Charting the History of the Highest Individual Test Innings Score Ever
By Alex Telfer ,
One of the most iconic images for a youngster dreaming of cricketing superstardom is the classic post-play photograph of the heroic batsman standing in front of the scoreboard with a huge amount of runs beside their name.
The players on this list certainly had the opportunity to do that, having one-by-one each broken the record for the highest individual Test score.
Perhaps surprisingly, over the entire 140 years of Test cricket, the torch has been handed over just 10 times.
Let's take a closer look at each of the 10 players who have had the honour of being the proud owner of the highest individual score in Test cricket.
Score: 165 not out
When: March 1877
Where: Melbourne, Australia
Back in the 19th century, when Australia hosted England for the inaugural Test match, one player was going to emerge from the game with the honour of owning the highest individual score record. And like the Ashes just gone, it was an Australian who came out on top.
Charles Bannerman, who also scored the first ever Test run, retired hurt on 165. This was a remarkable score considering the next highest in the entire match was 63, as the Aussies won by 45 runs.
The opener, who was born in England, only scored 74 more runs in the remainder of his international career.
Fact: Bannerman's huge score constituted 67.3 per cent of his side's total, which incredibly remains a record today, over 2,000+ Tests later.
Score: 211 not out
When: August 1884
Where: Kennington Oval, London
Charles Bannerman's record lasted for seven years during which time 15 Tests were contested until Billy Murdoch scored a double century for Australia on their tour of England.
The Aussie skipper's knock, which came off 525 balls and contained 24 boundaries, proved to be in vain as England held on for a draw in this three-day fixture.
Murdoch would only score one more international century in his career that lasted for 19 matches.
Fact: Murdoch was one of just five players who have represented both England and Australia in Test cricket.
Score: 287
When: December 1903
Where: SCG, Sydney, Australia
The superbly named Reginald Erskine "Tip" Foster was obviously at home at Test level as he scored 287 in his first innings to shatter the existing record for an individual score and help England to a five-wicket win.
The knock, which remains the highest total by a debutant, absorbed 419 balls and contained 37 boundaries.
One of seven brothers, Foster passed away at the young age of 36 due to diabetes.
Fact: Foster is the only man to have captained England at cricket and football, where he won seven international caps to go alongside his eight international cricket appearances.
Sabina Park no doubt looked a little different in 1930
Score: 325
When: April 1930
Where: Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
The first Test match triple century was registered by England's Andy Sandham on a tour of the West Indies in 1930 and constituted the bulk of a team score of 836.
Despite earning a first innings lead of over 500, the visitors decided to bat again, which enabled the 39-year-old to chalk up another half century for good measure.
The match turned out to be Sandham's final Test, who went on to coach Surrey and also act as their scorer in his later years.
Fact: The match when Sandham scored his triple ton was supposed to be a timeless Test; however, a draw was called when England had to catch their ferry home.
Score: 334
When: July 1930
Where: Headingley, Leeds, UK
Perhaps the first familiar name on the list, Sir Don Bradman took the record as part of a record-breaking Ashes series where he scored more than 900 runs.
The Don, who struck 29 international centuries and famously finished on a career Test average of 99.94, made the score off just 448 balls which included 46 boundaries.
Being a four-day fixture, despite conceding a first innings deficit of 175 runs, England managed to hold on and draw the match.
Fact: Bradman once scored 100 runs off three eight-ball overs.
Score: 336 not out
When: March/April 1933
Where: Auckland, NZ
The legendary Walter Hammond, who scored over 50,000 first-class runs, took the highest individual score record away from the Don with a brutal innings against New Zealand.
With the triple hundred coming up in just 288 minutes, the knock contained 34 fours and 10 sixes, as Wally punished a weak Black Caps attack.
Finishing his career with 22 centuries, Hammond is regarded as one of England's greatest ever batsmen.
Fact: Hammond also scored 227 in the opening Test of the New Zealand tour which meant he finished with a series average of 563.
Score: 364
When: August 1938
Where: Kennington Oval, London, UK
This must have been a good toss to win. After calling correctly, Walter Hammond decided to bat in this timeless Test. Three days later, England were still batting, having racked up the small matter of 903 runs.
Chief to this was opener Len Hutton, who compiled a mammoth score to break his skipper's record. With Don Bradman absent hurt, the tired and fatigued Aussies were bowled out twice in less than 90 overs.
The Yorkshireman is considered England's finest post-war batsman and scored over 40,000 career runs.
Fact: Hutton faced 847 balls for his knock, the most deliveries a batsman has ever faced in a single innings.
Score: 365 not out
When: February 1958
Where: Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica
Hutton's grip on the record lasted for 19 years before the West Indian all-rounder Garry Sobers punished an injury ravaged Pakistan attack.
Aged just 21, Sobers put on 446 for the second wicket with Conrad Hunte and flayed 38 boundaries to help set up an innings victory.
The Barbadian is arguably the greatest all-rounder the game has ever seen, scoring over 8,000 Test runs and taking 235 wickets.
Fact: During the West Indies innings, Pakistan opening bowler Fazal Mahmood grinded his way through an incredible 85.2 overs of fast medium pace, the fifth most deliveries ever bowled by an individual player.
Score: 375
When: April 1994
Where: Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's, Antigua
Thirty-five years passed before the record was broken again, and it was another West Indies batsman who would be holding aloft his bat to the crowd.
Brian Charles Lara, the fluid left-hander, flayed England's sorry attack to all parts of the ground to rack up 375 off 538 balls.
In one of those matches that would have non-cricket fans scratching their heads, the Windies racked up 593 in two days before England matched the score in 206.1 attritional overs. The draw was agreed shortly after.
Fact: A few weeks after breaking the Test record, Lara put Durham's attack to the sword to score 501 runs in the county championship and set the highest ever individual first-class score.
Score: 380
When: October 2003
Where: WACA, Perth, Australia
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Matthew Hayden's monster innings at Perth against Zimbabwe was his run rate.
With 11 sixes and 38 fours, the powerful Queenslander smashed the Africans' weak bowling attack all over the park to score 380 off just 437 balls.
As per a lot of these scores, they actually tend to make the match itself incredibly dull. Australia clocked up 735/6 declared and bowled Zimbabwe out twice to win by 175 runs.
Fact: Hayden has published two best-selling cookbooks in Australia, compiled from recipes and tips he picked up on his cricketing travels.
Score: 400 not out
When: April 2004
Where: Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's, Antigua
Finally, 10 years after Brian Lara first spent a few days slapping England's unfortunate bowlers around the Antigua Recreation Ground, he decided to do it all again.
This time as captain, the Trinidadian went 25 runs better and scored the first ever quadruple Test match century off only 582 balls, which included 43 fours and 4 sixes.
The match itself ended in a draw, and Lara's epic score remains unbeaten almost a decade on.
Fact: England's pace attack in the game comprised of 2005 Ashes heroes Flintoff, Harmison, Jones and Hoggard, who combined to bowl 119 overs for three wickets at a cost of 429 runs.
