The first tied Test in 86 years of cricket history — Australia and West Indies finished level on 737 runs each after five days of breathless cricket in Brisbane, producing one of the most dramatic finishes the game has ever seen.
By December 1960, Test cricket had been played for 83 years without a single tied result. The West Indies under Frank Worrell were touring Australia under Richie Benaud, two captains committed to attacking, positive cricket. This series would transform the image of Test cricket at a time when dull, defensive play had started driving crowds away.
West Indies made 453 in their first innings, Australia replied with 505. West Indies were dismissed for 284 in their second innings, leaving Australia needing 233 to win. At tea on the final day, Australia needed 57 from the final session with six wickets in hand. Wes Hall, bowling with fearsome pace and heart, began dismantling the chase.
The last over of the match arrived with Australia needing 6 runs to win, West Indies needing one wicket. Wes Hall bowled it — the last over of what became the most famous day in Test cricket history. Benaud was caught behind for a duck. Grout scrambled a leg bye. Meckiff hit Hall for two. Off the penultimate ball, Meckiff attempted a winning run — Grout was run out. Last ball: Kline faced Hall needing two to win; Meckiff sprinted for the non-striker end, Solomon — fielding at square leg — threw down the stumps with a direct hit. One run. Match tied.
The scores were level: Australia 232 all out, West Indies 284, Australia 505, West Indies 453. Two teams, 737 runs each across ten innings. For the first time in 484 Tests, no one had won. The scoreboard read T-I-E-D.
The scenes at the Gabba were unforgettable. Players stood frozen on the field not knowing how to react. Richie Benaud called it the greatest cricket match ever played. The tie was no accident — both captains had pursued victory throughout, refusing to settle for a draw. Wes Hall, who bowled unchanged through the last session, wept on the field. Garfield Sobers called it the most emotional moment of his career.
Australia needing 6 off the last over with 2 wickets remaining — genuine result possible all three ways
Joe Solomon's direct hit run-out from square leg off the second-last ball — one of cricket history's most legendary moments
The scoreboard reading 'TIED' for the first time in Test history
December 9, 1960
West Indies bat first, make 453 — Sobers 132, Kanhai 15
December 11, 1960
Australia reply with 505 — Norman O'Neill 181
December 13, 1960
West Indies bowled out for 284, Australia need 233
December 14, 1960 (final day)
Australia collapse from 92/2 to 232 all out — TIED
Final ball
Solomon's direct-hit run-out seals cricket's first tied Test
The tied Test revived public interest in Test cricket across the world. The subsequent series (Australia won 2-1) became known as one of the greatest ever played. West Indies were given a ticker-tape parade through Melbourne — unprecedented for a touring cricket team.
Not a controversy but a crowning achievement of cricket — a result that could only happen when two sides play to win. The First Tied Test remains the standard against which all cricket drama is measured.
The First Tied Test transformed perceptions of what cricket could be. It proved that positive, aggressive Test cricket was not only possible but could produce results more exciting than any fiction. It directly inspired the modern philosophy of positive cricket captaincy.
India vs Australia
1986-09-22
Twenty-six years after Brisbane, cricket produced only its second tied Test — Dean Jones's heroic 210 through crippling heat and Dean Jones's fever, Ravi Shastri's unbeaten 48 and India needing 2 off the last over, only for Maninder Singh to be out lbw off the final ball.
Australia vs South Africa
1999-06-17
Lance Klusener smashed Australia to the brink of elimination, then ran out Allan Donald off the penultimate ball to tie the match — but Australia advanced to the final on superior run rate, ending South Africa's greatest World Cup campaign in devastating fashion.
England vs New Zealand
2019-07-14
The most extraordinary finish in World Cup history — the final tied, the Super Over tied, and England were declared World Champions on boundary count. New Zealand were devastated. The boundary countback rule was subsequently abolished.