Brian Lara: 400* World Record, 11,953 Test Runs — Greatest West Indian Batsman
Brian Charles Lara was born on 2 May 1969 in Santa Cruz, Trinidad. He is the holder of the highest individual score in Test cricket history: 400 not out for West Indies vs England at Antigua Recreation Ground on 12 April 2004 — surpassing his own previous world record of 375 (set at the same ground vs England in April 1994). He also holds the world record for the highest first-class innings: 501 not out for Warwickshire vs Durham at Edgbaston in June 1994. Test career: 11,953 runs at 52.88 with 34 centuries in 131 Tests. ODI career: 10,405 runs at 40.48 with 19 centuries in 299 matches. He is the only Test batsman to hold the world record individual score twice — broken by Matthew Hayden (380 in 2003) in between, then reclaimed by Lara in 2004. Captain of West Indies across multiple stints. His batting style — loose wrists, expansive drives, murderous pull shot — is widely considered the most visually beautiful of the modern era.
Brian Lara was born on 2 May 1969 in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago. A left-handed batsman, he made his Test debut in December 1990 against Pakistan and played 131 Tests for West Indies, scoring 11,953 runs at 52.88 with 34 centuries — the highest aggregate for any West Indian batsman. He also played 299 ODIs, scoring 10,405 runs at 40.48 with 19 centuries. He is the only batsman in Test cricket history to have held the world record for the highest individual Test innings twice.
375 in 1994: Breaking Gary Sobers' 36-Year Record
In April 1994, against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground, Lara scored 375 off 538 balls in 766 minutes — surpassing Gary Sobers' 365 not out vs Pakistan in Kingston (1958), a record that had stood for 36 years. Lara batted for 12 hours 47 minutes across three days, hitting 45 fours. West Indies won by an innings and 44 runs. Lara was 24 years old. Just weeks earlier, in the same English tour of the Caribbean, Lara had scored 501 not out in a county match for Warwickshire vs Durham at Edgbaston (5 June 1994) — the highest innings in first-class cricket history — making 1994 a year of unprecedented batting records.
400 Not Out in 2004: Reclaiming the Record
In October 2003, Matthew Hayden scored 380 vs Zimbabwe in Perth — surpassing Lara's 375. Lara reclaimed the record on 12 April 2004, again at the Antigua Recreation Ground, against England. He scored 400 not out off 582 balls in 778 minutes — 43 fours and 4 sixes. England bowled 11 different bowlers across the innings as Lara systematically dismantled their attack on a flat pitch. He declared West Indies' first innings at 751/5, and the match ended in a draw. He became the only batsman in Test history to hold the highest individual Test score record twice. The 400 not out remained the world record as of 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is Brian Lara's world record Test score and when did he set it?
Brian Lara's world record Test innings is 400 not out, scored for West Indies vs England at the Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's, Antigua on 10–12 April 2004. He batted for 12 hours 58 minutes off 582 balls, hitting 43 fours and 4 sixes. West Indies declared at 751/5. Lara had previously held the world record with 375 — also at Antigua, also vs England, in April 1994 — before Matthew Hayden scored 380 vs Zimbabwe in October 2003. Lara reclaimed the record in 2004. He remains the only batsman in Test history to hold the highest individual Test score record on two separate occasions.
What is Brian Lara's first-class record and how does it compare to his Test record?
Brian Lara holds the world record for the highest score in first-class cricket: 501 not out for Warwickshire vs Durham at Edgbaston, Birmingham on 6 June 1994. This surpassed Hanif Mohammad's 499 (1959). Remarkably, Lara set this county cricket record just six weeks after setting the then Test world record of 375 (also in April 1994), making 1994 one of the most extraordinary years of batsmanship in cricket history. His 501 not out in county cricket and his 400 not out in Tests are both individual records that remained unbroken as of 2026. In his Test career he scored 11,953 runs at 52.88 with 34 centuries — the highest aggregate for any West Indian batsman.