Highest Individual Score in Test Cricket: The Top 20 Ranked

In 150 years of Test cricket, only a handful of batters have crossed 300 in a single innings — and just one has crossed 400. The triple-century is the rarest milestone in the format, requiring not just batting brilliance but stamina, concentration, and a captain willing to leave the batter in. This guide ranks the top 20 highest individual Test scores ever, with the venue, era, and tactical context behind each.

The headline name is Brian Lara, 400 not out — set against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground in 2004. Lara's record may stand for another generation; only one other batter has even crossed 380. The list below is a tour of cricket's most extraordinary individual feats with the bat.

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The top 20 highest individual scores in Test cricket

#	Score	Batter	Country	Match	Year	Venue
1	400*	Brian Lara	West Indies	vs England	2004	Antigua
2	380	Matthew Hayden	Australia	vs Zimbabwe	2003	Perth
3	375	Brian Lara	West Indies	vs England	1994	Antigua
4	374	Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	vs South Africa	2006	Colombo
5	365*	Garfield Sobers	West Indies	vs Pakistan	1958	Kingston
6	364	Len Hutton	England	vs Australia	1938	The Oval
7	340	Sanath Jayasuriya	Sri Lanka	vs India	1997	Colombo
8	337	Hanif Mohammad	Pakistan	vs West Indies	1958	Bridgetown
9	336*	Wally Hammond	England	vs New Zealand	1933	Auckland
10	334	Mark Taylor	Australia	vs Pakistan	1998	Peshawar
11	334	Don Bradman	Australia	vs England	1930	Leeds
12	333	Graham Gooch	England	vs India	1990	Lord's
13	329*	Inzamam-ul-Haq	Pakistan	vs New Zealand	2002	Lahore
14	325	Andy Sandham	England	vs West Indies	1930	Kingston
15	319	Virender Sehwag	India	vs South Africa	2008	Chennai
16	311	Bob Simpson	Australia	vs England	1964	Manchester
17	311	Younis Khan	Pakistan	vs Sri Lanka	2009	Karachi
18	311	Karun Nair	India	vs England	2016	Chennai
19	310*	John Edrich	England	vs New Zealand	1965	Leeds
20	309	Virender Sehwag	India	vs Pakistan	2004	Multan

Note: Both Brian Lara entries (400 and 375) appear on the list, as do both Sehwag triple-centuries (319 and 309) — these are unique innings even though by the same batter.*

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1. Brian Lara, 400 not out (West Indies vs England, Antigua 2004)

The highest score in Test history. Lara, batting at no.4, scored 400 in 582 minutes, facing 582 balls, with 43 fours and 4 sixes. He went past Hayden's record of 380 (set just months earlier) and reached 400 with a single down the ground.

The match was the fourth Test of the West Indies vs England series at the Antigua Recreation Ground. England had won the series 2-1; this was a dead rubber. Lara was the West Indian captain. England's attack was Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Andrew Caddick, Matthew Hoggard, and Gareth Batty.

The innings sat in stark contrast to Lara's 1994 effort (375) at the same ground — he reclaimed the record exactly ten years after losing it. The declaration came at 751/5, with Lara unbeaten on 400.

For more on the West Indies cricket tradition, see our Brian Lara career retrospective.

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2. Matthew Hayden, 380 (Australia vs Zimbabwe, Perth 2003)

Hayden scored 380 in 622 minutes, facing 437 balls, with 38 fours and 11 sixes. The innings was an Australian bat-fest at the WACA, a famously fast pitch — but against a Zimbabwean attack lacking front-line international class. Hayden himself acknowledged the asterisk in interviews afterwards.

Australia's declaration came at 735/6. The Test was won inside three days.

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3. Brian Lara, 375 (West Indies vs England, Antigua 1994)

Lara's first Test triple-century. The innings became the world record for 9 years, until Hayden surpassed it in 2003. Lara's 375 was scored in 766 minutes — over 12 hours of batting — with 45 fours.

The innings established Lara as the world's best batter, a position he would hold for most of the 1990s.

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4. Mahela Jayawardene, 374 (Sri Lanka vs South Africa, Colombo 2006)

Mahela's career-defining innings. He batted for 752 minutes, facing 572 balls, with 43 fours and 1 six. The match featured a partnership with Kumar Sangakkara of 624 runs for the third wicket — a Test partnership world record that still stands.

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5. Garfield Sobers, 365* (West Indies vs Pakistan, Kingston 1958)

Set when Sobers was 21 years old, the innings stood as the world record for 36 years until Lara surpassed it in 1994. Sobers batted for 614 minutes, facing 567 balls. Pakistan's attack was strong (Fazal Mahmood was a particular threat), making the score even more impressive.

Sobers went on to become arguably the greatest cricketer ever — see our most centuries in cricket all formats for his full record.

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6. Len Hutton, 364 (England vs Australia, The Oval 1938)

The innings stood as the highest Test score for 20 years. Hutton, age 22, batted for 797 minutes — over 13 hours — facing 847 balls. The Test was the famous "Timeless Test" that ended only when England declared at 903/7. The match itself ran for 5 days.

