Individual Batting Records: Cricket's Highest Scores in Each Format
The highest individual scores in cricket — Brian Lara's 400* in Tests, Martin Guptill's 237* in ODIs, Aaron Finch's 172* in T20Is — represent the outer limits of what one batsman can achieve in each format. This guide covers the records, how they were set, and what conditions (pitch, opposition, match situation) made them possible.
Cricket's individual batting records represent the upper boundary of sustained single-innings performance: Test cricket (unlimited time) allows the most runs; ODI cricket (50 overs) caps the innings length; T20 cricket (20 overs) severely limits the time available. The records: Test cricket — Brian Lara's 400* for West Indies vs England at St John's, Antigua, 2004; ODI cricket — Martin Guptill's 237* for New Zealand vs West Indies at Wellington, 2015; T20 International cricket — Aaron Finch's 172* for Australia vs Zimbabwe at Harare, 2018.
Brian Lara 400*
Brian Lara's 400* (Antigua, April 2004) is the highest individual score in Test cricket history. Lara previously held the record with 375* (1994 vs England at the same ground) — that record was broken by Matthew Hayden (380 vs Zimbabwe, 2003); Lara then became the first player to reclaim the Test batting record, making 400* in the same series and at the same ground where he had set his first record a decade earlier. The innings lasted 582 balls, spanned 13 hours 24 minutes, and contained 4 sixes and 43 fours. England's bowling in the match was weakened (the pitch was flat, the match was already a draw before Lara's innings), but the absolute focus required for 582 consecutive deliveries of concentration remains extraordinary.
ODI Record — Guptill 237*
Martin Guptill's 237* (Wellington, March 2015) is the highest individual score in ODI cricket. The innings was made in a World Cup quarter-final against West Indies — a do-or-die match, not a bilateral series against weak opposition. Guptill scored his runs off 163 balls (strike rate 145) with 11 sixes and 24 fours. The previous ODI record (219) had been held by Rohit Sharma, who has scored 3 ODI double-centuries (209*, 264*, 208*) — Rohit Sharma holds both the record for most ODI double-centuries (3) and held the record for highest ODI score (264*, against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, November 2014) before Guptill broke it with a World Cup knock. Guptill's record stands as of 2026.
T20 Record — Finch 172*
Aaron Finch's 172* (Harare, July 2018) is the highest individual score in T20 International cricket. The innings was against Zimbabwe — a relatively weak T20I opposition — but the score (off 76 balls, strike rate 226) required exceptional hitting. Finch also held the previous record (156 vs England at Southampton, 2013). Among domestic T20 cricket, individual scores above 175 have been recorded in IPL and other franchise leagues, but the T20I (international) record is more demanding (international bowling attacks are stronger). The T20I record is periodically approached: Rohit Sharma's 118 vs Sri Lanka in 2017 and Suryakumar Yadav's multiple 80+ scores demonstrate the format's upper performance range for elite players against full-strength international opposition.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest individual score in Test cricket?
Brian Lara's 400* for West Indies vs England at the Recreation Ground, St John's, Antigua, April 2004 is the highest individual score in Test cricket history. Lara faced 582 balls and batted for 13 hours 24 minutes. He hit 4 sixes and 43 fours. The innings broke the record he had previously set with 375* at the same ground in 1994, and which Matthew Hayden had held with 380* from 2003-2004. No batsman has scored 400 or more in Test cricket since Lara's 2004 innings — and he remains the only batsman to have scored 375 and 400 in Test cricket.
Who has scored the most ODI double centuries?
Rohit Sharma (India) has scored the most ODI double-centuries — 3, all made against Sri Lanka: 209* in 2013 at Bengaluru (then the world record); 264* in 2014 at Kolkata (world record, still the second highest ODI score ever); and 208* in 2017 at Mohali. The 264* was the world record until Martin Guptill scored 237* against West Indies in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final. Rohit's 3 ODI double-centuries are unique in cricket history — no other batsman has scored more than 1 ODI double-century.
What is the highest T20 International score by an individual?
Aaron Finch (Australia) holds the T20 International record with 172* off 76 balls against Zimbabwe at Harare in July 2018. Finch also held the previous record with 156 off 63 balls against England at Southampton in 2013. His 2018 innings included 16 sixes and 10 fours in a total of 263 for 3. Rohit Sharma (118 vs Sri Lanka, 2017) and Suryakumar Yadav (117 and 122 in various T20Is, 2023-24) are among the other notable individual high scores in T20 International cricket.