Highest Individual Scores in Test Cricket History: 400 Not Out and Beyond

Test cricket gives batters more time than any other format, but converting that opportunity into a truly enormous innings remains one of the hardest achievements in the game. A triple century can require an entire day at the crease. Reaching 350 demands even greater concentration, fitness and control. Only one batter in more than a century of Test cricket has gone all the way to 400.

Brian Lara’s unbeaten 400 against England in Antigua in 2004 remains the highest individual score in Test cricket history. He reclaimed a world record that Matthew Hayden had taken from him only six months earlier. More than two decades later, nobody has passed Lara’s mark.

The modern leaderboard changed significantly in 2025 when South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder scored 367* against Zimbabwe. That innings became the fifth-highest Test score ever and pushed Garry Sobers’ legendary 365* down one position.

Highest Individual Scores in Test Cricket History

Lara is the only player with two scores inside the top three. His 375 first broke Sobers’ long-standing record in 1994 before Hayden moved the mark to 380 in 2003. Lara then returned to Antigua in 2004 and became the first — and still only — player to score 400 in a Test innings.

1. Brian Lara – 400* vs England, 2004

Brian Lara’s 400 not out is the benchmark every great Test innings is still measured against.

The West Indies captain began the fourth Test against England in Antigua under pressure. His team had lost the first three matches of the series, and Lara himself had not produced the kind of innings expected from him.

He responded with a performance that lasted 582 balls and included 43 fours and four sixes.

Lara reached his first fifty from 61 balls and his hundred from 131. By the time he completed his triple century, he had faced 404 deliveries. The most important milestone arrived after he passed Matthew Hayden’s 380, which had stood as the world record for only six months.

West Indies eventually declared on 751/5.

The match finished in a draw, which means Lara’s innings did not produce a victory, but its historical importance is unquestionable.

He became the first player to score a quadruple century in Test cricket and the only player ever to regain the world record after previously losing it.

Lara had first set the record with 375 in 1994. Hayden then passed him in 2003. Instead of allowing the record to move permanently into Australian hands, Lara reclaimed it almost immediately.

The ICC still lists 400* as the highest individual score in Test history.

2. Matthew Hayden – 380 vs Zimbabwe, 2003

Matthew Hayden briefly became the owner of Test cricket’s most famous batting record in October 2003.

Playing against Zimbabwe at the WACA in Perth, the Australian opener scored 380, overtaking Lara’s 375.

Hayden’s innings combined patience with extraordinary power.

He was one of the most physically imposing opening batters of his era and regularly used his strength to dominate fast bowling. Against Zimbabwe, he turned a strong start into the biggest innings ever played in Test cricket at that time.

Australia scored 735/6 declared and won the match by an innings and 175 runs.

The record lasted only six months because Lara made 400* in April 2004, but Hayden’s 380 remains the highest Test score by an Australian.

It also marked one of the high points of an exceptional Test career.

Hayden finished with 8,625 Test runs at an average above 50 and became a central figure in Australia’s dominant side of the early 2000s.

3. Brian Lara – 375 vs England, 1994

Ten years before reaching 400, Lara had already rewritten Test cricket history.

At the same ground in Antigua and against the same opponent, he scored 375 against England in 1994.

That innings broke Garry Sobers’ 365* record, which had stood since 1958.

Lara was only 24.

The performance immediately established him not simply as one of the finest young batters in the world, but as a player capable of producing innings beyond normal expectations.

The ICC notes that only 10 players have ever held the men’s Test record for highest individual score, and Lara is the only one to break the record twice.

That makes the 375 historically unique.

It was not simply the third-highest score now. It was the first half of an unprecedented personal record story.

Lara lost the record to Hayden in 2003, then returned to the same Antigua ground and surpassed 380 with 400*.

No other player has gone through that sequence.

4. Mahela Jayawardene – 374 vs South Africa, 2006

Mahela Jayawardene produced the highest score by a Sri Lankan Test batter when he made 374 against South Africa in Colombo in 2006.

The innings was part of an even larger record.

Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara added 624 runs for the third wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket in Test cricket history.

Jayawardene struck 43 fours and one six.

Sri Lanka eventually declared on 756/5 and defeated South Africa by an innings and 153 runs.

The innings remains the highest Test score by a right-handed batter.

It also demonstrated the ruthless side of Jayawardene’s batting.

He was usually praised for elegance and technique, but his greatest innings showed extraordinary concentration. He continued batting long after reaching 200 and 300, forcing South Africa to remain in the field while the partnership with Sangakkara grew into a world record.

Through 2026, only Lara and Hayden have produced higher completed Test innings.

5. Wiaan Mulder – 367* vs Zimbabwe, 2025

Wiaan Mulder became the newest entrant in the all-time top five when he scored 367 not out against Zimbabwe in 2025.

The South African stand-in captain reached the landmark from 334 deliveries and struck 49 fours and four sixes.

It became the highest individual score ever made by a South African in Test cricket.

Mulder passed Hashim Amla’s previous South African record of 311* and moved above Sobers, Hutton and several other legends on the world list.

What made the innings particularly interesting was the declaration.

Mulder finished unbeaten on 367 rather than continuing toward Lara’s 400.

That ensured the team retained enough time to push for victory rather than prioritizing an individual record.

The innings therefore joined the top five while also producing a broader debate about the balance between team goals and personal milestones.

As of 2026, Mulder is the only active-era batter inside the top five.

