Brian Lara: 501* (Warwickshire, 1994) & 400* (Antigua, 2004) — The Two Greatest Individual Innings in Cricket History
Brian Charles Lara was born on 2 May 1969 in Santa Cruz, Trinidad. He is the holder of the highest individual score in first-class cricket (501* for Warwickshire vs Durham, Edgbaston, 6 June 1994) and the highest individual score in Test cricket (400* for West Indies vs England, Antigua Recreation Ground, 10 April 2004). He scored 11,953 Test runs at 52.88 in 131 Tests with 34 centuries. He also held the Test record previously with 375 vs England at Antigua in 1994 before being surpassed by Matthew Hayden (380 vs Zimbabwe in 2003), then reclaimed the record with 400* in 2004. He captained West Indies in 47 Tests. He scored 10,405 ODI runs at 40.48 in 299 matches. He made his Test debut in December 1990 against Pakistan at Lahore.
Brian Charles Lara is widely regarded as one of the two or three greatest batsmen in cricket history — and uniquely holds both the first-class and Test records for the highest individual innings in cricket. Born in Santa Cruz, Trinidad on 2 May 1969, he made his Test debut in December 1990 against Pakistan at Lahore and went on to score 11,953 Test runs at an average of 52.88 in 131 Tests with 34 centuries. His batting was defined by an extraordinary cover drive, a graceful yet commanding presence at the crease, and an ability to bat for extended periods against the best bowling attacks in the world.
501* vs Durham — The First-Class World Record (1994)
On 6 June 1994, playing for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston, Brian Lara scored 501 not out — the highest individual score in first-class cricket history, a record he still holds. The innings lasted 427 minutes and 427 balls. Lara came to the wicket with Warwickshire in a strong position and progressively dismantled the Durham attack, passing first 300, then 400, and reaching 500. He was unbeaten when Warwickshire declared. This came in the same year as his Test record 375 against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground (April 1994) — making 1994 the most remarkable single year of individual batting in cricket history. The Warwickshire county innings sealed Lara's status as a generational talent.
375 → Hayden 380 → Lara 400*: Reclaiming the Test Record
Lara first set the Test record in April 1994 with 375 against England at the Antigua Recreation Ground — surpassing Sir Garfield Sobers's long-standing record of 365 not out (set in 1958). That record stood for nine years until October 2003, when Matthew Hayden of Australia scored 380 against Zimbabwe at the WACA, Perth. Lara's response was decisive: in April 2004, at the same Antigua Recreation Ground where he'd first set the record a decade earlier, he scored 400 not out against England in the Fourth Test — passing Hayden's mark and reclaiming the record. It remains the highest individual score in Test cricket history as of 2026.
Career Statistics and Legacy
Lara scored 11,953 Test runs at 52.88 — the most Test runs scored by a West Indian and among the top ten Test run-scorers in history. He captained West Indies in 47 Tests. He also scored 10,405 ODI runs at 40.48 in 299 matches. He was a central figure in West Indies cricket during their transition from the dominant 1970s–80s era into the more competitive 1990s–2000s period. Famous innings beyond the records include 153* vs Australia in the 1999 World Cup semi-final (WI needed 282 and almost pulled off the chase), and 277 vs Australia in Sydney in 1993 — his first Test century and a sign of what was to come. He retired from international cricket in 2007.
Frequently asked questions
What are Brian Lara's two world record innings?
Brian Lara holds both the first-class and Test cricket records for the highest individual innings. In first-class cricket, he scored 501 not out for Warwickshire vs Durham at Edgbaston on 6 June 1994 — a record that still stands. In Test cricket, he holds the record with 400 not out for West Indies vs England at the Antigua Recreation Ground on 10 April 2004 — reclaiming the record from Matthew Hayden (380 vs Zimbabwe, 2003), who had taken it from Lara's own 375 vs England (Antigua, April 1994).
How many Test runs did Brian Lara score and what was his average?
Brian Lara scored 11,953 Test runs at an average of 52.88 in 131 Tests for West Indies, with 34 centuries and 48 half-centuries. This is the highest number of Test runs scored by a West Indian cricketer. He captained West Indies in 47 Tests. He also scored 10,405 ODI runs at 40.48 in 299 matches with 19 centuries.