses about match situations or team strategies.
A high Test average means you’ve figured out how to stay at the crease when it counts.
That’s why test cricket averages current players are constantly compared to historical benchmarks.
The format hasn’t fundamentally changed.
A good delivery in 1970 would still be good today.
So averages across eras remain comparable in ways that limited-overs stats don’t.

Women’s Test Cricket Records Worth Knowing

Beyond batting averages, several records help contextualize these achievements:

Highest individual score: Kiran Baluch scored 242 for Pakistan
Most Test centuries: Several players share the record with four
Most consecutive fifties: Maintained across difficult bowling attacks
Fastest to 1,000 runs: Achieved by players who capitalized on frequent matches

These records interconnect. High averages usually correlate with multiple big scores. Players who score centuries regularly tend to have better averages than those who compile smaller innings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is considered a good batting average in women’s Test cricket?

Anything above 40 is solid. Above 50 puts you in elite territory. Above 60 means you’re among the best ever.

Who has scored the highest score in women’s Test cricket by player?

Kiran Baluch holds the record with 242, though Ellyse Perry’s 213 not out and Shafali Verma’s 205 are also exceptional innings.

How does Shafali Verma’s strike rate compare to other top averages?

Her 74.31 strike rate is significantly higher than most Test batters historically, showing she maintains aggression without sacrificing her wicket frequently.

Why don’t India play more women’s Test matches?

Scheduling and traditional format preferences mean India plays fewer Tests than ODIs or T20s, making Test opportunities rare for Indian players.

Can current players realistically beat Denise Annetts’ record?

Possibly, but it requires sustained performance across many matches. Shafali Verma has the talent, but she needs more opportunities and continued consistency.