The first officially recognized Test match took place between England and Australia in March 1877. Since then, more than 2,000 Test matches have been played by 13 nations. Many people consider the great Australian Donald Bradman to be the greatest batsman in cricket history. Among his many records is the highest batting average in Test cricket, 99.94.
In terms of individual records, Brendon McCullum of New Zealand set the record for the fastest Test century off 54 balls in his final game, while Misbah-ul-Haq of Pakistan holds the record for the fastest Test fifty, which was reached in just 21 balls. Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka is still the bowler with the most wickets in Test history, having surpassed Shane Warne’s 708 in 2007. On the batting front, Sachin Tendulkar overtook Brian Laraâ€s tally of 11,953 runs in 2008 to become the highest run-scorer in Test cricket.
On April 12, 2004, Brian Lara made history by scoring 400 not out for the West Indies against England in the fourth Test at Antigua. It remains the highest individual score in Test cricket.
Lara had earlier scored 375 at the same ground in 1994, which was also a world record at the time. He regained the record from Australiaâ€s Matthew Hayden, who had scored 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.
Laraâ€s innings helped West Indies reach 751 for 5 declared. He became the first player to hold the world record for the highest Test score twice. After the innings, Lara said it was exhausting but special to achieve it again.
He was congratulated on the field by Baldwin Spencer, the Prime Minister of Antigua. England captain Michael Vaughan praised Lara, calling him one of the greatest players in cricket history.
Even twenty years later, Laraâ€s 400* remains unbeaten. The closest anyone has come since is Mahela Jayawardeneâ€s 374 for Sri Lanka against South Africa in 2006.
On October 10, 2003, Matthew Hayden scored 380 runs against Zimbabwe at the WACA Ground in Perth, breaking Brian Laraâ€s world record of 375. The Australian openerâ€s innings came off 437 balls and included 38 fours, 11 sixes, and a five.
Hayden, then 31, reached the record just before the tea break, celebrated by raising his bat, and was embraced by Adam Gilchrist. He was later dismissed for 380 by Trevor Gripper, caught by Stuart Carlisle at deep square leg.
This was Haydenâ€s first first-class innings of the season and his sixth century in 12 Tests. His partnerships included 233 runs with Gilchrist, who remained unbeaten on 113.
Brian Lara congratulated Hayden after the match, praising his record and calling it a reflection of Australiaâ€s attacking cricket. Six months later, in April 2004, Lara reclaimed the record with his 400 not out.
In April 1994, Brian Lara broke Sir Garfield Sobersâ€s long-standing world record by scoring 375 runs against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground. He came to the crease with West Indies at 12 for 2 and went on to dominate the English bowlers. By the end of the first day, he was 164 not out, and on the second day, he reached 320*.
On the third day, with the crowd packed inside the small Antigua ground, Lara broke Sobersâ€s record of 365 not out by pulling Chris Lewis for four. Fans ran onto the field to celebrate as Sobers himself walked out to congratulate Lara. The moment was seen as a proud one for West Indian cricket, keeping the record within the Caribbean.
Laraâ€s innings lasted 766 minutes and 538 balls, featuring 45 boundaries and no sixes. He was finally dismissed for 375, caught behind off Andrew Caddick. England wicketkeeper Jack Russell later recalled that Lara nearly hit the stumps while scoring the record-breaking boundary, but the bail stayed in place.
In July 2006, Mahela Jayawardene scored 374 runs against South Africa in the first Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. His innings came during a record-breaking 624-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara, the highest stand for any wicket in Test history.
Sangakkara was dismissed for 287 after sharing 624 runs for the third wicket, surpassing the previous world record partnership of 576 by Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama, also for Sri Lanka. Jayawardene continued, nearing Brian Laraâ€s 375 but was bowled by Andre Nel for 374, missing the record by just one run.
His 374 included 43 fours and one six, lasting 752 minutes and 572 balls. It was the fourth-highest individual score in Test cricket at the time, behind Laraâ€s 400*, Haydenâ€s 380, and Laraâ€s 375. Sri Lanka declared at 756 for 5, leaving South Africa trailing by 544 runs.
In July 2025, Wiaan Mulder scored an unbeaten 367 runs against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, recording the fifth-highest individual score in Test history. Captaining South Africa for the first time, Mulder reached his triple century off 297 balls, the second-fastest in Test cricket after Virender Sehwagâ€s 278-ball effort in 2008.
He resumed day two on 264 not out and continued his dominance, adding 67 runs in just 37 balls with Kyle Verreynne. Mulder overtook Len Huttonâ€s 364 and Garfield Sobers†365* before declaring at lunch with South Africa on 626 for 5, just 33 runs short of Brian Laraâ€s world record of 400*.
His 367* came off 334 balls with 49 fours and 4 sixes, at a strike rate of 109.88 — the highest among all triple-centurions. Mulder became only the second South African to score a Test triple century after Hashim Amlaâ€s 311* in 2012 and the first South African captain to achieve the feat.
A. Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer in Test cricket history. He scored 15,921 runs in 200 matches and 329 innings for India.
A. In Test cricket, J.W. Burke of Australia is known for having no ducks in his career (1951–1959). In ODIs, Kepler Wessels played 105 innings without a duck for Australia and South Africa.
A. Brian Lara of the West Indies scored 400 not out against England in 2004. It remains the highest individual score in Test cricket.
A. Yes. In 1997, Sri Lanka scored 952/6 declared against India in Colombo. Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 and Roshan Mahanama made 225 in that match. It remains the highest team total in Test history.
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