Was Australia’s 511 at the Gabba the Highest Test Total Without a Century?

When Australia posted 511 in the first innings of the second Test at the Gabba in December 2025, cricket fans and statisticians around the world asked a familiar question: Could this be the highest Test team total without any batter scoring a century?

The short answer: No — but it remains an extraordinary and rare feat.

Where Australia’s 511 Stands In History

• Australia’s 511 ranks as the fifth-highest Test innings total ever recorded without a single individual century. ESPN+2ESPN.com+2

• The record for the highest such total belongs to Sri Lanka national cricket team, which scored 531 against Bangladesh national cricket team in Chattogram in 2024, with the highest individual score being 93. ESPN+1

• Prior to 2025, other significant 500+ totals without a century include:

  • 524/9 declared by India national cricket team vs New Zealand national cricket team in Kanpur, 1976 (highest score in that inning: 70). ESPN+1

  • 520/7 by Australia vs West Indies cricket team in Perth, 2009. ESPN.com+1

  • 517 by South Africa national cricket team (vs Australia, 2009) among others. Geo Super+1

So while 511 is huge, it falls a few notches below the top totals achieved without a century.

What Made 511 Special – A True Team Effort

Why 511 remains remarkable:

• Every one of Australia’s 11 batters scored in double digits, a rare occurrence in Test cricket. Wisden+1

• The top individual contribution was by Mitchell Starc, who scored 77 — a strong knock for a tail-ender. Wisden+1

• Several players contributed meaningful half-centuries: including Jake Weatherald (72), and others who fell in the 60s — underscoring it was a collective batting display, not reliant on a single big innings. Wisden+1

Cricket purists often believe big totals like 500+ require at least one massive century. Australia’s 511 busted that myth — showing discipline, depth, and collective resilience.

Why It’s Rare — And Usually Hard to Sustain

Achieving a 500+ total without a century remains rare because:

• Teams often lose momentum if no batter capitalises on a good start — scoring 40s, 50s or 60s rarely build to 100+.

• Rain, pitch deterioration, or aggressive bowling spells make long innings difficult for more than one or two batters.

• Usually, one standout batter lifts the total, making these “balanced big scores” uncommon.

That’s why only a handful of 500+ totals without a century exist in the long history of Test cricket, making Australia’s 511 at the Gabba stand out.

So — Is It the “Highest”? No, But It’s Among the Rarest and Strongest Ever

Yes — Australia’s 511 belongs in that elite list: a rare, team-based, high-volume innings without a triple-figure knock. No — it is not the highest ever.

Yet, given the quality of opposition (a full-strength England side), the pressure of an Ashes Test, and the fact that every batters crossed double figures, this innings will be remembered as one of the finest demonstrations of collective batting in Test history.