Garry Sobers’ 365* and the Record That Lasted 36 Years

Before Lara, Hayden and the modern giants, Garry Sobers owned the Test batting record for more than three decades.

He was only 21 when he scored 365 not out against Pakistan in Kingston in 1958.

The innings helped West Indies to a huge total and an innings victory.

Sobers’ record stood for 36 years until Lara made 375 in 1994.

That longevity says as much about the difficulty of huge Test scores as the number itself.

Thousands of Test innings were played between Sobers’ 365 and Lara’s record-breaking 375, yet nobody could go beyond him.

Sobers also shared a major partnership with Conrad Hunte, who scored 260 in the same innings.

Famous Triple Centuries in Test Cricket

Triple centuries are rare enough to define careers.

Some have produced world records, while others changed matches from seemingly hopeless positions.

Len Hutton – 364 vs Australia

Len Hutton scored 364 against Australia at The Oval in 1938 in only his sixth Test.

The innings broke Wally Hammond’s world record of 336* and stood as the highest Test score for nearly 20 years.

Hutton faced 847 deliveries and batted for more than 13 hours.

England scored 903/7 declared and won by an innings and 579 runs, one of the biggest victories in Test history.

Sanath Jayasuriya – 340 vs India

Sanath Jayasuriya produced Sri Lanka’s first Test triple century when he scored 340 against India in Colombo in 1997.

He faced 578 balls and combined with Roshan Mahanama for 576 runs.

Sri Lanka eventually reached 952/6 declared, which remains the highest team total in Test history.

Hanif Mohammad – 337 vs West Indies

Hanif Mohammad’s 337 is famous for a different reason.

Pakistan followed on 473 runs behind against West Indies in Barbados in 1958.

Hanif then batted for 970 minutes, the longest innings in Test cricket history, and helped Pakistan reach 657/8 declared. The match was saved.

His innings remains Pakistan’s highest individual Test score.

Wally Hammond – 336* vs New Zealand

Wally Hammond made 336 not out against New Zealand in Auckland in 1933.

At the time, it was a world record, surpassing Don Bradman’s 334.

Hammond reached the score in little more than five hours and hit 34 fours and 10 sixes.

Brian Lara’s 400 Not Out: Why the Record Still Stands

Many great batters have had opportunities to challenge 400.

David Warner reached 335*.

Mark Taylor made 334*.

Virender Sehwag scored 319 and once reached 293 in another Test.

Kumar Sangakkara, Younis Khan and several others have gone beyond 300.

Yet 400 remains untouched.

Part of the reason is tactical.

Modern captains often declare once the team has accumulated a huge lead because winning the match matters more than allowing one batter to chase an individual record.

Mulder’s declaration on 367* in 2025 was a perfect example.

There is also the physical challenge.

A player must usually bat for an entire day and often well into a second. Concentration must remain intact against new balls, fresh bowlers, different field settings and changing pitch conditions.

Lara managed all of it.

His 400 required 582 balls and more than 12 hours of batting.

That combination of opportunity, skill and endurance is why the record remains one of cricket’s most difficult targets.

Impact of Big Test Scores

Huge individual scores change Test matches in several ways.

First, they exhaust the bowling side.

A batter who remains at the crease for 600 or 800 deliveries forces fast bowlers to complete repeated spells and captains to search continually for new plans.

Second, giant innings create scoreboard pressure.

A total above 600 can leave the opposition batting primarily to save the match rather than win it.

Third, they allow teammates to play with greater freedom.

When one batter is completely established, players at the other end can attack or take more risks because the innings has a stable foundation.

However, massive scores do not guarantee victory.

Lara’s 400 came in a draw.

Hanif Mohammad’s 337 was primarily a match-saving effort.

Other triple centuries have come on extremely flat pitches where taking 20 wickets proved difficult.

That distinction matters.

The greatness of a huge innings depends not only on the final score but also on the conditions, match situation, opposition and result.

The Evolution of the Test Batting Record

The world record has developed through several generations.

Wally Hammond made 336* in 1933.

Len Hutton increased it to 364 in 1938.

Garry Sobers reached 365* in 1958.

Lara moved it to 375 in 1994.

Matthew Hayden scored 380 in 2003.

Then Lara returned with 400* in 2004.

This sequence shows how slowly the record changes.

Sobers held it for 36 years.

Lara’s 400 has now survived for more than two decades.

Every increase at this level is difficult because a batter is not merely required to have a great innings. They need to produce one of the greatest endurance performances the sport has ever seen.

FAQs

What is the highest individual score in Test cricket history?

Brian Lara holds the record with 400 not out for West Indies against England in Antigua in 2004.

Who has scored 400 in Test cricket?

Brian Lara is the only batter to score 400 in a Test innings. He reached the milestone against England in 2004.

Who has the second-highest Test score?

Matthew Hayden is second with 380 for Australia against Zimbabwe in Perth in 2003.

What is Wiaan Mulder’s highest Test score?

Mulder scored 367 not out against Zimbabwe in 2025, the fifth-highest individual score in Test history and the highest by a South African.

What is the highest Test score by a Sri Lankan?

Mahela Jayawardene holds Sri Lanka’s record with 374 against South Africa in Colombo in 2006.

Which batter played the longest Test innings?

Hanif Mohammad batted for 970 minutes while scoring 337 against West Indies in 1958, the longest individual innings by time in Test history.