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7. Sanath Jayasuriya, 340 (Sri Lanka vs India, Colombo 1997)

Sri Lanka's first Test triple-century. Jayasuriya's 340 came in 798 minutes, facing 578 balls, with 36 fours and 2 sixes. The innings established Jayasuriya as Sri Lanka's greatest opener — and was matched by Mahela Jayawardene's effort 9 years later.

For more on Jayasuriya, see our pinch hitter cricket evolution piece.

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8. Hanif Mohammad, 337 (Pakistan vs West Indies, Bridgetown 1958)

A Test innings of extraordinary determination. Hanif batted for 970 minutes — over 16 hours of cricket — to save Pakistan from a follow-on defeat. He faced 803 balls. The innings is the second-longest in Test history by minutes.

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9. Wally Hammond, 336* (England vs New Zealand, Auckland 1933)

Hammond's record stood from 1933 until Hutton broke it in 1938. The innings included a dropped catch on 27 and a chance on 121 — Hammond capitalised on both.

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10-12. The 334s and the 333

Three batters have scored 334 in Tests: Mark Taylor (1998), Don Bradman (1930), and Graham Gooch (333, 1990 vs India at Lord's). Bradman's 334 in 1930 was at Leeds, a fast-scoring innings of 6 hours. Taylor's 334 was at Peshawar against a depleted Pakistan attack.

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13-15. Asian triple centuries

Three sub-continental triple-centuries deserve special mention:

• Inzamam-ul-Haq, 329 not out (2002) — Pakistan's greatest Test innings.
• Younis Khan, 313 (2009) — Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Karachi.
• Virender Sehwag, 319 (2008) — India's second triple-century, set at Chennai vs South Africa. Sehwag faced 304 balls for his 319 — the fastest Test triple-century by balls faced.

For more on Sehwag's style, see our pinch hitter cricket evolution piece.

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16-20. The 311s and below

Three batters have scored exactly 311: Bob Simpson (1964), Younis Khan (2009), and Karun Nair (2016). Karun Nair's innings is unique in this list — it came on his fifth Test, against England, at Chennai. He has not played another Test since the early 2020s, making 311 the highest individual score by a player who effectively retired soon after.

John Edrich, Virender Sehwag (309), and a few others round out the top 20.

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How conditions and eras shaped the list

Three observations.

Most triple-centuries come at home

Of the top 20, 14 were scored on the batter's home soil. The home conditions advantage is real — knowledge of the pitch, comfort with the conditions, and the captain's willingness to give a long innings.

Australia, England, and the subcontinent dominate

The top 20 list is dominated by:

• 7 batters from Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka)
• 5 from England
• 4 from Australia
• 4 from the West Indies

South Africa and New Zealand are notable absences from the top 5, despite producing some great Test batsmen. The 369 from Faf du Plessis (close to a triple-century, not quite) is the closest South African effort.

The double-century that nearly was

A separate honour roll exists for innings that nearly cracked the top 10:

• Sachin Tendulkar, 248 not out (vs Bangladesh, 2004) — declared on 248 to give the bowlers a chance. A triple was probable.
• Rohit Sharma, 264 (vs Sri Lanka, 2014 ODI) — the highest individual ODI score, separate but related context.
• Brian Lara, 277 (vs Australia, 1993) — Lara was 23. Within months, he'd crack 375.

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What it takes to score 300 in a Test

Three patterns from the data:

1. Concentration over 8-12 hours. Most triple-centuries take 600+ minutes at the crease. Mental endurance is the rarest skill.
2. Run rate around 60-70. The pace of scoring matters less than the volume; most triple-centuries are scored at run rates that would seem slow in T20 cricket but allow the partnership to settle.
3. Captain's willingness to bat on. Several triple-centurions were the captain. Brian Lara declared after his own 400. Hayden was directed by his captain to push past 380.

For broader Test cricket reading, see our most runs in Test cricket all-time and the most centuries in cricket all formats.

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The youngest and oldest triple-centurions

• Youngest: Garfield Sobers, age 21 (1958)
• Oldest: Wally Hammond, age 30 (1933)
• Captain at the time: Lara (2004), Sobers (1958), Hayden (2003), Bradman (1930)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has scored the highest individual score in Test cricket? Brian Lara of the West Indies, with 400 not out vs England at Antigua in 2004. Lara is also the second-highest with 375 (1994). His 400* is the only Test quadruple-century.

Who has the highest Test score by an Indian? Virender Sehwag, with 319 vs South Africa at Chennai in 2008. India has had two Test triple-centurions (Sehwag and Karun Nair).

How many Test triple-centuries have been scored in history? Approximately 30-35 across the entire history of Test cricket, depending on count cutoffs. The frequency increased significantly after 2000.

What is the longest Test innings ever? Hanif Mohammad's 337 vs West Indies in 1958, lasting 970 minutes (over 16 hours). It is the longest individual innings in Test cricket history.

Has anyone scored a Test triple-century in their first 5 Tests? Yes — Karun Nair of India scored 303 in his fifth Test, vs England at Chennai in 2016. It is one of the most extraordinary debut-era achievements in Test cricket.

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The Test triple-century is the rarest peak in the longest format. Across 150 years, fewer than 35 have been scored. Each one represents extraordinary concentration, technical mastery, and the willingness to bat on for 8-16 hours at international standards. Brian Lara's 400 remains the apex — and may stand for another generation.